Martial Arts for the 21st Century

9 Principles of Goju-Shorei - Part 1

The 9 Principles of Goju-Shorei

and why they’re important

Over the next three postings I’m going to discuss each of the 9 Guiding Principles of Goju-Shorei. I struggle from time to time trying to follow them and I assume that I’m not alone.

First a little clarification; The reference to Family is because we consider all students or friends of Goju-Shorei to be family, as in – People who teach and train together become family – which is the translation of the kanji prominently displayed on the web site and blog site.

Secondly, the number 9 refers to the nine angles of attack and defense which are referred to throughout the System.

1. Members of this Family always honor their

Teachers.

My main teacher is Grand Master Alexander Archie. I started learning Goju-Shorei from him in 1971 and he has been, and continues to be, a very important part of my life. My other teachers were/are: Coach Davis – Jr. Golden Gloves; Gary Friedrich – Shotokan; Ron Hoover – Shorin Ryu; Remey Presas – Arnis; Mark Lord – Tai Chi; Ken Eddy – Seifukujutsu; Dan McCuskey – Pressure Point; Lyle Ho – Iron Palm; Tom Callos – Ultimate Black Belt Test; George Fujii – Machado BJJ.

I urge everyone to honor and respect all their teachers, no matter what role, big or small, they've played in your martial arts life. Once your Teacher, always your Teacher.

2. Members of this Family always honor their

Students.

I’ve learned so much from my students they should be listed as my teachers. They have taught, and re-taught, me patience, anger management, patience, forgiveness, loyalty, and patience. I’ve failed to honor them more than a few times, and always to my loss and regret.

Your students are your future and your legacy. Treat them as such. Once your Student, always your Student.

3. Members of this Family always honor their

Peers.

It’s so easy to bad mouth another system or style and their instructors and students. We should respect any black belt in any system, from any school. That black belt represents that a person has met certain requirements to achieve their rank, and it is up to us to honor that achievement. It is not up to us to set the rules or standards of any system or school other than our own.

Hold yourselves above the petty bickering of style vs style, system vs system, school vs school or practitioner vs practitioner.

9 Principles of Goju-Shorei - Part 1

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