Happy New Year!

We hope all of the fans of the Shudokan Martial Arts Association Facebook page and the SMAA Blog have a very Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

Thanks to all the SMAA members throughout the world for their interest and support in 2010. Thanks as well to all our friends for supporting this blog. We hope everyone has very Happy Holidays and a great New Year.

2011 Dues

SMAA members:

Membership fees need to be renewed on or before January 1. Please send your yearly contribution to our headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan.


Members receive discounts at SMAA events, our quarterly journal, and they are eligible to receive kyu/dan rank from our various divisions.

New Book

SMAA member Max Roach recently had a book published called Japanese Swords: Cultural Icons of a Nation. We just got a copy of the book, so we haven't had a chance to read it yet, but the photos and presentation are great. You can check out the book's Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Japanese-Swords-Cultural-Icons-of-a-Nation/128441140520277

I'd like to have one of the leaders of the SMAA come to my dojo to teach and/or conduct testing. How do I do this?

Just contact the SMAA HQ, and let us know which teacher you would like to study with. We will then pass your request on to that instructor.

Many of the Directors and Advisors are willing to teach seminars an...d conduct testing for low fees--in some cases just for the cost of their expenses--to help spread high quality traditional budo. Each teacher has his or her own ideas about payment, but it is often easier to bring a top SMAA sensei to your dojo than you might think.

Members find that belonging to the SMAA offers many important and tangible benefits. However, perhaps the most important benefit is a chance to experience genuine Japanese budo, budo that has not been watered-down or Westernized, and such opportunities are more rare than the public might imagine. Moreover, competent teachers of these classical disciplines are equally rare to find outside of Japan, and we hope SMAA members will take steps to learn from the accomplished sensei in our group.

I'm a member, and I have not received a copy of the journal in some time. Why is this?

Did your home address or e-mail address change? Did you let us know well in advance that you would be moving? If not, this can easily explain why you are not receiving anything from us. If your e-mail address changes, please promptly ...send the new address to hedavey@aol.com.

Have you made your annual donation to the SMAA, which is due on January 1 of each year? Since we are a small, traditional, and fairly non-commercial association, we cannot send copies of the journal to members who are not contributing to the financial maintenance of the SMAA.

July 2010 SMAA Michigan Seminar

Nicklaus Suino Sensei, SMAA Judo Division Director and sixth dan, offered a special summer event focused on traditional Kodokan judo. He taught the following judo throws:

• Seoi Nage (“Shoulder Throw”)

• Harai Goshi (“Sweeping Hip Throw”)

• Uchi Mata (“Inner Thigh Throw”)

• De Ashi Barai (“Advancing Foot Sweep”)

• O Soto Gari (“Major Outside Reap”)

Suino Sensei showed how these techniques can be used effectively in competition, but also in self-defense. Instruction was offered for both beginners and advanced judoka.

Where: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Who: Nicklaus Suino Sensei—http://smaa-hq.com/bio.php?bioid=3

What: Kodokan judo

When: July 16, 17, and 18, 2010

Theme: “Judo: Five Throws You Absolutely, Positively Can’t Live Without”

Schedule: July 16 (7:00 to 9:00 PM), July 17 (11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, 5:30 to 7:30 PM), July 18 (11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, 3:30 to 5:30 PM, Dinner/party from 5:30 PM on)

Thanks to the SMAA members that participated. SMAA Seminars are always a great way to make new friends and learn from some of the top budo experts in the world. And as always, SMAA members receive special discounts at these events.