Kiai Echo Articles
The Pursuit of Character — John Rodriguez, Danzan Ryu Chicago
My name is John Rodriguez. I started Danzan Ryu as an adult due to an enormous amount of stress I was dealing with. I had met and known Sensei Filiberto Gutierrez before I started Danzan Ryu. While I was going through this tough time, I approached my Sensei and asked...
Our Family’s Journey on the Mat — by Agata Guzek, Marcin Guzek, Zofia Guzek, Jola Matyjasik, Danzan Ryu Chicago
One sunny June afternoon, our family went to a trial Danzan Ryu Jujitsu class. At that time, we didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into. That day, our daughter jumped, fell, ran, and did moves we had never seen before. After the session, she said she...
Kuzushi— by Vinh-Son Vu, Redding Jujitsu Academy
When I first started Danzan Ryu Jujitsu, I absolutely hated it. I was an unhealthy kid, just about nine years old. After a few weeks, I began to actually enjoy the martial art. When I got my gi, I really started to like it. I loved learning new techniques and...
The Test That Never Ends: Kaizen in the Small Moments — by Gregory Poretz, Sensei, Kenshokan Dojo
Kaizen is often translated as continuous improvement, but I’ve come to believe that definition is incomplete. Kaizen is not just what we practice on the mat, in the dojo, or during moments of focused discipline. Kaizen is the constant, never-ending test of who we are...
My Danzan Ryu Jujitsu Journey — by Starrla Pisanic, Age 10, Kenshokan Martial Arts Academy
When I first think of martial arts, I think of the Karate Kid doing “Wax on, wax off.” One day, I was taking the Metro train when, all of a sudden, the door opened and someone got kicked right into my pathway. I “opened the door” and moved out of the way to keep from...
How a Baseball Field Beating Led Me to 50 Years of Judo
This is why I started Danzan Ryu with the AJJF-- John Pfund It was December 1977. I was 10 years old, and it was Christmas break in Livermore, California. My best friend and I decided it was the perfect day to play one-on-one baseball at our school. We walked about 15...
Professor Tom Ball Memorial Kiai Echo Issue
The 2025 AJJF Convention Issue of the Kiai Echo is available now! This issue was made in honor of our late Senior Professor, Tom Ball. Big thanks to everyone who helped make this issue a reality in order to honor this great man. The PDF version can be...
Taking a Dive into the Deep End with DZR – by Abraham Zilkha
Here in California, there’s nothing quite like getting into a nice pool on a hot summer day. Of course, we all know that there are two ways to get into a pool; you either gently tiptoe in from the shallow end, letting your body adjust to the temperature of the water...
2024 Kodenkan Jujitsu Seminar – by Nina Joniaux, Gokyu
Sunday November 17th marked the end of the Rutgers Kodenkan Jujitsu Seminar for 2024. Every year, this seminar invites dojos from across the country to Rutgers University - New Brunswick to teach Danzan Ryu Jujitsu as well as other techniques to students new and...
Convention Family – by Shane McKinley, Gokyu
The black belt was patient with me as I unknowingly hurt him again and again. I was a white belt, a grown man who didn’t have control of his limbs despite many years of controlling this vessel on Earth. I towered over the black belt and was much younger, but that...