Kami-no-Kanazuchikai (God's Hammer) Jujitsu / Sido-ryu AJJ, Pat Merriman

[Mr. Matt]

I've heard that there's a aikijutsu group training at the college in Springfield, MO. Does anyone train with them or know about them?

[cguzik]

Hey Matt!

It's not this guy, is it?

http://www.godshammer.com/info.html

[Chuck.Gordon]

Umm, Norse budo? No ... wait.

OMG. That's ... um ... interesting.

I stompled around SW Mo. for several years, but I don't know these guys.

I'm always leery of those who want to mishmash Christianity and budo and ... um ... well. Yes. Exactly.

Chuck

[R Erman]

The godshammer.com guy is a lawyer so I do not want to give specifics, but I have a student who lives in Springfield and observed a class. From his description of the teacher's attitude and...er, politics I would not recommend this school to anyone--Christian or no. I also know some people who met him and his group at an Obata seminar in Arkansas--Chuck you should ask John about him...

That is the only so-called aiki-jujutsu group in Springfield that I know of, so if this is the school buyer beware(they are actually more hapkido that anything). There is an aikido group at SMSU--I've no idea what caliber they are.

To the original poster, are you relocating to SW Missouri? Springfield is quite a ways from OKC...

[Mr. Matt]

Thanks for the info... I was kinda suspicious about the hapkido thing anyway.

After all this, turns out that I had the wrong place to look for. Ooops...

I was supposed to be looking around Joplin.

[Mr. Matt]

Oh, and to answer your question, I've got a friend in Joplin that said he ran into a guy who was training in aikijutsu at the college there in Joplin (I didn't know there was one in Joplin, so I thought he was talking about Springfield).
My friend didn't get any specific info on the group (he's got no previous martial arts training, so didn't know what questions to ask), but he wanted me to go with him to check them out and see what I thought, so I was trying to get some basic info on them and maybe a contact number to introduce myself before just showing up to watch their practice.

[Chuck.Gordon]

Originally Posted by cguzik

Hey Matt!

It's not this guy, is it?

http://www.godshammer.com/info.html

These folks recently sent an e-mail to my student in Indianapolis referencing this thread. Interesting.

There's comment on the thread listed in their news section ... scroll down below the picture of N.O. mayor Nagin to read it.

cg

[R Erman]

Interesting. Amazing that I became such a focal point of the discussion as I could care less about their school and only shared what little I have heard of them...

[Ron Tisdale]

Yikes. Typical. Sad...but typical.

Best,
Ron

[Nathan Scott]

Suffice it to say that we here at the hanbo like the fact that there is an aiki bulletin board out there for questions and referrals.

Sounds to me like the "hanbo" dojo is being pretty supportive of our efforts.

I always like it when groups opt to respond to us from the security of their own webpage rather than simply offer their point of view to the thread where they can be discussed.

Regards,

[Mr. Matt]

I didn't make it to Kerriman's class. *sigh* We didn't roll into Joplin until 8 o'clock.

But I did talk to Kerriman-sensei on the phone. Seemed very nice, very open. He told me he would not be in town on Friday, but I was welcome to come watch his students. That impressed me. He's got the confidence in his students to not worry about a visitor watching them (there's a lot of people out there that won't do that).

Hopefully, I'll have another chance to come watch his class.

Thanks for everybody's help!

[Nathan Scott]

I changed the name of this thread to reflect the content.

For those who did not go to the webpage, apparently Pat Merriman is one of several "Soke's" teaching what they call "Kami-no-Kanazuchi" kai Jujitsu, which they translate as "God's Hammer" jujitsu. They are heavy into Christian martial arts, and have varied backgrounds that include something called "Sido-ryu" Aiki jujutsu. I don't think Sido is a Japanese word (Spanish?), and have never heard of it.

That's basically it.

[Chuck.Gordon]

Originally Posted by Mr. Matt

Hopefully, I'll have another chance to come watch his class.

Thanks for everybody's help!

I just noticed (duh) that you're one of Chuck Clark's guys. You'll find John's training very different if you get over there, but I think you'll enjoy those guys.

Next time you see Chuck tell him the other Chuck said 'Howdy!'

cg

Springfield Aikido School
2914 S Roth Oaks Avenue
Springfield, MO 65809
417-881-2135
Instructor: Chuck Renner

I've worked out with them, had to stop due to job change. They work out Wednesday and Friday at 6PM at the McDonald Hall on the SMS (now MSU) campus. It is a small but great Aikido Club. I'm going back first chance I get.

As far as the other school, it was Yu's Academy of Hapkido . Pat Merriman was a student of Master Yu in St. Joseph MO and promoted to 4th Dan under Master Yu. Pat Merriman then founded his own school.

[Kokoro Seeker]

I have been looking for the Kokoro Ryu Dojo that was formerly located on North Main, in Joplin, MO, taught by Mr Gordon, or Mr Kerriman. I am looking for Mr Kerriman, and would like to catch up with him, now I have returned from Iraq. I am now living in Springfield, MO, and would like to either train in Joplin, or Springfield. I can be reached here, or at the following email address: dano2171@yahoo.com. It would be good to hear from other students of Kokoro Ryu, too.

D Gulley