Welcome to Chain of Lakes Karate .com

The website of the Chain of Lakes Karate Club of Fairmont, MN.

The Chain of Lakes Karate Club is a karate club which trains primarily in traditional Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Karate, Kobudo (weapons), and Tuite (joint manipulation).  The Chain of Lakes Karate Club has been in operation under Sensei Ben Madsen, in Fairmont, since 2001, and previous to that, was known as the Blue Ridge Karate Club, under the direction of Sensei Butch Theil.  The Chain of Lakes Karate Club is a chartered member dojo of the OSMKKF (Okinawa Shorin-Ryu Matsumura Karate & Kobudo Federation).

The curriculum at the Chain of Lakes Karate Club is designed to be practical for and usable by people of all ages, shapes, and sizes.  For the most part, the techniques of this system are very natural in their movements, and do not require a great deal of strength or flexibility to be properly executed.  The curriculum of the Chain of Lakes Karate Club is based largely on the uniform curriculum of the OSMKKF, including basic exercises, kata, kumite, partner drills, weapons katas and exercises, and tuite drills.  In addition to the core curriculum, students also learn elements from other martial arts, such as judo, jiu jitsu, kali, and chin na.

Karate

Karate, or Karate-do, literally translated means the way of the empty hand.  This term is so broad and far-reaching that this section will not attempt to be a full discussion on karate itself, but more about the kind of training that students at the Chain of Lakes Karate Club can look forward to.  Karate training is one of the three main pillars of the core curriculum at the Chain of Lakes Karate Club.

The Karate training at the Chain of Lakes Karate Club covers a wide range of training exercises and methods.  Students learn and practice basic exercises to develop speed, strength, and a solid foundation on which to build and refine their techniques.  Students will learn and practice kata for a whole host of reasons, but boiling it down to its most basic of functions, kata for beginners will be used as a means of developing coordination, focus, and muscle memory.  Students will also spend a great deal of time training "hands-on" with partners, doing various drills, controlled sparring, and free-sparring.  This type of training allows students to apply the techniques and tactics they learn during other exercises and drills, and make the necessary adjustments to their techniques.  This also develops students' reflexes, quickness, and agility.

Kobudo

Kobudo, literally translated, means “the old martial way”.  In Okinawa this term refers to the old weapons systems trained at or around the time when karate was developing, and during the times when other, more conventional weapons were banned.  Kobudo is the second pillar of the core curriculum at the Chain of Lakes Karate Club.

When conventional weapons were outlawed on Okinawa, following the invasion of the Japanese army, the Okinawan people were forced to use what tools they had left to defend themselves with.  Ultimately what this resulted in was systems of fighting using basic farming and fishing implements.  This is the reason that traditional weapons such as swords are not extensively taught as part of the curriculum of this system.

Even though it may not seem practical to train with old Okinawan weapons, there are reasonable applications that can be used with everyday items that we come in contact with every day.  For instance, traditional bo staff techniques can easily be adapted for use with things like pool cues, broom handles, or long sticks; tonfa techniques can be adapted to modern day batons or even tire irons; and nitan bo techniques can be adapted to nearly any kind of short stick or object that might be available.  In addition to studying kobudo for the practical applications, we also train to keep the old Okinawan traditions alive (much like we observe traditional customs and protocol throughout the rest of our training).

Tuite

Tuite, or tuite jutsu is the art of joint manipulation.  This is the area in which students will become comfortable in the "grappling" range of fighting, and learn how to attack joints and nerves.  Tuite training is the third pillar of the core curriculum at the Chain of Lakes Karate Club.

At its core, tuite is the study of how joints, muscles, bones, and nerves, can be bent, broken, pressed, squeezed, and locked to produce the desired outcome in a self-defense situation.  Some parts of tuite are based on pain compliance, some are based on joint locking, and some are based on complete joint demolition.  This is one of the things which makes an understanding of tuite such a valuable asset to have when faced with the different types of threats that are possible in the streets.  There may be times when one finds him or herself in a life or death situation, and the threat must be neutralized by any means necessary.  There also might be times (as is often the case with law enforcement) when an attacker must be restrained or subdued without sustaining permanent injuries.  A good understanding of the mechanics of the human anatomy in conjunction with proficiency in tuite can give students the skills necessary to handle themselves in a diverse range of situations and circumstances.