Haverford Mixed Martial Arts
Integrating the fundamentals and philosophy of Shorinji Kempo, Muay Thai, and the natural self-defenses of Russian Sambo and Systema, The Haverford Martial Arts Alliance allows its practitioners to experience a new way of living by enhance their lives through the study of martial arts and learning what to do and how to cope with violence and situations which threaten their survival. The key principles taught are not solely for the dojang (practice hall) but are meant to augment every aspect of one's life. It is not a static system, but is instead a constantly changing and flowing art that improves people physically, mentally, and spiritually. Unlike many traditional martial arts that teach specific self-defense techniques, the Martial Arts Alliance aims to develop one's awareness and intuition which are core elements in learning these methods of survival. Stand-up sparring, close-quarter combat, grappling, and knife training are all different components of this unique martial art.
The purpose of martial arts is to increase awareness both on the outside and in oneself. It is not about pure fighting or self-defense; this is where we differ from mixed martial arts. Our aim is to challenge people physically (through exercise and the self-defenses), mentally (through discussing philosophy and relating to real life experiences) and spiritually (through meditation). We are not a club that promotes fighting or violence, for this is just the "martial" component. The "art" of the martial arts comes from the philosophy and our training which is our form of meditation to develop awareness. The martial arts as a whole is meant to enhance every area of one's life, whether that be academically, physically, etc., using the ideas presented in training.
Our training session are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 4:30-6:30 pm in the multipurpose room (2nd floor GIAC).
My Links
- Demo of the system
This 15 minute video is a demonstration of our system. The system was founded by Sifu David Machin. Jason Kunen, founder of the Haverford Mixed Martial Arts group, is Sifu Machin's student and has been studying with him for a number of years.