Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Why Adaptive Defense?

Hello,

My name is Brandon Lee Ryan, I am 30 years old and am the founder of Adaptive Defense. I am a third stripe brown in Lopaka Ryu martial arts and a blue belt in 10th Planet Jiujitsu under master Eddie BravoAdaptive Defense in a way started  when I was a child, growing up my father brought me up in the traditional martial arts of Kenpo Karate and Kodokan Judo. Martial arts was my way of escape from being in my wheel chair all day at school, it was a way for me to feel “normal” as a kid.

When I was born doctors told my parents that I would never be able to do virtually anything on my own. My mother and father let that go in one ear and out the other. My father raised me to be a warrior and my mother pushed me to use my brain in order that I could make the most of the brain that God gave me.

Martial arts was my main focus, even when I was in grade school, I could think about was getting on the mat. When I was studying Judo I had one of the most amazing instructors, he found ways I could perform each throw either from my knees snd submissions and chokes on the ground. On the ground was where I felt most at home. When I was on the ground, I knew that if I could get my arms around someones neck or put on a joint lock of some kind, they were all mine.

I realized that with the proper instruction, there were all kinds of modifications and ways that I could defend myself if need be, all while having fun in training. I’ve had the honor of learning from a few of Bruce Lee’s original students, all who were great in their own ways of adapting different styles that fit the way my body moved. It was these experiences that led me toward the desire to share the joy that martial arts has given me with others like me.

  When my father ran his own martial arts school, he helped me put up flyers around town for adaptive self defense classes, sadly however it didn’t gain a lot of traction. I was rather discouraged for awhile, I had a gift and wanted to share it with others like me. I wanted them to have the same joy that martial arts has given me, I longed to instill self-confidence and vision into peoples lives. Be that as it may, I kept on teaching able-bodied at my fathers school and with great success. Not once did I have a able-body student have anything negative about being taught by someone who has Cerebral Palsy.

When I got to college a few years later, I realized that God was preparing me for something great. I started a self-defense class on my college campus and slowly but surely I not only acquired several abled-bodied students and a few that had their own adaptive needs. I have one student that has CP like, one who is visually impaired and another who has various help problems. I’ve spent vast amounts of time working with each of them and finding what works for them. Its been such a joy to seem them pick up on things and the smile that comes from it, its amazing to see confidence  take root in their lives, their character is sharpened, they are at peace with themselves and are fully open to learning and growing into more amazing people.

I then wanted to put what I was doing with my students at my college, on a bigger scale. I started posting videos on the internet and the response has been awesome. I personally believe that everyone with Cerebral Palsy and other conditions should learn self defense, and for a few reasons 1) It makes them use their bodies in ways physical therapy can not, 2) it can be a lot of phone, 3)it builds character, confidence and persevering spirit and 4) it gives them the ability to know how to defend themselves should they ever have to. Some people believe that the reality of physically challenged people be attacked is unrealistic, when it reality its not, why? because evil doers normally go after those who they may deem as “easy targets.” And even if one is never attacked or never has to use their skills, great. We train, we learn so that we never have to use it. We learn to live at peace with ourselves and others.

In closing, I am here to help, please subscribe to my youtube channel, give the Adaptive Defense FaceBook page a thumbs up, if you want me to cover a certain situation in a video, simply send me an email. I am also willing to be open to teach adaptive seminars. All you have to do is ask.

Blessings and peace.

-Brandon Ryan
  Founder of Adaptive Defense

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