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Master Austino
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About the Instructors
All instructors are certified black belt teachers who have completed all the
required curriculum and have been through our assistant instructor teaching preparation. The instructors are all under the
guidance of Master John Austino, and are required to participate in seminars and clinics
to enhance their teaching and knowledge base.
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Master John
Austino, Jr.
Master
Austino began his karate training in USA Go-Ju, in 1982 and has trained
under Masters John Austino, Sr., Phil Maldonato, Ric Pascetta, and Maestro
Peter Urban. He is a top competitor in the martial arts both locally and
nationally. In 1986 he made it to the finals for the USA. AAU Olympics
tryouts and placed third in fighting. In 1989 he opened his first karate
school. During
1992, 1993, and 1994 he became the UMARA League Black Belt Light Weight
Champion. In 1993 he was hired by the Vineland Police Department. In
1995 he was instrumental in developing a Defensive Tactics program for eth
Vineland Police Department and police academy. In
1995
he completed SWAT I and II level training with the Los Angeles Police
Department. From 1995 to 2000
he was a member of the Vineland SWAT Team. In 1998 he received
certification in GRAPLE - Gracie Resisting Attack Procedures for Law
Enforcement under direct instruction of Royce Gracie.
From 1995 to present he continues to certify police
recruits in New Jersey Police Academies, in Weapon
Retention, Defensive Tactics, Handcuffing, and Baton training.
In 2003, he was hired by the State of New Jersey, Human Services Police
Department and in 2005 developed and teaches in-service training for, Defensive
Tactics program for the State of New Jersey Human Services Police
Department. In 2011 he was appointed as Coach
for NAFMA Team USA where in November of 2011 they would go on to win the
world cup in Niagara Falls, Canada.
In
2004, he was promoted to Nanadan (7th Degree) in U.S.A.G.A, by Grandmaster
Peter Urban. In 2012, he was promoted to Kyoshi (6th Degree) in
A.G.K.A.I, by Shihan Ric Pascetta.
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GOJU
RYU HISTORY
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It was the Okinawan Master
Kanryo Higaonna (1853-1915) through his intensive studies in Fuzhou, China
(Fujian province, 1867-1881), who laid the foundation for what would
become Goju-Ryu Karate-Do. Kanryo Higaonna set sail for the city of Fuzhou
in the autumn of 1867, when he was 15, and settled in the Okinawan
community known as the Ryukyu Kan, an area compromising a microcosm of
Okinawan life. Kanryo Higaonna was eager to study the Chinese martial arts
and was introduced to the Chinese Master Ryu Ryu Ko. The devotion of
Kanryo Higaonna was such that he eventually became Ryu Ryu Ko's,
uchi-deshi (senior student), learning his entire martial system. He also
studied weapons, and traditional Chinese medicine. It is not exactly clear
in what year Kanryo Higaonna began teaching the martial arts in Okinawa,
but it is known that he did not begin teaching until a few years after his
return from China. He had many notable students and eventually his
most dedicated student, Chojun Miyagi, succeeded him as the leading Master
of Naha-te (Chinese or Okinawa hands). |
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Chojun
Miyagi (1888-1953) is the founder of today's Goju-Ryu Karate-Do; he was
responsible for taking the Naha-te of his teacher and formulating it into
his own martial arts system. Miyagi was Kanryo Higaonna's most
talented student and his chosen heir. Miyagi came from a wealthy family of
ship owners who imported medicines from China and supplied them to the
royal family, the government and leading Okinawan trading houses.
After
the death of Higaonna Kanryo, Miyagi, dedicated himself full-time with the
study of martial arts. Miyagi traveled to Fuzhou. Back on Okinawa, Miyagi
became friends with two tea-merchants from Fuzhou Wu Xianhui and Tang
Daiji. Both merchants were famous martial arts teachers. Wu Xianhui
(1886-1940) came to Naha in 1912 to teach White Crane Kung Fu. Tang
Daiji (1887-1937) a Tiger Boxing (Hu Quan) master who also emigrated from
Fuzhou to Naha. |
Miyagi
dedicated his whole life to the development of what was called Toudi- Jutsu (
China hand art) or simply 'te' on Okinawa. In 1921, Crown-Prince Hirohito
visited Okinawa and witnessed a demonstration of Naha-te by Chojun Miyagi.
In 1925 Miyagi demonstrated the style for prince Chichibu-Nomiya and, in 1926,
founded the Okinawa Karate Kenkyu-Kai (Okinawa Karate Research Club) together
with Chomo Hanashiro (Shuri-te), Choyu Motobu (Tomari-te) and Kenwa Mabuni. One
year later, Chojun Miyagi demonstrated to Jigoro Kano (the founder of Judo),
grappling, locking and throwing techniques and the correct use of
breathing.
In
1933, Chojun Miyagi registered his Toudi-Jutsu officially as Goju-Ryu at the
prestigious Dai Nippon Butokukai, (All Japan Martial Arts Association). Miyagi,
recognized by the Ministry of Physical Education for his art, received the
highest honor of the Dai Nippon Butokukai and was appointed representative to
the Butokukai department for Okinawa. Goju-Ryu Karate-Do was the first and the
oldest karate-tradition recognized by the Dai Nippon Butokukai and the founder,
Chojun Miyagi, was awarded significant accolades.
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Gogen Yamaguchi (1909-1989) was
born Jitsumi Yamaguchi on January 20,1909. In 1930, Yamaguchi
and his instructor Sensei Jitsuei Yogi, were the primary cofounders of the
Ritsumei-Kan Dai-Gaku Karate Kenkyu Kai, the first Karate club at Ritsumei-Kan
University. Soon the dojo became famous in the city, known for it's hard
training. In those days karate men practiced only kata (formal
movements) and yakusoku kumite (prearranged sparring) and were
unable to have matches between each other since they did not hold back
their techniques. It was during this period that Yamaguchi created the
first stages towards what is known as jiyu kumite (free fighting)
and established rules to decide the winner of a match. Some of the rules
are still in use today in what is known as sport or competition
karate. In 1928 Chojun Miyagi visited Japan to teach his
style of karate. He had taught in the Judo Club of Kyoto University in
which Yamaguchi attended. He came back to teach in Japan on other
occasions, and in 1931, Gogen Yamaguchi was introduced to him. In
1937, he was entrusted by Master Chojun Miyagi with the task of
popularizing and developing Goju-Ryu Karate-do on the Japanese
mainland. Yamaguchi continued his relationship with Miyagi through
visits to |
Okinawa
and short instructional visits by Miyagi while touring Japan. Master
Yamaguchi succeeded in uniting many karate schools in Japan into a single union
which resulted in the formation of The Federation of All Japan Karate-do
Organization (F.A.J.K.O.) in 1964. The Kokusai Budo Renmei (The International
Martial Arts Federation) in Japan, whose chairman was Prince Higashikuni of the
Japanese Imperial Family appointed Master Yamaguchi as Shihan (Master) of the
organization’s karate division. He added to the Japanese Goju system other
kata, including the Taikyoku forms, - training methods for the beginner students
to prepare them for the more advanced kata. "The Cat" is
Yamaguchi's nickname. There are several reasons given for this, such as his long
hair, which resembles a lion's mane, his movements which resemble those of a
cat, or his use of the cat stance in sparring. Yamaguchi himself explained it to
interviewer Rolland Gaillac, of the French magazine "Karate" (April
1977 edition), in the following words: "Even today, young man, if you were
to face me in combat, I would be able to determine in a second the strength of
your Ki. Immediately I would know if you were a good opponent. It is this
quality, and no other, which has given me the name of The Cat."
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In 1953 Peter Urban (August 14,
1934 - April 7, 2004) was a young sailor when he was introduced to karate
in Yokohama, Japan. After training for one year with Sensei Richard Kim,
Peter Urban traveled to Tokyo and was introduced to Gogen Yamaguchi. He
was accepted as a student of Gogen Yamaguchi. In 1957, Peter Urban opened
a small Dojo in Tokyo, Japan, and he competed in the all-Japan College
Championships that same year. In 1959, Sensei Urban moved to America, and
opened his first American Dojo in Union City, New Jersey. Sensei
Urban was reportedly one of the men responsible for establishing
structured tournaments in America, with one of the first being the North
American Karate Championships in 1962 held at Madison Square Garden.
In the early 1970s, Sensei Urban returned to Japan to ask Gogen Yamaguchi
for permission to establish in America a karate system separate from
Japan's. Yamaguchi refused, saying the rules of Bushido stated that no
white man could achieve Nirvana. Urban, dissatisfied with the
decision, retorted that these same rules stated that Japan could never
lose a war. This statement offended the Sensei Yamaguchi. Realizing this
and not meaning any disrespect, Sensei Urban prepared to follow samurai
custom and cut off his pinky finger in apology to his sensei. Yamaguchi's
oldest son stopped him from doing this; however, the damage was done.
Seeing this as a turning point, Urban returned to America and incorporated
himself as the founder of American Goju. USA GoJu is an eclectic
synthesis of the education, training, and |
experience
of Sensei Peter Urban. There are three primary influences of USA GoJu. Chogun
Miyagi, the Founder of Goju-Ryu Karate, Gogen Yamaguchi - the Founder of the
first GoJu Karate School in Japan and Peter Urban - founder of the USA GoJu
Karate System, he was a student of the following martial arts Masters Gogen
Yamaguchi, Richard Kim, and Mas Oyama. Although his style of USA GoJu/Urban GoJu
is closely related to that of Yamaguchi's Japanese GoJu Ryu, Sensei Urban
infused several styles of Karate together to form USA GoJu Karate. He was the
10th Dan Grand Patriarch of all USA GoJu systems. He is the father of the
American GoJu Karate in America. He is also responsible for the development of
several Martial Arts systems throughout the world.
Austino's Karate Do
Four
Seasons Health Club
626
Delsea Drive North
Glassboro,
NJ 08028-1419
Tel:
609-579-1392
E-mail:
austinoskarate@gmail.com
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