ACADEMY INFORMATION & COMMON QUESTIONS:

Thank you for inquiring about Kami No Kanazuchi Kai. The following are Common Questions about Aiki Ju Jitsu & Hap Ki Do:

What is Aiki Ju Jitsu? That's not easy to explain to a layperson. All martial arts share the same basic philosophy, i.e., disciplining the mind by disciplining the body. This isn't some mystical, pagan teaching. In fact, our Christian forefathers took it as gospel. Unlike its sister, sport Ju Jitsu, Aiki Ju Jitsu is a pure self-defense system based on the ancient Japanese Daito Ryu method which traces its beginnings back to the Emperor’s bodyguard up and through the end of World War II. In short, the goal is not competition but pure self-defense. From the very first day, the new student learns to stand his ground and fight! The grandfather of Aikido, Hap Ki Do, and modern Ju Jitsu, Daito Ryu is the root of all combat arts. Mr. Merriman is fond of saying that, "It ain’t pretty but it is effective!"

Why is Aiki Ju Jitsu better than the others? There is no such thing as a superior martial arts style. Each has its own unique strengths, limitations and benefits. However, again, Aiki Ju Jitsu is a combat martial art designed to quickly end a confrontation via bone breaking, locking, choking and strangling. Soke Merriman is an acknowledged anti-terrorism expert and has taught his system all over the United States to civilian and military warriors. Accordingly, given the violent nature of the art, it is only offered to Christian Adults, military personnel and law officers!

Who started Kami No Kanazuchi Kai? On January 1, 1997, after teaching Hap Ki Do and police tactics for over 12 years, Instructor/Attorney Pat Merriman culminated a life-long dream when, with he founded his own system of Ju Jitsu based on his 4th Dan Hap Ki Do and 5th Dan Aiki-Ju Jitsu training. He met ninth dan Anglican Catholic Bishop Scott Sikes and, after one year of intense work, history was made when they reviewed their extensive backgrounds in grappling and developed the "hybrid" Kami No Kanazuchi Kai Ju Jitsu based on Christian rather than zen Buddhist principles. Thereafter, in 1999, Soke Merriman was inducted into the Hall of Fame and promoted to 8th dan for all his hard work in creating this art.

Hap Ki Do vs Aiki Ju Jitsu? Basically, Hap Ki Do incorporates more sparring and is much more comprehensive. Mr. Merriman is not shy about stating that, of the two, Hap Ki Do is the more comprehensive of the two arts. The difference lies in the teaching methodology. Hap Ki Do is technique oriented and brings the student along more slowly to develop good falling skills, control and expertise. Kami No Kanazuchi Kai Ju Jitsu puts less emphasis on quantity of technique and emphasizes concept. In other words, where a Hap Ki Do student will have mastered 154 different joint locks and throws by black belt, the Aiki Ju Jitsu adept will have incorporated less than 15 but will be able to apply them in any combat situation. In adddition, Hap Ki Do does not allow ground fighting (in the lower belt ranks) but emphasizes conditioning, control, ethics, and the law on use of force. The goal is to take civilians and teach them street smarts along with basic technique. Aiki Ju Jitsu takes a previously-trained warrior, soldier, or police officer and hones their pre-existing skills for quick knock-outs and submissions. Many students cross-train in both systems after Mr. Merriman has selected them for that honor.

What do you mean by concepts"? Originally, men like Bruce Lee had desired to develop a method of self-defense which moved from the antiquated rote memorization of a list of techniques which might/not be relevant. Simply put, in any given scenario, each encounter will be different. Accordingly, that encounter will dictate the technique that is implemented. Thus, Merriman and Sikes believed that the formula: principle + attack = technique; was a superior starting point. However, before these concepts are implemented, the student spends at least one year developing himself mentally and physically first. In other words, technique and control are taught then concept is introduced to the student so that he/she has a base to build from before even starting down the path of combat training. Along with this ethic comes the CQB tactics which have saved numerous soldiers and civilian contractors in these troubled times--threat awareness and identification, evasion, improvised weapons, emergency first aid, and the constant honing of our "presence", i.e., the way we present ourselves to our fellow man and our environment. It is not weakness to say that the "best" fight is that fight that never occurs because we present a hard target image to the predators who stalk our streets. And, of course, emphasis at the black belt levels of modern firearms--the weapon we are most likely to encounter in the 21st century.

Why is there "No Cost" for Instruction? Let's face it--Mr. Merriman's training is "old school" and there just aren't that many young people out there today who really want to spend the years of hard work and training necessary to master these archaic sciences. Instead, since 10 February 1990 (our first day in business), Generation X and Y have produced more and more mercenary, ludicrous prospects who believe that when they "buy" something, we "owe" them a belt promotion whether they have earned it or not. Thus, enrollment has continued to drop these last 18 years  because we will not succumb to that extortion. So, we had two paths on October 1, 2006--lower the training standards to justify maintaining the huge, old training facility and increase the enrollment of marginal candidates; or, like in Japan, go closed-door and teaching from a private dojo. The answer was self-evident--Mr. Merriman is an accomplished and successful attorney who does not need the income. So, effective 1 January 2007 (after 17 years of running the old, commercial dojo) we will no longer charge tuition for instruction. Anyone who wants to learn Hap Ki Do (or if you are selected for Aiki Ju Jitsu) and Mr. Merriman decides to take you on; there is a $50 charge to cover the actual cost of your uniform, patches, notebook and gear. You can train as long as you want and, there will be no charge for that training. However, if you want to promote through the ranking system, there is a $50 per month (flat rate) donation required to cover the expenses of the testing panel every two months and any net funds (after deducting the actual expenses of the panel), will be donated by the Hanbo to Mr. Merriman's favorite charity to support traditional Catholicism. We used to list the name of the charity but, the feminist nit wits out there complained (of course not to us) about the tone of this website, so, to avoid any confusion or back-biting, suffice it to say that the money will go to charity regardless as to whether/not anyone else likes it.

Why Won't you Teach Women? Sorry, as traditional Catholics, we made the decision that the rampant, modern feminist heresy which is destroying both the Church and American society also carried with it the obligation for us to treat women (whom we should love and cherish more than ourselves) with respect and protect them even though that ethic had gone out of fashion with Hillary Clinton and her cronies. Regardless, there are plenty of dojos that will take their money, teach them one-size-fits all martial arts and give the impression that these ladies are actually men. We refuse to spread ignorance, superstition and lies.

WELL! That’s It!

No one in the history of the world has ever been convinced to try martial arts because of someone's advertising and never should be. The proof is, as they say, in the pudding. Suffice it to say that we would enjoy your presence at our Academy and we are so sure that our system may be what you are looking for that we are willing to literally put our money where our mouth is! Accordingly, if you have logged on to this website, call (417) 869-6992 and schedule an interview with Mr. Merriman. He won't bite!

 How can I contact you? Call us at the telephone number listed above or our new mailing address is-- c/o Pat J. Merriman, Kanazuch Kai Ryu, 3259 E. Sunshine, Suite I, Springfield, Missouri. Since we are now a private, non-profit organization, an appointment is necessary so if you want to attend a class and observe the club, please call to schedule same!

REMEMBER, WE ARE A WORLD-CLASS, ACCREDITED SCHOOL by both the World AND United States Martial Arts Halls of Fame!

Our Class Schedule is...

Monday & Wednesday evenings from 6:30-9:30 PM!

Saturday mornings from 10-11:30 am!

Each Session Lasts One Hour!