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Mission
Statement
The
Institute of Traditional Asian Martial Arts strives to enrich the
lives of its practitioners by providing a safe place for personal
development in a mutually supportive environment in which our personal
best can be achieved.
We
believe in quality of instruction, high-thought
ideas, attainment of personal goals and imparting the ancient skills
and knowledge as practitioners reach appropriate and ever growing
levels of awareness, consciousness and understanding.
About ITAMA
 The Institute of Traditional Asian Martial Arts is devoted to
researching, preserving and teaching the traditional martial arts. We
offer classes in various disciplines to help educate people about the
history, philosophy and benefits of training in these arts.
They
are taught in the traditional manner, emphasizing safe practice,
cultural and spiritual aspects, and mastery of material at each level.
Fighting arts have existed throughout
human history, but
they have rarely been refined and practiced as diligently as by the
Japanese. As the samurai strove to excel in warfare, they
discovered that the grueling discipline of preparing for battle gave
them a degree of mastery over certain human weaknesses, such as greed,
worry, and fear of death. When the need for warfare
diminished,
they preserved the training methods and added ritual to the practice,
which helped to improve concentration. Over time, an
excellent
system
of physical, mental and spiritual forging was developed.
This system is known as budo (martial way).
At ITAMA, students begin by practicing the basics of their
art,
including stances, stepping, correct etiquette, and safe falling
methods. Over time, when the body and mind have
begun to
adapt to
the training, students are given more difficult material in accordance
with their readiness to learn and devotion to practice. The
most
successful student is the one who can "empty his cup," that is, put
aside preconceptions and devote himself (or herself) wholeheartedly to
the material offered by the instructor. With dedicated,
vigorous
practice, most students find their health and concentration improve,
and that the overall quality of their lives is affected positively by
their involvement in the martial arts.
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