Boston Kokondo & Jukido Academy (BKJA) / 
Brandeis Kokondo Academy (BKA)

The Brandeis Kokondo Academy (BKA) is the main dojo of the Boston Kokondo & Jukido Academy (BKJA). The January 2004 semester concludes Kokondo's 16th year at Brandeis University, making the BKA the longest continuously run martial arts club on the Waltham, MA campus. Founded in 1988 by Sensei Dan Cohen, the BKA offers both Kokondo Karate and Jukido Jujitsu classes to university students, faculty, staff and community members in the greater Boston area. After only one year at Brandeis, the Student Senate called the BKA "the most popular and active martial arts club on campus." To date, the dojo has produced 40 black belts, including 13 higher ranked Dans, one of whom is the IKA’s highest ranked active female sensei.  Many of these black belts have opened their own IKA dojo throughout the United States and internationally.   

The Teaching Staff - (http://www.kokondo.com/bios.html)             

The Brandeis dojo takes great pride in providing all students with personal attention to help them achieve their full potential and reach their own personal goals.  The breadth and depth of the students’ knowledge is a result of their own sustained hard work, along with enormous shared commitment of all the dojo instructors.  Along with Sensei Dan Cohen, the current teaching staff at the main Brandeis dojo includes:

• Sensei Steve Lisauskas, MPA (BKJA Instructional Supervisor)

• Sensei Johanna Glazer, MA (Chief Instructor, Concord-Carlisle Kokondo Academy)

• Sensei Adam Garber, MA (Chief Instructor, South Shore Kokondo Academy)   

• Sensei Len Glazer

• Sensei Dean Ierardi 

• Sensei Jean Pirina (J.D. Harvard Law School, 2004)

• Sensei Warren Postman

• Mr. Ian Platt  

• Miss Cabrini Pak, MBA/MA

• Mr. Greg Sirokman (Ph.D. Candidate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

The BKA is fortunate to have several of its senior members currently running their own dojo across the United States and internationally.  Some of the other active Brandeis trained instructors include:  

• Sensei Greg Szlyk, M.D. - Fredericksburg, Virginia Kokondo Academy; Previously- George Washington University Kokondo Academy (Washington, D.C.) 

• Sensei Shan Hua, MA (California Bay Area Kokondo Academy); New Jersey; France (INSEAD University)

• Sensei Michael Oshinsky, Ph.D.- Philadelphia Kokondo Academy; Previously- Cornell University Kokondo Academy, Syracuse University Jukido Academy

• Sensei Alex Hallock, Ph.D. – Columbia University Kokondo Academy; Stanford University Kokondo Academy

• Mr. Bill Willand – Clemson University Kokondo Academy, South Carolina 

• Dr. Fiona Plows, Ph.D. -- Stanford University Kokondo Academy

• Mr. Eyal Klein, P.T. -- Israel Kokondo Academy

• Sensei Ben Friedman, M.D.-- with Master Steve Dunne, Greater Chicago Kokondo Academy
  

Other Brandeis trained Instructors include:

•  Dr. Jeremy Asnes, M.D. (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

• Sensei Michael Schultz, MBA- Babson College Kokondo & Jukido Academy 

• Mr. Michael Patterson, M.A. (New York City, NY)

•  Ms. Lisa Rae, J.D. (Vermont) 

• Mr. Andrew Feigenson, MA (New Jersey)

• Mr. Greg Mellinger, MA (Massachusetts)

Community Involvement

After lecturing and teaching seminars on women's self-defense and campus safety issues, BKA sensei have expanded their community involvement throughout the Northeast to other universities, schools, corporations, civic organizations, and rehabilitation institutions.  For example, Sensei Lisauskas teaches self-defense seminars for the Citizens Police Council, beginning with an initial request by the Newburyport, MA Chief of Police.  Sensei Len Glazer has conducted non-violent restraint courses for staff at several psychiatric hospitals since the early 1990’s, as well running the first ever Jukido Immersion program at Camp Ramah (with Dan Cohen) in 1991.  Sensei Johanna Glazer focuses special attention on women’s self-defense clinics, including an emphasis on raising the awareness, confidence and self-esteem of young women through various Kokondo programs.  

Other community involvement includes numerous martial arts demonstrations on and off campus as part of cultural events, as well as providing free self-defense lessons as fundraisers to Brandeis charitable clubs such as the Waltham Group and CORE (Committee on Rape Education).  Since 1988, the BKA has partnered periodically with the Office of Campus Life and the Brandeis University Police Department to provide self-defense and safety seminars for the campus community.  BKA instructors have also taught seminars at such schools as Bentley College, Dana Hall, Connecticut College, U-Conn, Weston High School, the Cambridge School of Weston, Concord-Carlisle High School and other nearby academic institutions. 

Brandeis Kokondo & the IKA

In 1993, Shihan Arel requested that Brandeis host the IKA's 5th National Seminar, which was a great success for all the participants and for our dojo. This memorable event featured a lecture on the relationship between sexual aggression and self-defense by Brandeis Psychologist Dr. Raymond Knight, an internationally renowned authority on schizophrenia and abnormal psychology. This scientific information validated several Kokondo self-defense principles, including appropriate response training, and has since played a supporting role in Shihan's formal seminar instruction.

IKA members have since journeyed many times to Waltham for the Brandeis Invitational Kokondo Seminars, which feature instruction from all of the East Coast's senior Kokondo and Jukido Sensei. These unique events are always fundraisers for the IKA Internationals, and are known for their intensity, fast pace, topical diversity, and the surprise Haunted House at the end.  In October 2003 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, past and present BKA students from both coasts gathered for the first-ever Brandeis Reunion Seminar.  In some cases, participants had not trained in over a decade, but the effort and camaraderie were outstanding.  As a result, several students from years past have returned to active status within the IKA and currently train in dojos across the US.

In 1997, with permission from Hombu, the BKA hosted a one-time weekend seminar for the Cyberdojo, the on-line discussion group of traditional martial artists, of which Mr. Cohen was one of the original members.  The seminar featured demonstrations and instruction by karate, jujitsu and weapons sensei from more than 20 traditional styles, including special self-defense, bunkai and Jukido sessions led by Masters Robert Longo and Tom Wood, Sensei Rob Robert and Senseis Dan and Scott Cohen.  This unique event was one of the few times that Kokondo & Jukido have been introduced at such a high level to the outside traditional martial arts community in the United States.  In November 2003, BKA Senseis Garber, Lisauskas and Cohen, along with Master Greg Howard, joined Shihan Arel to celebrate 20 years of Kokondo in Finland by teaching an Invitational Jushin (Centerline) seminar in Helsinki.   For a full weekend at one of Finland’s premier full time-dojos, these Kokondo sensei introduced the Jushin principle and techniques to Kokondo-ka from Finland, Great Britain, Belgium and Israel, as well as students and sensei from other karate, jujitsu, judo and weapons styles.

Many IKA members of all ranks and backgrounds from across the globe visit Boston on business and pleasure, and are always welcomed guests at the BKA. Recent visitors have included US students and senseis from Seattle, New York, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, California, Idaho, Chicago and Kansas, with international visitors from Jamaica, Helsinki, Brussels, Jerusalem, London and Johannesburg, South Africa. Likewise, our members are consistent attendees at every National & International Seminar, and Brandeis is generally well-represented at most regional seminars and clinics across the country.  Since 1988, the BKA has benefited from the generous attention of several Kokondo Masters & Directors, including memorable clinics by Shihan Arel, Masters Steve Dunne, Greg Howard, Tom Wood and the late Robert Longo, and Senseis Scott Cohen and Rob Robert.

Our Members

The students at the immediate and extended Brandeis dojos are special people—diverse in their backgrounds and abilities and alike in their drive to help each other grow by always doing their best.  Over 16 years, the BKA has included top students from every academic disciple; competitive athletes from many sports; students from countries across the globe; and community leaders from many fields.  Since our dojo is not competitive, it is an ideal place for students to train hard, with discipline and rigor, but also with a sense of humor and friendly spirit.  Our sense of camaraderie is unparalleled, and new members feel welcomed right away, regardless of physical ability.  Most importantly, our students understand the IKA philosophy that their peers must go to work or school the next day, so safety is always treated as the highest priority during training.

In recent years, the BKA has fostered especially warm friendships inside and outside of the dojo.    To see pictures of BKA members traveling and celebrating happy events together, please click here:

http://www.Kokondo.com/travels.htm

To hear what BKA members have to say about their training in their own words, please click here:

http://www.kokondo.com/voices_of_kokondo-ka.html

Class Times and Locations

Sequential classes are held on the Brandeis Campus every Monday and Wednesday evening between 7pm and 10pm and throughout greater Boston on various days and times. On campus, Kokondo classes generally take place in the Usdan Student Center in the Alumni & International Lounges and in Levin Ballroom. 

For more information on BKJA classes, including locations and directions, please e-mail Sensei Dan Cohen at dan@kokondo.com or call 781-405-7960.

Please click to enlarge these pictures