Introducing myself and Xa-Ryu

Discussion in 'General Martial Arts Discussion' started by Xa-Ryu, Mar 3, 2012.

  1. Xa-Ryu

    Xa-Ryu New Member

    Hi everyone,

    I have been studying martial arts and the art of combat for over 28 years now. I am a close quarter instructor teaching military and police forces around the world. After my family, martial arts is my life. Please feel free to check out my website, Facebook and Xa-Ryu itself. I am studying hard at the moment as I am going for my 8th Dan in a couple of weeks and I am also studying to become a professor of martial science.

    Looking forward to speaking with you all.

    Many blessings.

    Richard Spencer
    Master Founder
    Xa-Ryu International Martial Arts Association
     
  2. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    Welcome to MAP.
     
  3. slipthejab

    slipthejab Hark, a vagrant! Supporter

    Welcome to MAP.... All of that hard sell... and no spell check??! :confused: :p
     

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    Last edited: Mar 3, 2012
  4. Janno

    Janno Valued Member

    Welcome to MAP Richard - i look forward to reading your contributions.
     
  5. Dean Winchester

    Dean Winchester Valued Member

    Welcome.

    Which traditional Japanese arts have you studied?

    Where do you study to become a Professor of Martial Science?
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2012
  6. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

    Traditional JMA dim mak too, nice!
     
  7. Xa-Ryu

    Xa-Ryu New Member

    Thank you!!!

    Oh my goodness. Thank you for pointing that out. It has never been noticed.

    Thank you again, I really do appreciate you highlighting that.

    Many blessings.
     
  8. Xa-Ryu

    Xa-Ryu New Member

    I have done Karate for about 18 years. Then in the military i studied Systema and Lotar. I am studying for my qualification for martial science at the international martial arts university.
     
  9. Mangosteen

    Mangosteen Hold strong not

    do you mind linking the site for the "international martial arts university" and the department page for "martial science" because google brings up some less than great results.
     
  10. Xa-Ryu

    Xa-Ryu New Member

    Institute of martial arts and science is the final stop website for you i believe. You can go straight to there if you like. They will help you progress in martial art academics and point you in the right direction. There are many international martial art universities online and not online, some are good and some are not so good so be selective to where you go and what you choose.

    Many blessings,

    RS
     
  11. Aegis

    Aegis River Guardian Admin Supporter

    Welcome to the forum.

    What arts have you studied, and to what level? What's different about your system that made you want to teach that rather than the arts you've studied?

    Also, what is the translation of Xa-ryu, as it looks like a Japanese suffix, but there isn't an X sound/character in Japanese.
     
  12. Xa-Ryu

    Xa-Ryu New Member

    Thanks for you interest and post. Xa-Ryu means Xaviers Style. It is not very complicated, my middle name is Xavier (Xa) and Style is Ryu hence Xa-Ryu. I like the fact that there isn't an x sound. :)

    Okay, to answer your question, I have studied Shotokan Karate to 3rd Dan, Aikido, Tao Chi Do and Judo to 1st Dan. I then studied Lotar and Systema to instructor level. I had a combined grading where I double graded to 6th Dan. The beauty about Xa-Ryu is that it is secondarily classed as a new free style karate so even though it's my own system and can continue grading with karate governing bodies. I later received my 7th Dan and I am just about to hopefully get my 8th in the next couple of week before I go abroad to teach the police force and military CQC. I am just waiting to hear details of where and when I am grading.

    The difference between wanting to teach my art specifically is that there is traditional martial arts itself (xa-ryu), xa combat which focus on things for police and military such as sentry removal and gun disarms through to rifles. Xa-Ryu also has Xa-Onna which is the Xa-Ryu martial art itself but it is just for women (anti rape techniques) from compromising positions. It also teaches acupressure that is very rarely taught in commercial martial arts down your local sports centre or club. There is also specifically a child programme of Xa-Ryu which caters differently for the children until they reach the teen ages Where they can then study the senior art form.

    I hope that kind of answers your questions.

    many blessings,

    Richard Spencer

     
  13. Aegis

    Aegis River Guardian Admin Supporter

    You'll have a hard time convincing people that you're interested in the traditional aspects of martial arts if you ignore the language of the country of origin.


    Sounds good.


    This is where you've lost me. What is a combined grading? I assume this was through an organisation of some sort, but what did they actually award your grade in? If it was your own system, how did they know how to judge your skill in comparison to what a 6th dan should look like?

    Additionally, it sounds like you're saying that you went from a 3rd dan (highest grade attained prior to this) to a 6th dan, which is an almost unheard-of jump.

    So are you grading under a karate organisation or under your own organisation, the latter being what your website implies.


    Typically you'd wait 6 years between a 6th dan grading and a 7th dan grading followed by another 7 years before grading to 8th. Your site says you founded your system in 2005, so by that sort of time scale you should maybe be testing for 7th this year and 8th in about 2020. It sounds like your timescales are too short in comparison to the normal progression.

    In any case, estimating that you trained for 6 years before getting your shotokan black belt at age 12, you are currently about 32-34 years old, which strikes me as far too young to be testing for 8th dan. In the kodokan, for example, they won't even let someone test for 7th dan before their 33rd birthday or for 8th dan before their 42nd. Under British Judo Association rules, they won't put a candidate forward for 7th dan assessment before the age of 62 unless they have been selected for the national squad, in which case they can attempt the grading from age 50 (as low as 38 if that person has managed to qualify for the Olympic Games or a competition of similar prestige, though this exemption is still rarely used).

    I hope you realise what I'm trying to say here, which is that it is very unlikely you would have been awarded such high grades within an existing organisation, therefore these people grading you may well be doing you a disservice by promoting you at such a young age.

    I'd also remove all the Halls of Fame references from your website, as these are notorious in martial arts circles as putting people in who simply pay for the privilege rather than for any specific achievement. As an example, I usually receive several invitations a year to attend the hall of fame functions, and it almost invariable has two prices: one to attend and one to attend and be inducted as a hall of fame member. This is purely because my email address is available for people to contact me because of this forum, it has nothing to do with my training history or my skills as an instructor.


    But this isn't a traditional art, it's your own system but presumably taught with some of the traditional trappings?



    Apologies that this wasn't the welcome that you might have wished for, but I'm usually very sceptical of new systems and high ranks awarded at young ages.
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2012
  14. Jabby Mcgee

    Jabby Mcgee Valued Member

    Out of interest, you say that you were a commando in the British army. What regiment were you with?
     
  15. Xa-Ryu

    Xa-Ryu New Member

    No need for the sorry my friend. I get it all the time to be honest. I have grown used to it over the years. I am 32 this year in May, I have always been a few steps ahead of others my age, I can't help it but I have proved myself in Shotokan, Systema and Lotar with all gradings passed. I really do appreciate your opinion and a lot of your advice is very helpful. Regarding that HOF's I have never paid to go or be inducted into them. I have always been invited as a guest. The commercial aspect of the HOF's are very apparent but the kids love it so it's always then worth it.

    I except and receive what you say with warmth and an open mind and therefore I welcome your opinion.

    I continue my walk in the direction set out before me.

    Many blessings,

    RS
     
  16. Dean Winchester

    Dean Winchester Valued Member

    Which style of Systema did you study?

    Which organisations did you or do you hold rank with?

    Why the use of the term Bujutsu?

    Sorry for the inquisition but your website is a bit lacking as far as info goes.


    Edit: Actually as an outsider looking in I think you'd do better to be more concise as far as the information about your background goes, what you have studied, under who, for how long etc.

    Your Military background, which private sector companies you worked for.

    As it is there are lots of vague mentions of certain areas and little specifics. This will tend to make people suspicious, yes it might be sad that we're all so jaded :D but you'll find a lot of the fakes out there do a similar thing and I'd imagine you don't want to be lumped in with those.
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2012
  17. Simon

    Simon Administrator Admin Supporter MAP 2017 Koyo Award

    This page mentions Jeet Kune Do. Who did you do this with?
     
  18. Dean Winchester

    Dean Winchester Valued Member

    Also it's a bit off IMO for you to use this as if it is your own work.


    Used here:
    http://www.xa-ryu.org/martial-arts/4561221812

    Under "PRECAUTIONS ON PHYSICAL TECHNIQUES".

    I'm sure the JKDers will spot it but for others who may not recognise it the section is from, IIRC, the Tao of Jeet Kune Do.
     
  19. Dean Winchester

    Dean Winchester Valued Member

    Actually this looks familiar too.

     
  20. Dean Winchester

    Dean Winchester Valued Member

    Aaaaand while I'm at it! :D

    I see a mention of Ninjitsu, yes I'm picky about the incorrect romanization as it's telling.

    Which organisation would that be with?

    Ninjutsu is a rather generic term in some ways.
     

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