Ann Arbor - Martial Arts Mecca
For the prospective martial arts student, Ann Arbor is a mecca in the Midwest. More than any other location in Michigan, Ann Arbor has a wide variety of martial arts styles taught by many well respected sensei (teachers). You can find training opportunities at community centers, college and university gyms, health clubs, and dojo (training halls). Among the styles available are: aikido, iaido, judo, jujutsu (also called jujitsu), karate, kendo, kung fu, MMA (mixed martial arts, sometimes called BJJ) tae kwon do, tai chi, and several westernized martial arts systems.
Tae Kwon Do
Tae Kwon Do is the Korean counterpart to Japanese karate. As a striking art, it includes punches, kicks, and blocks, but typically Tae Kwon Do emphasizes more kicking than does karate. Competition (usually for points rather than full contact) is very common among Tae Kwon Do practitioners. It is an excellent form of exercise, but seems more susceptible to commercialization than more traditional arts such as aikido and iaido.
Getting Started with the Martial Arts
If you are considering taking up martial arts, you are likely to find many superb opportunities in and around Ann Arbor, including outlying cities such as Brighton, Canton, Howell, Northville, and Plymouth. Students from the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, Cleary College, and even Michigan State University, have supplemented their educations with martial arts and found that the physical activity helps them concentrate on their studies. Naturally, we think the Japanese Martial Arts Center offers the best programs in Michigan, but we encourage you to look around to find the martial arts club or school that best meets your needs.
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About the Japanese Martial Arts Center - Ann Arbor, Michigan
The Japanese Martial Arts Center, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, offers classes in traditional Japanese martial arts, including judo, Nihon Jujutsu (a self-defense art similar to aikido, sometimes written .jujitsu. or .jiu jitsu), and iaido (Japanese swordsmanship). We also make other martial arts available in workshops or seminars, including kendo, tanbojutsu, and jodo.
Our chief instructor, Nicklaus Suino, began studying martial arts in Ann Arbor in 1968 and the Ann Arbor Y, and later studied karate, aikido, and kung fu at the Asian Martial Arts Studio, another Ann Arbor dojo. Suino lived in Tokyo, Japan, from 1988 to 1992, and continues to visit Japan regularly. Throughout his martial arts career, he has studied and taught a wide variety of martial arts, in Ann Arbor and around the world, including aikido, iaido, battojutsu, kendo, kenjutsu, jujitsu, judo, kung fu, tai chi, and kyudo (Japanese archery).
Our other primary judo instructor, Stephen Morris, is also a long time resident of Ann Arbor. Sensei Morris is a teacher a Tappan Middle School, and an accomplished martial arts instructor, having studied karate, aikido, judo, and other martial arts. He is widely regarded as one of the top judo instructors in the Ann Arbor area.
The Japanese Martial Arts Center strives to offer world-class instruction to students from Ann Arbor and surrounding communities. We work hard to understand how and why martial arts techniques work, and to communicate that knowledge to our students in a friendly, systematic manner. We believe the experience of our students shows that our methods work as well as or better than those of any other martial arts school in Ann Arbor. We welcome you to stop in and visit our dojo!