BJMA NEW ZEALAND
Bob Jones Martial Arts
HISTORY
The company was established in 1965 by Mr Robert (Bob) Jones, who was responsible for establishing the first professionally organised Crowd Control Company.
THE STORY
Zen Do Kai is a Martial Arts System designed over four decades ago; founded in 1970 when Bob Jones opened his first martial arts club in Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Australia.
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Originally intended to cater for those who worked in the security industry, the demand and popularity grew beyond expectation. With the famous Bruce Lee movies flooding the cinemas more and more, people sought to participate in the martial arts phenomena... providing specialist security services and personal body guarding to almost every major international Rock & Roll artist who toured Australia, tempered this popularity.
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In 1984 the training practices were modified with the aim of training people to fight from more practical postures, and applying techniques that work straight away. Muay Thai Boxing principles and techniques were introduced at the beginning of 1990 within our Zen Do Kai classes.
BOB JONES
Since the 1960s Bob Jones has taught thousands of Australians to protect themselves and many of these students went on to become Black Belts in the Martial Arts.
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In the 1970s he provided security for all of Australia's major rock concerts. At each concert hundreds of his Black Belts were employed to secure all aspects of public wellbeing.
In the 1980s, Bob Jones personally toured as Bodyguard to many major rock and roll celebrities including the Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, Fleetwood Mac, ABBA and David Bowie.
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In 1997 he was awarded the prestigious Blitz Martial Arts Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award. He is one of the highest ranked martial artists in Australia holding the rank of Tenth Degree. He is known under the title of Soke, meaning founder and simply 'The Chief'.
ZEN DO KAI
The formal name of our system or style is Zen Do Kai Martial Arts. This is because the full gamut of what we teach does not fit into one category of martial art.
Our syllabus not only includes what can be described as Karate techniques and Karate forms (or Kata), but also the principles and practices of locks and holds, throws, vital point striking, grappling, boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai boxing as well as traditional weaponry.
Hence to encompass all these elements, the term 'Martial Arts' sits comfortably alongside Zen Do Kai.
For us Zen Do Kai translates as - 'the best of everything in progression'.