The Evolution of Shinbudo

The Shinbudo System of Martial Arts was founded in 1992 by Andrew Dickinson. Andrew first commenced Martial Arts training in Taekwondo and boxing in 1978. Bullied at school, the concepts of martial arts fascinated him from the very first lesson. He felt an incredible surge of personal power ignite within and soon shed the skin of the scared school boy as he worked his way through the ranks, accepting every challenge, personal and physical to gain his Black Belt. Andrew continued on, seeking out the best fighters, training and chalking up an impressive competition record. Soon after gaining his Black Belt and realising the short comings and limitations in Taekwondo (as with all systems of fighting) Andrew started to fill in the gaps with Judo and other grappling systems. So even as early as the mid 80s Andrew was experimenting with the idea of unrestricted sparring, that included kicking, punching, throwing and ground fighting. This was a difficult time as there were few takers that actually wanted to participate in this robust but very effective form of free fighting.

Andrew wanted to increase his knowledge and experience and add more depth to his study. Taekwondo as Andrew studied, was rapidly vanishing into an abyss of ego as the frenzy for it to become an Olympic sport deleted what was left of any martial spirit and signalled an end to what was a dynamic and effective martial art. In the late 80s, after extensive research in Korea and USA, Andrew came to the conclusion that the political machine of the World Taekwondo Federation had completely destroyed and devoured the last remnants of any Korean Master still living in Korea. It was obvious that most Korean Masters, whether Taekwondo or Hapkido, that did not want to become a part of this had escaped to America or other countries, many to set up their schools safely away from the control of the Korean government. Taekwondo continues to this day as a much watered down version of the original system, essentially focused on winning the game.

Taekwondo has not been the only casualty. So many martial arts schools have become outwardly egocentric and inwardly void of substance and reality. Instructors demanding compliance and expecting worship just because they wear a black belt. The students and student base represent the identity of the head instructor boasting over competition statistics and number of plastic trophies gracing the walls and halls of his mini shrine set up and dedicated to themselves. They love seeing themselves in print, even better the front cover of a magazine, with one of their dedicated grimacing in pseudo pain. And they have really made it when they get selected to be in the hall of fame! A group of egocentric peacocks preening each others make-up in the mens room prior to accepting an award that they can then use to promote their flimsy egos even more.

Frustrated by the shortcomings in Martial arts Andrew continued to search for more meaning and deeper qualities. So many martial arts schools are breakaways of breakaways. With each division a huge chunk of the original teachings splinters away, only to leave the newly appointed head instructor's distorted view of martial arts reality. Equally frustrating was that so many of the traditional organizations that were a direct line from original teachings were run by Australians that believed and acted more Asian than Asians themselves.

Andrew searched for schools that remained silent yet carried a powerful message. Schools that had not been tainted by the rush for power or recognition. Schools that could take him back to the beginning. Training in the Tenjin Shinyo Ryu School of Ju Jutsu (one of the founding arts of Judo) was a good start. It was run by a small group of dedicated Instructors simply passing on the teachings best they could of the current Head Master Kubota Sensei. Andrew trained for some years eventually grading to Black Belt in Japan. But with the lack of permanent training facilities in Japan and the focus that Kubota Sensei placed on the sport of Judo, Andrew moved on, focussing his attention on the Daito Ryu Aiki Ju Jutsu which was to change the direction of his training completely.

In Japan, many of the real combat effective systems of martial arts where banned after the second world war and systems such as Daito Ryu Aiki Ju Jutsu went underground. Over the years, as foreign interest in Japanese Martial Arts increased, the somewhat secretive system of Daito Ryu was sought out by many foreigners. So in 1988 Kondo Sensei, who runs one of the more famous Daito Ryu Dojos in Japan actively started accepting students who were serious in their pursuit of Martial arts.

In 1988 Andrew already with extensive experience in Taewkondo. Kickboxing and boxing, and a black belt in Tenjin Shinyo Ryu Ju Jitsu, turned his back on his competitive fighting, sold up and moved to Japan. He became the first non-Japanese student to be accepted by Kondo Sensei. Andrew received 12 months of intensive instruction directly from Kondo Sensei. The training included many hours of intense personal tuition by Kondo Sensei and the top Daito Ryu Instructors. It was through the sometimes brutal and unforgiving training in Daito Ryu, so obscure and unknown, yet famous as the founding martial art of Aikido, that was to re shape the course of Andrew Dickinson's training and path in Martial Arts.

In Kondo Sensei and the Daito Ryu, Andrew had found an incredibly pure and effective system of martial arts and was extremely privileged to be a part of the system opening up to the west. For 12 intensive months Andrew felt the unforgiving ferocity of Kondo Sensei as he peaked as a true master of martial arts. The training in Daito Ryu was simple yet profound. Against much initial resistance Andrew had to forget all that he had already gained and learned. Within this humbling experience Andrew felt the fire of the Martial spirit. He indulged fully and took his training back to the beginning. Andrew rebuilt a rock solid foundation in martial arts based on several very simple yet distinct principles, without which, any martial arts technique would not be effective. These principles were in many respects the missing links in his physical development.

With the new grounding and understanding he had learnt from Daito Ryu Andrew re-applied his extensive knowledge of striking and grappling systems onto a now much stronger base. Over the next number of years, still maintaining his link to Japan, Andrew continued to fine tune and fill the gaps in every aspect of his own training. His striking system of fighting became so effective that many believed that that was all he had, so few ever got through the extensive kicking range that they never experienced the close-in fighting and grappling. Testing his system of fighting worldwide, Andrew was able to set strategies to beat other martial arts by moving in between the lines of their technique and unbalancing them with simple movements outside the realm of their usual fighting strategies. He quickly realised the weakness of his opponent and changed his strategy, merging techniques from several systems within a breadth of one movement. In his studies he made the simple discovery that many martial artists knew many techniques and systems but very few could synthesise them to a simple and workable model then turn the skills back on their own system.

 The Birth of Shinbudo

Andrew has always been a teacher. He is one of those rare individuals that not only has the skills but can also empower and motivate any group, encouraging the personal best of each individual. The term Shinbudo is simply a generic term born out of the need to give some structure to teaching all that he has learned along the way. It can mean "true martial arts" and it can mean "new martial arts". Both are just names and do not necessarily define the system.

The aim of Shinbudo is to teach immediate and practical fighting skills that can be learned, assimilated and used quickly and immediately by men and women of all ages. There are no flash satin uniforms covered in badges, no stylised artificial scenarios with compliant partners. Simple defensive combinations are taught in all ranges of fighting. Shinbudo is not about learning a 100 different ways to block, punch and kick and it is not about learning 100 different ways to throw or numerous defences against the same kind of attack. It is about having a basic but very effective group of simple techniques that cover all ranges of fighting. These include distant fighting with long range kicks and punches, in close fighting with knees, elbows and standing grappling and control on the ground. There is no time wasted learning complicated patterns or outdated rituals that have no real use. The work outs are physically demanding with emphasis on fitness and conditioning. Separate sparring classes are held and are done over many ranges working up to an all round format with kicks, punches, throws and ground defence. Shinbudo is a a non sport system that retains the traditional elements of martial arts yet is highly practical in our modern society.

Shinbudo follows the standard pattern in martial arts. There are gradings every 3 months and students work towards gaining a Black Belt in minimum 3 years. All students are graded by Andrew Dickinson.

Click HERE to read more about Daito Ryu.

How to Get Started in Shinbudo.