The Skyliner

Issue date: 1/31/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Ryan Stone/The Skyliner Learning at a new kind of school: Daniel Spearman, junior psychology, practices Shorin Ji Kempo Budo as one of the students of the Tigerville Academy of Martial Arts in Younts Athletic Center. There are only Shorin Ji Kempo Budo academies in three states: New York, Georgia and South Carolina. Todd Gainey, freshman Christian studies, runs the Academy and is a first-degree black belt in the martial arts style.

Theron Willis
Staff Writer


North Greenville students now have the chance to learn martial arts at the new Tigerville Academy of Martial Arts in Younts Athletic Center. Todd Gainey, freshman Christian studies, runs the Academy and is a first-degree black belt in the martial arts style of Shorin Ji Kempo Budo. It is a relatively young style, invented in the 1960's by Dr. Albert Church in America, and is free from any outside influences because those that use this style believe it is the best form of martial arts. It is a very obscure style with very few followers. Shorin Ji Kempo Budo academies are in only three states: New York, Georgia and South Carolina.

One of the reasons it is such a little practiced style is because all academies have to be personally approved by the Shihan, who is the head of the Shorin Ji Kempo Sogo Budo Association. He has to approve of every single academy that teaches this style. This is in order to make sure that it is taught properly and kept pure and untainted from outside influences. The Shihan (who is head over all the Shorin Ji Kempo Sogo Budo schools in the country) runs the Academy of Martial Arts in Sumter, S.C. where Gainey was trained directly underneath the Shihan.

Anyone can join the academy at any time and can be at any fitness or skill level. The Academy meets every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Younts Athletic Center. The fee for joining is $20 a month. Potential students are allowed one free class to see if they like it or not. There are 10 registered students now and those who have joined see it as an opportunity to boost self-esteem, fitness and self-defense.

"At first I was gonna find a dance class, but I couldn't find one. So I wanted to find something to keep me active. I think this will help build confidence in order to defend myself," said Sacorra Bilbrew, junior elementary education.

Gainey agrees this a good opportunity for someone to learn how to better defend themselves and as a fun thing to do. "I love teaching karate. It builds confidence, it is good exercise and is good for flexibility. And as far as self-defense goes my Shihan says, 'Better to know it and not need then to need it and know it,'" said Gainey.

If you want to find out more about Shorin Ji Kempo Sogo Budo or about the Tigerville Academy of Martial Arts you can e-mail Gainey at academy.tigerville@gmail.com.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools