San-Ryu-Do (Three Paths – One Way) is a new style of swordsmanship that is a fusion of sword styles from China, Japan and Europe. The origins of San-Ryu-Do date back to Dr. Braff’s time at American University in Washington, D.C.
At that time Dr. Braff posed a quandary: “Recognizing that there is a problem of discrimination against the physically, mentally or emotionally challenged in the Martial Arts tells you nothing of how to solve this problem. Solve this problem, and then you will have something.”
From this quandary, the genesis of San-Ryu-Do began. Keeping in mind that authentic swordsmanship has a beauty that comes from its simplicity and single purpose, San-Ryu Do was developed with no wasted time, no wasted movement, no wasted energy, and nothing grandiose. The object of the samurai was to win in battle with maximum efficiency.
San-Ryu-Do was officially recognized a new and unique sword-style on November 7, 2002 by The World Martial Arts Sokeship Council. This made Dr. Braff its Grandmaster and Shodai Soke (original founder). Very soon afterwards San-Ryu-Do was recognized by the National College of Martial Arts, the United States Martial Arts Association, the World Congress of Amateur Athletics, the World Congress of Martial Arts and the World United Martial Arts Alliance.
San-Ryu-Do utilizes very simple sword techniques (waza) to stimulate neuro-muscular memory. From those simple movements, more complex movements (kata) are created. As the student of San-Ryu-Do progresses, they can begin to develop their own kata using the template of San-Ryu-Do recognizing that Iai-Jutsu is in reality the art of face-to-face combat.
To add practical application to the sword style, Combative Sports Weaponry (CSW), combative Kenjutsu, using padded weapon kihon, waza, and sparring was placed into to the mix along with tameshigiri (test-cutting) at the higher levels of San-Ryu-Do.
San-Ryu-Do was designed for the student or prospective student of the martial arts who was either turned away or turned off by conventional martial arts schools. It is possible within one hour for a “normal” student to learn the first six cuts and the first two kata of San-Ryu-Do. We believe that there is no other style of Martial Art that can promise this. What we believe is amazing is that a “mentally” or “physically” challenged student will not be too far behind. There is a power in holding a sword in ones hand that allows walls to crumble and barriers to break.
The spirit and philosophy of San-Ryu-Do embodies the following three principles and we will leave it to you to ponder their essence: FIRST, Kokoro tadashi karazareba, ken mata tadashi karazu - “If your heart is true, your sword will also be true,” SECOND, Kachi wa saya no naka ni ari - “Victory comes while the sword is in the scabbard” and THIRD, “The highest principle in the Art of War is to win without a battle.” San-Ryu-Do has at its heart “BU-JUTSU” which is most often translated as Martial Art or Martial Technique. The BU (from BUDO – The Martial Way) is actually formed from two characters TOMERU which means “Prevent” and HOKO which means “Conflict.” Thus BU-JUTSU (Martial Art) literally means “The Art of Preventing Conflict.”
In San-Ryu-Do it is recognized that Iai-Jutsu is in reality the art of face-to-face combat not simply Iaido - The Way of Drawing the Sword. San-Ryu-Do uses the shoto (wood), kodachi (padded) and wakizashi (metal) short sword to train the student in the trilogy of Iaido (drawing and cutting), Kenjutsu (Combative Sports Weaponry - CSW) and Tameshigiri (test cutting) by teaching a base set of 36 easy to learn waza and 22 kata.
Dr. Robert Braff was born May 17, 1959. He has spent the last 35 years studying the martial arts. Dr. Braff holds a Ph.D. in Asian Studies from Canterbury University in Cheshire, England as well as multiple Ph.D. / D.MA. in Martial Arts and Martial Sciences.
Grandmaster Braff has been inducted into seven Halls of Fame (Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu Hall of Fame, Unified Martial Arts Hall of Fame, the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame, the World Karate Union Hall of Fame, the United States Martial Arts Association International Hall of Fame, the International Jiu-jitsu Hall of Fame and the Cosmopolitan Florida Martial Arts Brotherhood Hall of Fame).
In 2004 Dr. Braff co-authored “San-Ryu-Do – The Art of the Wakizashi – Volume 1” with Kyoshi Dr. Kevin D. Hufford, Soke, Hachi-Dan.
Dr. Braff was the Karate Institute’s Man of the Year in 2001. In 2003 he became the World Congress of Amateur Athletics’ state director for Ohio, a state director for Chanbara, and a US National Team coach. Dr. Braff received his Hanshi Certification on December 15, 2004 from the Ateru Worldwide Association.
Dr. Braff teaches classes at his dojo, the Sahara School of Martial Arts, located in Madison, Ohio. Dr. Braff travels within the U.S. and Internationally teaching seminars in the Art of the Sword and Combative Sports Weaponry.