One day, on the island of Okinawa, I was visiting Master Toma in his rustic home. At 82 years of age he was reputed to know a very old martial art, one that many thought had been long lost. After sharing a pitcher of orange juice he rose to his feet and demonstrated a few moves on me.
That moment was the catalyst for a huge change in my martial arts practice. At the time I had taught karate for over twenty years- but I had never seen anything with the effective simplicity of the techniques he showed me.
Now, nine years later, we can share this art with you. It is like no other martial art around. Mny of our martial arts students come from Cumberland, RI, Lincoln and Providence.
Master Toma at his Home
Palace Hand- A Martial Art that Makes Sense
Palace hand is little known beyond the shores of Japan. This has protected it from the commercialization that has changed many other styles. Many modern martial arts are watered-down kids programs with little self-defense value or specialized sports designed for one-against-one sporting contests for elite athletes. There are few choices for the average person who wants to stay in shape and learn useful and realistic skills.
Palace Hand offers what many modern martial arts have lost- skills that enable a small person to defeat a larger one, or a single person to face multiple attackers. It is a well-rounded martial art for developing your mind, body and spirit.
Palace Hand was developed for unique conditions- the ancient battlefield, where attackers came from any direction and each one had a weapon. Movements are fluid, natural and powerful.
Training includes extensive punching and kicking skills, as well as countless throws and joint locks. This makes it a very effective and practical style even for smaller individuals.
We do not emphasize forms or choreographed movements. Instead you will enjoy a "hands on" practice learning things that work.
Palace Hand is not "fighting", it is self-protection. It encourages calmness rather than aggression and includes methodology for developing a calm mind and vibrant spirit.
All classes begin and end with a brief meditation, followed by relaxation exercises, core muscle toning, often a medicine ball workout (fun!) and extensive cardio conditioning. It's a great way to shed pounds and put on muscles. Oh yeah- and it's fun!
We made many trips to Okinawa and brought our teachers to Rhode Island several times to insure that we were properly teaching this art.
If you don't want to do MMA but also don't want the impractical training methods of most "traditional" martial arts, Palace Hand might be for you! It's a style that makes sense.
Breakfast in the Dojo, Okinawa
(401) 762-2201 175 Eddie Dowling Hwy. (Rt. 146A, Park Square) North Smithfield, RI 02895
