There are a number of influences on the martial arts taught and practiced within the Shindo Trust. The art of Shinseido is a modern eclectic art, the culmination of the experiences of the Sensei Roger Sheldon. Study of Shinseido leads naturally on to the study of the oriental martial arts, in which Shinseido is rooted.

In particular, the oriental art that forms the cornerstone of our practice is the Shorin-ryu of Okinawa, a chain of islands roughly equidistant from both China and Japan. This Shorin-ryu is the forerunner of many modern Karate systems. The core of the Okinawan arts are solo practice routines, or Kata, through which the principles of the art are passed on.

The empty hand martial arts of Okinawa are intertwined with the related weapon arts, known as Kobudo. All students are required to learn the use of short and long sticks, but a number of traditional weapons are also available for study by those interested in this area.

In addition to the Okinawan martial arts, we also use several exercises that originate in Chinese martial arts, in order to teach principles that are not found so readily in Shorin-ryu.

Please check out the relevant pages for more detail on these systems.