Regular classes

Perth's premier martial academy with branches in Bayswater and Nedlands.

Contents of a class

Warm up and conditioning exercises (junbi undo)

Supplementary exercises (hojo undo)

Fitness benefits

Contents of a class

The Academy conducts weekly classes teaching its Wu-Wei Dao fighting system, which teaches the varied arts of the Academy in a structured progression.

Classes are typically 90 min long, with the first 20 min comprising warm-up and conditioning exercises.  This is followed by approximately 10 min of kihon (basics), 30 min of  kata (forms) and kumite (sparring), 20 min of weapons training (see Arnis and Kobudo) and 10 min of cooling down and stretching.

Supplementary exercises are interspersed throughout these activities, ensuring that the students can develop the physical fitness necessary for both health and self-defence.

The weekly classes tend to be small and personalised, with typically no more than 15 people in a class and up to 3 instructors teaching/assisting.  After the warm-ups and a few basics, the class is usually divided into smaller groups for individual practice, with the instructors circulating and correcting.

Great emphasis is placed on safety during training.  It is for this reason that egotistical behaviour is not tolerated and a high degree of etiquette and decorum is both practised and expected.

The Academy's students are well known as friendly, helpful and welcoming to newcomers and visitors.  Students range in age from the early teens to mature ages.  Separate classes are held for children with a specific syllabus and focus for them.

The weekly classes are not geared towards competition but rather are conducted in a traditional manner with a focus on effective self-defence, health and fitness.

 Warm up and conditioning exercises (junbi undo)

The warm-up and conditioning exercises, junbi undo, (as systemised by the great Karate Master Chojun Miyagi in the 1920's) are the result of over 1000 years of ongoing development in China and a great deal of consideration to the dual, compatible goals of developing both optimal health, and a physique suited to performing martial arts techniques.

Click on photo to go to Junbi Undo page

As there is no substitute for long term development by trial and error these exercises are consistent with today's knowledge of human physiology and biomechanics. Nevertheless Kancho Nenad has reviewed and modified these exercises slightly in order to bring them in line with the very latest in Sport Science knowledge and to suit the needs of the Western Lifestyle...
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In most sessions certain supplementary exercises, known as Hojo Undo, are practised with a view to further building strength and fitness. In fact, the attainment of a certain amount of physical strength, stamina and dynamic flexibility is a pre-requisite for the award of some grades.

Hojo Undo exercises performed include such well known exercises as push-ups, various abdominal exercises and other body weight exercises (often partner assisted). In addition, students are encouraged to use the dojo's traditional Okinawan strength training equipment (such as Chi-shi) which is specifically designed to build practical strength rather than muscle bulk.

Thus in combination, the Junbi Undo and Hojo Undo exercises help develop flexibility, practical strength, resistance to injury, good circulation, cardiovascular health and fitness and also assist in teaching and improving technique.

Students should understand however that the body adapts slowly and that it is important to train within their body's capacity at all times. As with any exercise routine some stiffness and discomfort will be felt from time to time especially if there is an existing imbalance in the body. However with regular and correct training the body will eventually reach a state of balance that will greatly increase health and vitality.

Quite apart from the fact that the martial arts techniques and movements practised in the Academy form the basis for an art of self-defence and self-development, they themselves can produce an enviable level of physical fitness. That they do so in a manner that makes you forget that you are exercising is so much the better. In fact, a very important benefit of the training is that the mental and physical effort required ensures that the student can forget his or her worries for the duration of the class. Of course, those worries do not go away and still have to be faced at some point but even a short period of relief can allow these worries to be seen in a truer perspective. Furthermore, over the long-term, the confidence developed as a result of training in the Academy will assist a person to deal more effectively with external problems thus adding positively to the value of life.

The importance of physical fitness can be established from the words of a former President of the United States of America, John F. Kennedy when he wrote:

Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body; it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity. The relationship between the soundness of the body and the activities of the mind are subtle and complex. Much is not yet understood. But we do know what the Greeks knew: that intelligence and skill can only function at the peak of their capacity when the body is strong: that hardy spirits and tough minds usually inhabit sound bodies.

Unlike many sports where good health is neither an objective, nor essential to the acquisition of skills, the Wu-Wei Dao system is an art dedicated to achieving an ongoing balance in the body. All aspects of the training; the warm-up exercises, the supplementary and conditioning exercises, the cool-down exercises and of course, the martial arts techniques themselves, are designed to promote optimal health and fitness while enabling the practitioner to perform at a physical level far above that of an average person.