The Meaning of Riai

Have you heard the term “riai” in your martial art?

What does it mean?

My trusty Nelson kanji dictionary defines the two kanji that make up the word as meaning “reason,” or ri- (“principle”, “truth”) with “coming together, meeting, or harmonizing” (-ai). In other words, in budo, riai are the underlying principles behind a technique. That’s as simple an explanation as I can give, and in most cases, that’s enough. Riai, in a way, is similar to the word bandied about frequently in karate-do schools: bunkai (“analysis,” “reduction,” “parsing”). However, as the Nelson translated meanings make clear, they are somewhat different.

In any case, on a superficial level, riai is simply an explanation of the “meaning” of a technique, or waza.

Okay, Grasshopper, you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop right now, right? It can’t be as simple as all that.

So here it is: that definition of riai is good enough for most students. Certainly, for the average middle-class, suburban kid taking a “kurrottee” class in a shopping mall dojo, it’s plenty sufficient. We’re talking about students whose willingness to alter his/her mental, emotional, and spiritual attitudes to delve further into the culture and ethos of combative arts as precariously limited, after all. There’s nothing wrong with stopping there and letting them enjoy the experience, if that’s what the dojo is aiming for.

Read more in our latest article.

Understand Riai, Get Certified in Martial Arts

If you’re committed to understanding the riai of your art, you can earn a martial arts certification at SMAA! To get started or ask questions, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form here.

A Way of Life

Is your martial arts teacher just showing you a sport, or are they teaching you a way of life?

The following was written from the perspective of Sensei H.E. Davey, director of jujutsu at SMAA:

Most sensei pay random lip service to the idea that mastering an effective approach to living is possible by studying the Way of calligraphy or the Way of flower arrangement, kado (花道). But do they actually teach this or even demonstrate it? When critically evaluated, it becomes clear that many do not.

But some do, and I fortunately practiced martial arts with that sort of special individual while growing up and continuing into adulthood. I’ve belonged to various Japanese and American martial arts associations over the years, and while I benefited from involvement in these groups, I also saw behaviors that were opposed to the spirit of the Way that my teachers and sempai, “seniors,” taught me.

As I continued to teach and practice traditional Japanese martial arts, I met other lifelong practitioners in some of the above-mentioned and unnamed associations, who’d come to similar conclusions. Some of these folks I met in Japan, others in the USA, and still others I reconnected with in the United States after they returned from living and training in Japan. We all loved what we’d spent most of our lives practicing, but we were concerned about whether these arts that were rooted in traditional Japanese culture would survive undamaged into the 21st century. 

Read more in our latest article.

Find Your Way at an International Martial Arts Association

You can embrace the concept of Do at an international martial arts association like SMAA! To get started or ask a question, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form here. We look forward to welcoming you into the martial arts community.

The Meaning of "Do"

Have you heard the word “do” used in martial arts?

Do you know what it means?

The following was written from the perspective of Sensei H.E. Davey, director of jujutsu at SMAA:

Do is the Japanese version of the Chinese word Tao (道) as in the philosophy of Taoism. We see this character used in everything from chado (茶道), the “Way of tea,” to shodo (書道), the “Way of Japanese calligraphy.” It implies that studying these activities goes beyond those specific arts and includes the art of living itself—life lessons if you will.

It’s in this sense that practitioners of shodo, budo (武道), and other Do forms say they’re practicing a Way of life. Yet, frequently they just say it, but often don’t live it or effectively teach it.

Strong words, but after decades of studying various Japanese arts in Japan and the USA, and after writing several books on these age-old disciplines, I’m starting to understand a bit about this topic. What’s more, although I sometimes criticize teachers of these subjects (including myself), I also believe that we really can discover a new, better way of living by practicing budo and similar arts. If I didn’t feel this way, I wouldn’t have written books about those arts and taught several of them for over 50 years.

Read more in our latest article.

Find Your Way at an International Martial Arts Association

You can embrace the concept of Do at an international martial arts association like SMAA! To get started or ask a question, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form here. We look forward to welcoming you into the martial arts community.

The Land of the Living

What can you learn from watching your martial arts teacher?

Life is too short to aspire to mediocrity. It's better to shoot for the stars and only reach the moon. Nowhere is this truer than in the martial arts. To animate your martial arts with the spirit of greatness, choose the most profound role models you can find and follow them with an obsessive devotion. That's your best chance to receive the direct transmission of the deep spirit of your martial art. If and when you receive the direct transmission, keep in mind that it includes everything—the sounds in the room during your training sessions, the rare smile of your sensei, the warm air coming in through the windows, the pain of learning, the salty tears of exhaustion, the crushing pathos of washing your teacher's gravestone, and the incredible energy of great martial arts techniques executed with clarity, energy, and joy. The complexity and emotion of your martial arts should be very profound indeed.

It may not be easy to find such incredible role models or to recognize them when you do meet them. One way to hone your skill at discerning greatness is to get in front of it and pay close attention. Make every effort to find it, and when you do, study wholeheartedly with those who exemplify it.

That's it. Thinking back on your training, will you be able to say, "I truly did everything I could to give myself a chance at greatness?”

Read more in our latest article.

Start Your Path to Greatness at a National Karate Association

Ready to set your 2025 martial arts goals?

SMAA is a national karate association, but we offer more than just karate! As part of SMAA, you can also learn aikido, iaido, judo, and jujutsu. To take the first step on your martial arts journey, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form here.

Missing from Our Lives

When you practice a kata, are you going through the motions, or are you putting your spirit into it?

The extraordinary musician, the exemplary painter, the best writer, the gifted singer, and the exceptional martial artist share a unique sort of magic. There's a depth to their performances that only a keen eye can see, only a sharp ear can hear. Their notes are not just notes, their brush strokes are not just brush strokes, their words are not just words, their voices are not just voices, and their kata are not just kata. Instead, they're a deep expression of a collection of meaningful experiences, distilled through countless hours of practice and years of reflection.

If you watch, read, or listen carefully enough, you can sense the depth of their technique. If you're lucky enough to have seen their teachers or role models, you'll also be able to see echoes of their predecessors in their art. That's an extraordinary expression of love... granting immortality to an artist by ensuring that his or her art is preserved in your body, mind, and spirit. The level of your tribute corresponds to how well you internalize the nuance of his technique and how well you understand and give life to the principles he held dear.

Lightweight players dominate today’s martial arts world. By that I don't mean people who are small in physical stature. Instead, I mean people who are small in character, technique, and aspirations. Consider carefully the school you plan to attend. Is the approach all about rank? Does the curriculum change frequently... is it more focused on variation than on depth? Are the lead instructors out of shape, mean spirited, or simply poor technicians?

Read more in our latest article.

Start Your Path to Greatness at a National Karate Association

Ready to set your 2025 martial arts goals?

SMAA is a national karate association, but we offer more than just karate! As part of SMAA, you can also learn aikido, iaido, judo, and jujutsu. To take the first step on your martial arts journey, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form here.

Recognizing Nippon Jujutsu

How do you know you’re learning authentic jujutsu?

"I'm certain my teacher is showing us real Japanese-style jujutsu (or kenjutsu, bojutsu, etc.). Some of his movements are identical to the ones I've seen in samurai movies from Japan."

I’ve heard this before as well. So have Steve Fabian Sensei, Ohsaki Jun Sensei, Kevin Heard Sensei, Wayne Muromoto Sensei, and other longtime Nippon jujutsu teachers at SMAA. Speaking for myself, I’m sympathetic to anyone’s desire to have faith in their sensei, but this kind of statement reveals a huge lack of knowledge concerning Japanese martial arts in general.

Samurai movies are not usually produced by martial arts experts. Their goal isn’t educational, but aimed at entertainment, and real koryu bujutsu is often deceptively simple. It doesn’t necessarily look good on film. Those aren’t real swords in Seven Samurai, and while sometimes real martial artists are consulted in movie-making, their goal is still to entertain more than to recreate.

Explaining how to recognize authentic Nihon jujutsu, beyond asking for proof of certification from valid groups, is a huge subject. Fabian Sensei, a Director for the SMAA Jujutsu Division and seventh dan, did a fine job of addressing this for our journal. You can find his article here.

Read more in our latest article.

Learn More at an International Martial Arts Association

Are you researching a specific ryu, a particular dojo, or jujutsu in general? You can send your questions to leaders in the SMAA Jujutsu Division; we’ll be happy to help! For other questions about our international martial arts association, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form here.

*Pictured in this blog: Stephen Fabian Sensei, Director of Traditional Jujutsu.

Categories of Classic Jujutsu

Did you know that there are different types of classic jujutsu?

In general, jujutsu during the Edo period was practiced by bushi, ashigaru (“foot soldiers”), torikata (“medieval police”), and civilians. In genuinely old systems it considered the fact that the bushi might be wearing armor and facing a similarly clad opponent, both of whom had to be able to fall safely as well as perform other actions while wearing two swords. The wearing of arms and armor limited how one could grapple and fall as well as the techniques that could be used.

Striking techniques were less common (to protect the hands and feet from being injured when hitting armor), and if they did exist, were sometimes done using the butt end of weapons. Joint locking techniques needed to consider where different pieces of armor came together, and in this sense, they had something in common with cutting with a sword. So, if you visit a dojo claiming to teach a version of really ancient jujutsu try to visualize the techniques you see in the context of two people wearing arms and armor. If you can’t see how the techniques could be done under these circumstances, you might want to ask the teacher about this.

Read more in our latest article.

Learn More at an International Martial Arts Association

Are you researching a specific ryu, a particular dojo, or jujutsu in general? You can send your questions to leaders in the SMAA Jujutsu Division; we’ll be happy to help! For other questions about our international martial arts association, call (734) 720-0330 or submit a contact form here.

*Pictured in this blog: Stephen Fabian Sensei, Director of Traditional Jujutsu.