Mixed Martial Arts

Hiraido classes offer high intensity workouts, including drills, exercises, contact sparring and grappling.

Open martial arts tournaments such as "The Ultimate Fighting Championship" have repeatedly demonstrated the need for a mix of skills in a fight, including striking, kicking, throwing and grappling. The Kodenkan Martial Arts Academy is pleased to offer Tucson its own mixed martial arts style, Hiraido, which combines techniques from Brazilian Jujitsu, Judo, Matsunoryu Goshinjitsu, Kajukenbo and Daido Juku Karate.

Hiraido classes offer high intensity workouts, including drills, exercises, contact sparring and grappling. While Hiraido does train students in contact fighting, the safety of our students is our first concern. Students wear protective equipment, including gloves and headgear. The level of contact ranges from light to medium, and is completely at the discretion of the participants. For students wishing to extend their sparring practice, they may also participate in our Kickboxing class at a discounted rate.

The Art of the Open Way

Hiraido means "The Art of the Open Way". It is a contemporary mixed martial art which changes and adapts in its pursuit of greater utility and efficiency. However, Hiraido maintains the traditional martial arts values that teach that the main reason one practices any martial art is to improve one's character. Therefore, anyone seeking to acquire these skills must come to train diligently, humbly, and always with care for the safety of one's partners.

The Origin of Hiraido

There are five main arts that make up Hiraido: Danzan Ryu Jujitsu, Brazilian Jujitsu, Judo, Matsunoryu Goshinjitsu, and Daido Juku Karate. The three founders of Hiraido have collectively over 60 years of experience in these arts, but maintain that the constant study and pursuit of new knowledge is critical to continued improvement.

The first art contributing to Hiraido is Danzan Ryu Jujitsu, a traditional jujitsu founded by Professor Seishiro H. Okazaki, who also founded the Kodenkan (School of the Ancient Arts) in Hawaii in the 1930's. Professor Okazaki himself had taken carious arts of jujitsu, added them together with the healing arts and formed an extremely effective school of jujitsu that is still widely practiced today. Many throws and submissions from Danzan Ryu have been adopted into a mixed fighting format used in Hiraido.

The major source of grappling and submission techniques in Hiraido is Brazilian Jujitsu. Many fundamental positions, locks, and strangles have been adopted from what is widely recognized as the most dangerous grappling art in the world.

Several throwing techniques and self-defense techniques made their way into Hiraido. Jujitsu from Judo (the Gentle Way), and Matsunoryu Goshinjitsu (a self-defense art). These arts also contributed rolling and falling techniques.

Lastly, Daido Juku Karate from Japan and Kajukenbo from Hawaii are the two main sources of striking techniques found in Hiraido. Virtually all of the kick boxing combinations and fundamentals come from these two arts. These two schools also inspired the use of the proper safety gear, which allows us to train in all three fighting ranges safely.