Dojo Caracal
A Martial Art That Is More Than a Collection of Techniques
Training begins with the body and with the encounter with an opponent: movement, distance, timing, and the force and resistance he applies against me.
Through the physical challenge we also learn to recognize change, to adapt to changing situations, not to get stuck in a single response, and to act when reality does not unfold as we planned.
Way
What we learn in training does not stay only in the dojo. Over time, the way we meet resistance, change and difficulty becomes the way we meet life as well.
Mind
During training we develop attention and awareness of ourselves and of the opponent, and at the same time learn to recognize change and resistance without being held captive by an automatic response. In this way we develop the ability to stay attentive even under pressure, and to change our action as situations change.
Body
The body is where we practice. Movement, distance, timing, balance and contact turn principles from an idea into a real experience.
What Is Budo Taijutsu?
Budo Taijutsu is a Japanese martial art developed by Masaaki Hatsumi on the basis of nine traditional schools of martial arts that make up the Bujinkan organization.
Training includes movement against an opponent, strikes, kicks, throws, joint locks, chokes, falls and rolls, alongside weapons work. Instead of relying on strength and speed, we learn to use position, distance, timing and movement, and to change when we meet resistance, so that we can go around it or use it rather than struggle against it.
What Does Training Look Like?
What We Practice
Training combines combat work with a partner and weapons work, alongside Jūnan Taisō (Japanese exercises for body health, movement and flexibility), work from the Feldenkrais Method and short zazen (meditation). All of these are part of the same process: developing the body's abilities, the quality of movement, attention, and the ability to act against an opponent and in changing conditions.
The People on the Way
How We Learn
At the dojo, women and men train together, people of different ages, with different physical abilities and varied backgrounds. The atmosphere is friendly and supportive and does not encourage displays of strength or ego, but rather listening, questions, experimentation and mutual learning. What the people who find their place here have in common is the desire to learn in depth and to keep learning together over time.
We learn techniques, experience different combat situations, and also engage in inquiry and dialogue. We examine what happens when force and resistance are applied against us, and ask not only what to do, but how and why a particular action works, and whether and when it needs to change. Rank reflects experience and knowledge, but it does not create status: we are all students, and there is no one we cannot learn from.
Who Is It For?
The training is for those looking for more than a collection of fighting techniques.
It suits curious people who want to learn over time, to develop body and mind, and to go deeper into a way that does not end with acquiring physical skill alone.
No previous experience, exceptional fitness or special flexibility is needed. Age, body type and physical strength are not what determine the ability to learn and progress either.
The most important thing is a willingness to try, to persevere, to ask questions and to keep learning.
With my teacher, Danny Waxman
The Teacher
Shai Regev, 15th Dan and Dai-Shihan in the Bujinkan, student of Danny Waxman
I have practiced martial arts since 1989, and Budo Taijutsu and Zen since 1999. I have taught Budo Taijutsu since 2004.
For me, teaching a martial art is not just passing on techniques. The teacher's role is to give the student confidence, knowledge and experience, and at the same time to create the conditions for them to explore, ask, experiment and discover for themselves. Even after years of training and teaching, I see myself as someone who keeps learning.
People Who Walked the Way
Different people came to the dojo for different reasons. Here are some of the things they wrote about the training, the learning and the path they have taken here.
You should know that the talk and the explanation about slow work and awareness inspired my playing, and this morning I made crazy progress. Thank you!!
Yoni Gramider | Musician
It's the first time in my life I've seen someone teach and work so calmly and serenely in a fight.
D.S. | Jezreel Valley
Martial arts at their best!
Shai teaches with sensitivity and wisdom, with personal attention and encouragement for every student, and with great knowledge and flexibility in adapting the learning to the situation. Highly recommended!
Esti Horn | Writer
Thoughts on the Way
Thoughts, principles and ideas from training, the martial arts and the way.
What Is Budo?
What turns a collection of fighting techniques into a way? On the meaning of budo, and on how martial arts training can become a process of learning that lasts a lifetime.
Slow in Order to Move Fast:
On Speed in Training
Why can slow, mindful work develop the ability to act quickly? On movement, attention and the way the body learns to respond to changing situations.
Martial Arts for Adults
Can you start learning a martial art at an older age? On training that is not based only on strength and speed, and on the possibility of continuing to learn, develop and deepen over many years.
