The 9 Guiding Principles of Goju-Shorei

[Dave McNeill]

The 9 Guiding Principles of Goju-Shorei

and why they’re important

 

I’m going to discuss the 9 Guiding Principles of Goju-Shorei on this site. 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 I 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.

 

 

First, 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 play in your martial arts life. Once your Teacher, always your Teacher.

 

 

First, 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. 

First, 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. A 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.

 

 

First, Members of this Family always honor

Themselves.

Honoring your Teachers, Students and Peers is almost impossible if you don’t, or can’t, honor yourself. Living an honorable life is difficult, but it is something one should strive for in every aspect of daily life.

 

 

First, Members of this Family recognize the healing arts as the highest form of

Martial Arts.

One of the areas that is unique in Goju-Shorei is the attention and respect given to the wide variety of healing modalities. Prof. Okazaki said, “You break em, you fix em.” as the guiding reason for teaching Seifukujutsu. If you have a training partner that is hurt, and you can’t heal them, then two people are not training.

 

 

First, Members of this Family never take the use of

violence lightly, and always endeavor to preserve life

and limb - only as a last resort causing

Harm.

Karate Ni Sente Nashi (There is no first strike in Karate) said Gichin Funakoshi. The same would certainly go for Weapons and Jujitsu. With training it is very easy to inflict terrible damage to the human body, but we must take extra pains not to do so. An insult, gesture or perceived insult does not require a physical response. Walk away, but walk away with confidence.

First, Members of this Family support all members in everything except the loss of

Honor.

Emotional support, Physical support, Spiritual support, in fact any kind of support should be given without question – that’s what Family does. But if the support involves the loss of your Honor or the Honor of the Family member then that support can never be offered.

 

 

First, Members of this Family never bring disgrace to the

System.

The one thing that must be protected at all costs is the good name and reputation of the Goju-Shorei System. It is what makes us, The Family, unique. 

 

First, Members of this Family teach and train with a clear spirit –

Shorei.

Teaching and training must be done without ego and with the best of intentions for our instructors, students, ourselves and the System.