Sakura Warrior Arts -- Missoula, MT

**masquerade** · Posted On: 5/20/2008 9:27pm

Excelent school with an excelent instructor. Training offered in striking, grappling, and goshin jutsu. Very serious atmosphere and regular sparring keeps members on their toes. Jim Harriso's no BS way of teaching and his vast experience in martial arts both on and off the mat make Sakura Warrior Arts a great place to train. Childrens classes and adult classes are kept separate, so there are no five year old black belts running around. Belt testing is very scheduled. There tends to be very few color belts training at one time.

**G-Off** · Posted On: 5/20/2008 9:39pm

1. He's on the cover of BB Mag.

2. He has a mustache and a near-mullet haircut.

These two things lead me to want exposition on your ratings. They may be well-deserved, but if you've read the ratings guidelines...

Well in any case, what are his qualifications/competition records/belt rankings in grappling/Goshin Jitsu? Same for striking. Do you do weapons sparring? If it's not both people having weapons and sparring with minimally restrictive rules, a good amount of protective gear and full resistance, it doesn't deserve an 8.

Does the full contact fight team have a record? List of fighters? Organizations they fight in/under? Webpage for the fight team? How big is the gym, exactly? What equipment is in it?

You need to answer these questions to justify the high numbers you are giving out. Read: Ratings and You --- Read This Before Posting Your Review. - No BS Martial Arts. Then edit/re-score appropriately.

**acrylicace** · Posted On: 5/23/2008 3:11pm

I think some estimate of cost would be great as well... sure it may vary from case to case but i would think there could be some rough estimates.

**Hetman** · Posted On: 12/10/2008 6:20pm

Aliveness: Hard contact with appropriate protective gear. You come away sore but (most of the time) uninjured. Testing is full-on, every other month.

Equipment includes heavy bags, gravel bag, speed bags, adductor machine, free weights, knife throwing targets, dummies, paddles, protective gear.

Gym size is the only drawback. The tatame gets crowded on occasion.

Class size: all classes are taught by Sensei Harrison, with assistance from experienced students, including two USJJA champions. Class attendance varies with as many as 20 and as few as four on any given day. In some disciplines at higher ranks, the lack of a sufficiently experienced training partner may slow down your progress.

Atmosphere is supportive, friendly, cooperative, helpful as we strike, kick, and throw the crap out of each other.

Striking: Sensei is a former US full contact kickboxing champion. He trained Bill Wallace, Joe Lewis and others.

Grappling: Sensei is also a 9th Dan in judo and ju jutsu.

Weapons: my rating is more to do with unarmed v. armed training. Not so much weapon v. weapon taught here.

**Hetman** · Posted On: 12/10/2008 6:23pm

Yeah okay, I forgot to check the box.

**Fitz** · Posted On: 12/10/2008 7:20pm

Eh..."7th degree in Kodokan Karate?"

?Que?

**Fitz** · Posted On: 12/11/2008 12:50pm

Originally Posted by G-Off

1. He's on the cover of BB Mag.

For this of all things

http://allensteen.com/BlackBeltSteen.htm

**Hetman** · Posted On: 12/11/2008 2:23pm

He's also inside the April 2006 issue

for this:

http://beta.asoundstrategy.com/sitem.../Top20Web1.pdf

**fire_hazzard** · Posted On: 9/13/2012 12:02am

I'm a little taken aback that G-off asked for Jim Harrison's martial art's credentials. Next thing you know he'll be asking if Chuck Norris is qualified to run a gym.

In the early 60s he earned a black belt in Judo, and started training in Shorin Ryu under Jim Wax earning his black belt in 1964 and opened his own school, the Bushidokan Dojo, in Kansas City that same year.

He was a major competitor in the USKA and other Karate tournaments, Pioneering full contact Karate, and taking home the first heavyweight kickboxing belt in a match against Victor Moore where Jim had to receive stitches in-between rounds.

He was among the first inducted into the Trias International Society, the Karate Hall of Fame, the Sport Karate Hall of Fame and others. He is a member of Offical Karate Magazines' 1979 Legion of Honor. He's got an entry in Bob Wall's Who's Who in Karate, published in 1975, re-released in 2003.

He, along with his friend Gene LaBelle, are 2 of the only 4 living souls that the USJJF has certified as 9th degree black belt in Ju-Jitsu and Traditonal Kudokan Judo.

He was the kickboxing coach for Bill "Superfoot" Wallace

Blackbelt Magazine once conjectured that more people were hospitalized after stepping into the ring against Harrison than any other fighter in the history of the sport.

He wrote the "Self Defense Handbook" series for Professional Karate Magazine, and was Black Belt Magazines choice for Self-Defense instructor of the year in their December 2009 issue, despite being more than 70 years old. That was after naming him #10 out of the 20 toughest men alive in 2006... despite his age.

Member of the Black Dragon Fighting Society, and the WHFSC.

In the Legends of Karate Roast for Jim Harrison, hosted at the Sport Karate Museum in Sugarland, Tx, his close friend Chuck Norris said "Jim saved my life once, he pulled his punch an inch from my face."

The fact that you've never seen him in the UFC, is no excuse for never having heard of Jim Harrison.

***DerAuslander*** · Posted On: 9/13/2012 8:41am