My Real Experience with the Juko-Kai and Combat-Ki

I would like to take this time to type an article about my first hand experience with the Juko-Kai members, it’s founder, and the organization as a whole. I know you might be thinking this has been done over many, many times on the internet. Nope, this hasn’t. I wanted first hand experience about who these people are and what they do. I didn’t want to be a part of a forum that talked back and forth about this issue or that issue. So I was invited to their recent 50th Anniversary. I would like to tell you what I learned. I am not a Paper Dragon or Internet Warrior. I was not a Juko-Kai member. I was a Martial Artist who never claimed to be the best, or toughest guy around but wanted to see for myself what all the controversy was about with the Juko-Kai. Let me give you a very brief summary of my experience in the Martial Arts so you know you aren’t dealing with a nut case.

I have been studying Martial Arts for over 32 years now. I am 41 years old now. I have several Black Belts or Menjo in a few arts with Godan (5th Dan) being my highest. It is safe to say I have been around the block a time or two. If I can see it and you can prove it, then it is real. If I can’t see it and you can’t prove it, it’s crap/junk and I want nothing to do with it. I am practical. If you don’t like what I have to say, guess what? TOUGH! I went, I saw, and I got the T-shirt. Did you? For those who have open minds and hearts and are true Martial Artist and not wannabe’s, then you might learn something from what I experienced, not from what I was told.

My experience with them begins in the airport. When I finally connected with their members and we are leaving the terminal, 3 of them stopped right away to help an older lady find her contact lens she lost. I bet they looked for 5-10 minutes before they had to stop cause they had to go. One of them said their heart went out to this woman and they wanted to stop. Because they are like a family, they all stopped to help. Being human is the first lesson in Martial Arts. Realize you are human and then you can learn. Compassion makes the world a better place. Martial Arts will always take second place to compassion.

Many of my experiences are very personal for me. I am only sharing a small number of them. Come to find out, they are very personal, good people. If you have a question, they are more than glad to help. They only hurt those who try and hurt them. Everyone has the right to defend themselves. Their Masters were top rate/first class Martial Artist. I saw some of them doing randori (free fighting) and these were the masters. Trying to get one another with all of their heart and never taking anything personal. They were skilled on both ends of the spectrum. Some of them would get hit hard or got their groin grabbed and they just laughed about it. Hey, I am kind of crazy too and I laugh sometimes too but when I am getting hit, I personally didn’t find it funny. These guys did. That is crazy!

Next was their Combat Ki segment. This young, skinny girl comes out from a line of people and walks up to the Master of Combat-Ki to stand beside him and is hit full power in the throat while walking up to him. Her response was to smile. He started talking about the Combat Ki and stuff and then another Master came out and put him in a head lock. The Master being locked grabbed him in his groin and tried to knock him off balance by attacking his legs. Then the Master grabbed his groin and they kept fighting and the one that was grabbed laughed all the way to the floor. When he got back up and started talking again someone asked if there where any questions about what he was talking about. I raised my hand. Everybody looked at me cause I was an outsider. A critic you could say. I told them I had seen things like this in the past with Karate Masters and such. It was like they were getting themselves ready and then taking the blow. I was told later that type of training was the lowest level of their Ki/Chi training. I told them my students and I were wondering if they could do these things when someone was moving? I personally felt that all of this stuff was worthless unless you could do it while fighting but I kept that thought to myself. I wanted the truth but didn’t want to be rude while getting it. Soke Rod Sacharnoski invited me to personally come and see for myself, He even video taped the whole thing. The first thing I did was hit one Combat Ki Master in the groin with a palm heel strike. They angled it perfect so I could really get in there you could say. This guy just laughed at me when I hit him with all I had. I even used Kiai as well. I did that twice. Another master came out and did the same. It was like fun to these people who glowed and smiled every time I hit someone.

Soke Sacharnoski then asked me to do something they had never done before publicly. He asked a 17 year old and a 22 year old to come out. These young boys liked like twins and were brothers. I was asked to hit the 17 year old in the chest with all I had. I didn’t want to in my heart. I am being honest, but I came here for a reason and this time it was put up or shut-up. Put-up works better for me so I got in a Boxing stance. I won 1st in North Carolina in Kickboxing when I was 16 years old and liked boxing a lot, so I got ready. I hit the kid in the chest and knocked him back about 3 ft. I chased him after I hit him and hit him with another cross strike using my fist to the chest. I hit this kid 3 times while chasing him as he was falling backward. Afterwards the kid just smiled. Seriously people. He did it while moving cause I moved him by hitting him and chasing him as he was falling backward. Did I have more knowledge than this kid, of course I did. It doesn’t make a difference if I could kick his butt or not, he took 3 vital shots to the chest from me while moving. They proved it works.

Next, I kicked his brother in the groin, Soke gave a compliment on those for I lifted the kid in the air with them, maybe a foot or more. I would need to see the tape myself to say exactly but lets say I kicked him pretty hard. He just smiled at me. Soke complimented me on my kicks and then went on to explain a few things as I went over to the side shaking my head. No offense but they convinced me and I wasn’t a Juko-Kai member. Just a guy with a few Black Belts who has been around the block a time or two.

Next I saw many demonstrations. Some were people doing very old Kata from Okinawa and some doing weapons demos with traditional Okinawa weapons and Chinese Weapons. Then I saw guys doing Randori (free fighting) with various unrehearsed techniques. I also saw some that were rehearsed as well. It is easy to tell. Then there was this Master of Judo and Jujutsu there who did a nice clinic on ground fighting/mma. I even had the opportunity to see two Juko-kai Masters go full throttle on the floor trying there best to get one another. I call that kind of training real fun.

Next we took a break. I was introduced to Soke Sacharnoski personally. He was very nice to me and asked what I did and how long I had been training. I told him I studied many arts but spent most of my time in Ninpo/Ninjutsu since 1983. His eyes got kind of big and he looked at my belt. I reckon he was looking for something specific, when I told him I was a Godan and wasn’t one of these people who chase rank but love to train. He smiled and we went over to the side to talk more.

He told me about him being given the honor of being given an honorable 10th Dan (Judan) from Grandmaster Hatsumi, but how after that, many people said many cross things about him and he really didn’t want to be a part of the politics and all so he left the Bujinkan alone. I could tell from the look in his face it really hurt him to say that. He even talked about the stack of certificates he had obtained while earning his way up the Kyu levels and the Dan levels. Let me tell you something. This man was not only a first class Martial Artist but a first class person as well. He has a heart of gold. I didn’t witness some massive hypnotism that day, but I did witness someone who truly cares about those in his organization.

During our lunch, he served us a really nice lunch which we all really enjoyed. We had a chance to talk with others from all over the place. Many flew in from everywhere you could think of to be a part of this 50th Anniversary. During this time I had the chance to see an old friend I hadn’t talked to in some time. I didn’t know if he saw the Combat Ki stuff I went through, but he was very nice and honorable and went to say, “Hello” to Soke Sacharnoski. I don’t know how he would feel about me mentioning his name but lets just say he is one of the oldest, highest ranked Bujinkan teachers in the USA. We spoke for a while and even talked about the Combat-Ki. He said it was some pretty wild stuff and it personally wasn’t his cup of tea for his training was different but he had respect for those who did it. Soke Sacharnoski even mentioned him to others and spoke of the respect he had for him. Even if Martial Artist do something different and you might not have an interest in such things, it is always good to show respect and honor to those who deserve it.


Next was the awards which were given out. Soke Sacharnoski said this would be the hardest part. It was! I have a bum knee and had to stretch it out occasionally as I sat on the floor. He went from his Master students in the art to others who had been given awards for their heart and dedication to the arts. Here is an important thing to say about his credentials. There are ways to tell if someone is a fraud. I paid very close attention to things I saw and heard around me. There were many that day that were given awards but were told that they were missing some that would come directly from Okinawa for the ranks they had received. Think about this for a second. Why would ranks be coming from Okinawa to America directly to students homes? Because he is connected with Okinawa Masters and did train with them most of his life if not all of it. This is not the language or attitude used by frauds. Believe what you want.

Next he spoke openly about a Master student of his who made a mistake by wearing jewelry while in Japan. Soke had received phone calls about how they didn’t appreciate it or like it. He was telling others so they could learn from his mistake. The Master even nodded and smiled for he knew this as well. He wasn’t ashamed but humbled from the experience. There is a difference.

While more awards were given out, many of his Shihan had to do something dealing with the renewal of their status. Juko-kai stuff I reckon. I don’t know about that but I did catch it when he said he wasn’t going to mention any names but some people didn’t do as they were asked and theirs would not be renewed. Soke said they had a standard to meet and they didn’t meet it. Let me ask you a question. Would you rather have a teacher that just smiles at you, even when you are doing wrong, or would you rather have one that is stern but cares about your commitment? That is what I saw. A fair Grandmaster as well.

After the event was done, I went over to the Soke again as we talked more. One thing I did tell him was that I had met Grandmaster Hatsumi on a few occasions over the years. I told him that it really doesn’t matter what the Bujinkan thinks about him. It is only important what Grandmaster Hatsumi thought about him. He was the only one who mattered. He was looking down but looked up and smiled. I really hope he understood what I was saying. I think he did. I thanked him for inviting me to train. He told me that they normally don’t let outsiders come to such events or partake in their activities but that he saw I was humble and a good Martial Artist who spoke from the heart. He invited me to come back again and we shook hands. There are many other teachers I had experiences with from the Juko-kai. Some I plan on training with in the future. There were some that prefer to keep things on the down low you could say. I spoke with one of their highest ranking people. I told him about the article I wanted to write dealing with my experiences. He told me they didn’t care about what others thought and wanted to know why I wanted to. I told him I wanted to tell the truth about what I saw and experienced. If people couldn’t handle it, then that would be their fault. It was my hope that someone might read this article and know exactly what a Martial Artist should be like in the real sense of the word. Maybe I connected with someone. I sure hope so. This is for that one person. Many thanks for listening to my rant.

Tracy Crocker

 

I am glad that Dr Sach can take kicks in the balls. Any Westerner who calls himself soke should have that skill.

 

Juko-kai... I stopped reading as soon as I read that.

 

Osu Tracy,


Thank you for sharing your experience and for going out to see for yourself, I appreciate that.
I know nothing about Juko Kai, but I read your report with great interest; once again, thanks.


Osu!

 

http://www.e-budokai.com/jukokai/index.htm

 

Hmmm, as 'Tracy Crocker' has posted this 'first experience' at another forum too, I have to call troll.

Bullshido - http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=107095

As Mr Crocker has multiple accounts, is he not in violation of the ToS here?

http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2247&postcount=2

 

Osu ScottUK,


Thank you for the link and info.
Are you trying to say that Reiho's shared experience is somewhat exaggerated and/or misleading?


Osu!

 

When someone tells me how great something is over and over - and then some more - I go from belief into disbelief.

Please Google for Juko-Kai and read for yourself...

...and then watch this:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-5SVkgRTVs"]YouTube - ‪Genki Sudo Juko kai‬‏[/ame]

 

Most of the info about The Doc is in the budokai link already posted. The Bujinkan part of the story is missing a few details. Dr Rod got rank through John Wilson of Canada, and it was an honorary one I believe.

Mr. Wilson is in turn, "Soke" of his own school, Shizenden ryu, a rank from The doc's organization, Juko Kai.
Shizenden ryu in action.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRmxIzXc22U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRmxIzXc22U[/ame]

 

How interesting - Mr Crocker puts personal ads for Shizenden-ryu out to the noobs so they can open clubs of their own.

http://betterfly.com/2155832646/services#serv56990

 

The whole article smells of BS

"Hey guys I am not a noob, in fact I am pretty awesome with 57 belts and 200 years experience so i tried this Juko-Kai and I was really skeptical...no, honest I was...turns out that it is really awesome and I cannot explain it...wow...remember I am pretty good with no agenda or affiliation at all no siree bob"

Gimme a break...total bollocks

 

TMTDNR

 

Fret not, Hannibal summed it up.

 

It is not just exaggerated he is talking straight out of his ass

 

Didn't Mr Sacharnoski have his honourary Bujinkan rank revoked?

If so that speaks volumes when you consider just how loose and free the Buj ranking system is.

 

Really guys? WOW, what a tough audience!

LOL! LOL! Paper Dragons and Internet Warriors. You got to love them! I was told this would happen when I posted this. I was told that by many in the Juko-kai and outside of it as well. I am sorry I didn't give more details about myself. I just didn't feel I should be the object of the discussion. Well guys it is what it is. I just decided to be the better man and see what Juko-kai was about myself. I saw with my own eyes. I didn't read an article or post something on the internet for my truth. I personally saw these things occur. For someone to think I have a hidden agenda (LOL!) that is a joke. I shared an experience. It sounds like you had rather hear about my first encounter with Santa Claus as a kid. LOL! I thought you guys were Martial Artist! (LOL!) Some of you are I can see, but some of you, not so much. Do yourself a favor. If you don't believe something exist, go see for yourself. Don't listen to the idiots that tell you otherwise. I have spoken with Mr Cuttingham (I think I got his last name right) about 3 times on the phone a long time ago. It wasn't about the Juko-kai but we discussed Masaaki Ryu and other stuff. I personally don't have a problem with the man. His relationship with the Soke, well lets just say that is between them. Hey if you can't take it, like I said, TOUGH! Yes, I have posted this in 3 places. I didn't know I was breaking rules. When I saw the look in this mans face and how he had been treated, I didn't feel it was right and wanted to shed just a little light on the guy. Sorry you can't take it. For those who did get something out of it (bows), those who didn't. :woo: LOL!

 

Heh, what did you expect to achieve from posting your declaration of Teh Juko Awesomeness on here?

 

Paragraphs please.

If you can't be bothered with conveying what you wish to in a coherent manner then why should we bother listening?


Oh btw simply because somebody doesn't agree with you that doesn't mean they are any less of a person or martial artists.

Reiho if you wish to be taken seriously then you need to act seriously.

 

LOL! LOL! At sock puppets more.

Translation - "For the idiots that believe this crap (bows), Those who actually see this for the transparent pile of turd that it is:woo:"

And in the spirit of your sign off, might I add from the whole forum:

 

Osu,


Sorry guys, I did not mean to start a war...


Osu!