Shunshifu Allen Casselman Sr. Background and views I have been teaching for over 20 years now and have found that the styles and systems that I have come know and care about do not address today's challenges of our youth as well as adults. When will we ever carry a Samarai Sword down the streets prepared to be attacked? Those that have that fear carry a gun, hopefully they know how to properly use it. When does our attacker follow the rules of fighting fair and only one at a time? I have herd and witnessed a couple such attacks that resulted badly for the person being attacked, even though they were Black belts. I have settled down to teach an Aiki-jitsu form of self defense and it is working very well for me and my students. This is without formal ancestry, I have 10 years under Carlos Melindez and about 25 hours of Aikido, I have come to believe that the formalities of ancestry are nothing more than trappings that cater to the ego. In today's world one must be versatile, patient, understandable, flexible and efficient.Although these are all attributes of formal martial arts trainings they do not take years to grasp nor have a reasonable mastering for self preservation. I have not yet settled on a name for what I teach, just like Math is Math sort of speak.I am considering training in Bujenkan Ninjitsu, since I have viewed many videos and have trained in those techniques with Carlos. That is if it becomes needful to have an ancestry of training. It is now Oct 2009, 2 years into this venture. About 12 consistent students attending regularly, I have taken the teenagers out on two camping trips. The adult have just begun and attended one trip. I was hoping to have a Childrens camp done by now, but it just hasn't happened. |