The following interview of James Williams was conducted by Stanley Pranin at his dojo in Encinitas, California on November 1, 2004. Stanley Pranin: I’m here with James Williams and several of his students in his dojo in Encinitas, California. James, what’s the name of your dojo here? James Williams: Dojo of the Four Winds. Dojo [...]
The much-hyped style of Japanese knife harkens to the Samurai Era, but modern renditions often mistake the shape and the purpose of this classic warrior’s tool. The use of knife in close-quarters combat is as old as time. Throughout the world, there have been countless typed and styles of knives used by different cultures over [...]
Training in various, seemingly antiquated, military arts is becoming increasing common in our 21st century society. Why pursue these arts that require so much effort, discipline, and often pain? Why do we seek to test ourselves in struggle and training for combat? What brought us to these arts, and what do we hope to get [...]
I was pleased to see a review of the book “Bloody Iron” in Volume 24, No. 3 of Aikido Journal. Here is a book that speaks plainly about the reality of conflict with edged weapons in circumstances involving lethal force. The authors, both long time residents of some of Americas finest prisons, describe in detail [...]
Sophisticated ancient warrior arts had particular ways of using the eyes. This methodology maximized the brains ability to process information. The eyes don’t see, the brain “sees”. How the eyes are used determines how effectively the brain can process information. It also impacts how the brain perceives the passage of time. Read On…
As part of our pre-deployment training, James and several of his students conducted a brief training session covering a multitude of techniques and procedures. Everything James instructed was geared towards the practitioner – the man in the arena. I greatly appreciated his warrior ethos and his emphasis that his System of Strategy was essentially a [...]
I am a 5′2″ woman with 8, 6, and 4 year old boys.Becoming a mother has a funny way of putting a woman on constant Red Alert. James’ seminar gave me some tools to manage that. I am now aware of everyday situations to avoid, an attackers’ vulnerabilities, and some simple tools and techniques that [...]