Studying a classical Japanese martial art is a fundamentally different activity that most of the martial arts studied in the USA at this time. Not better or worse, but different. Training is usually in small groups, with students receiving one-on-one instruction from the teacher. But this only scratches the surface. Before  you contact us, we ask that you do some homework. Please take the time to read the following articles:

• "Sighting the Grizzly" by Dave Lowry
• "What is a Ryu?" by Wayne Muromoto
• "Transmission & Succession in the Classical Arts" by Meik Skoss
• "Classical Martial Arts in the West: Problems in Transmission" by Dave Lowry
• "The Meaning of the Martial Arts: Some Reflections From Along the Way" by Diane Skoss
• "Some Thoughts on Learning Koryu in the West by Diane Skoss
• "The Meaning of Martial Arts Training: A Conversation with Sawada Hanae" by Meik Skoss
• "A Bit of Background - History and Bujutsu background by M. Skoss
• "Kata by D. Hall

As you can see, the "Koryu.com website" is a wealth of information about the classical Japanese Martial arts. Reading time well spent.

Membership and instruction are privileges, not rights. We do not accept people merely because they want to join. We must be convinced that the applicant will produce a net positive value for this dojo and the ryu. We (teachers and students) invest substantial amounts of our time and energy into your initial training; it is only worthwhile if you are in it for the long haul. We are not interested in "tourists" or "collectors."

If you have completed the readings listed above, have considered carefully their contents and the information on this page, and would like to pursue training here, please send an email to info@foothillsbudokai.org. When you do please specify the martial art you are interested in studying, either Iaido or Jojutsu. New students begin in only one, so let us know which one is of interest. We will get back to you shortly with details on how to proceed.

Please note that study of koryu bujutsu are generally not appropriate for children or adolescents, and the minimum age requirement here is 22.

Training Times & Location

Iaido: *Mon/Wed 6-8pm (*note: there are currently no opening in the Iaido training)
Jojutsu: Wed/*Thu 6-8pm

Dojo is located in northwest Lakewood, near the intersection of west 6th Avenue and Simms.
The '*' next to the Training Times day indicates the PRIMARY training day for that specific martial art.