| Teaching Ninjutsu in the Dallas metroplex since 1985! |
Warrior name Divine Mountain 'Kamiyama'
Every human being is capable of returning to
the Law of Nature Teaching Legitimate Kobujutsu & Ninjutsu in the
Dallas metroplex since 1985!
rt
of Combat was founded in 1981 and the Kamiyama Dojo in 1985 by Ralph Severe and has been teaching the Japanese ninjutsu skills of the Togakure ryu in the Dallas area since 4/1985. Random background information on Ralph Severe.
Ralph has over 35 years experience in martial arts, has been promoted by Togakure ryu Ninpo Taijutsu Masaaki Hatsumi to the Eight Level (hachidan, 1992) black belt in authentic Japanese Ninpo Taijutsu and is an Ninth Level (kudan, 2002) black belt in authentic Japanese Budo Taijutsu and also holds black belts in 6 other martial arts. Below is a list of the major martial arts Ralph Severe has trained in during his research and the estimated time he trained in these arts or when he started training in these arts.
In 2004 Ralph graduated from the Bujinkan Dojo with the highest ranking in the Japanese martial arts from Masaaki Hatsumi and has went on his own search for personal discovery, happiness and peace in his home state Texas.
Ralph Severe is considered a
"guide" at the Urban Combative Training
although he has a "masters license" in the Japanese martial arts.
His approach to training students is very relaxed with a lot of heart and energy. His generosity
to his students with information is unusual when it comes to martial art instructors. He has a pragmatic straightforward
personality that cuts to the point that has earned him the respect from his peers for being very honest.
He is committed to his way of life, his art, his journey and to the students in the Dojo. Even though he is a student of Masaaki Hatsumi, he founded the authentic ninjutsu school called "Kamiyama ninpo happo biken dojo" in early 1985. Mr. Severe specialized in Kobu Bugei Bukijutsu (old martial arts weaponry skills) Bikenjutsu (battojutsu, kenjutsu), Bojutsu (rokushakubojutsu, hanbojutsu, tanbojutsu), Sojutsu, Naginatajutsu, Shurikenjutsu (bo, senban), Tantojutsu, Shukojutsu and Kusarigamajutsu. Mr Severe also specializes in the mental aspects of the philosophical, psychological, psyche of the warrior arts.
Even with his 35 years of martial arts experience Ralph Severe feels he has just started to learn the hidden details of warrior arts. His research includes training in numerous other arts, ranging from Western Boxing to Muay Thai to Filipino to Russian methods. With his unique insight and innovative training programs Mr. Severe has been asked to trained many special groups such as, military specialist, security officers, body guards, border patrol, DEA, FBI, and law enforcement personnel.
He has trained in the US and in Japan, and is internationally recognized by Hatsumi sensei and his seniors as an authority and top fighter of the Bujinkan Dojo methods from 1988 to 2004 during his active membership. In 1991 Soke Hatsumi said “he is a master technician and a genius” to the Texas TAIKAI members.
Ralph Severe has a few friends who teach his methodology outside the state of Texas. Robert Kesterson, Ron Hughen and Rick Henderson all have an associate instructor license to teach his Dojo system to others and are the only members outside the Texas Academy who can teach and promote ranking in his system.
Ralph Severe teaches these two different systems today in Dallas Texas at the Urban Combative Training. The Kamiyama Ninpo Bugei method is open to all practitioners with the intention of learning strategies and tactics of the historical Ninjutsu combat method. Ninjutsu is an art to explore the secrets of life and a pathway to better your life style. Kamiyama is a doctor-shaman-wizard in many ways, a mental, spiritual and physical healer that promotes healthy lifestyles. This is the major aspect of the Kamiyama Dojo, being healthy and at peace through being able and willing to take responsibility for your well-being. His experience, honesty, loyalty and integrity to his students have made the difference where others have failed teaching martial arts in the Dallas area.
Traditional Japanese martial arts, as taught by Ralph. Severe, is a non-sport, non-competitive way of living. It is a cooperative training place to learn about life and combat skills. The idea of winning or losing fights is not part of the training. Training is to better yourself (body, heart, mind) and your survivability in a self-defense conflict. So there is no contest, tournaments, fancy form dancing or trophies.
Take a look at these short clips of the Urban Combative Training students in action on YouTube!
|
Ralph Severe's Japanese ninpo interest and training started in 1980. His major students during the late 70's were Mark McGehee and Roger Heath. Both were high school friends who trained and sparred with him for about two years in the late 70”s. A friend named Scott Smith, a high school buddy that gave him the book "Ninja" by Andy Adams. The funny thing is the subject of ninjutsu came up because Scott's grandmother made him a ninja costume for Halloween. Training on his own and from books of Steve Hayes shihan, Ralph found a new way or art to explore.
Still training in other arts he called Art of Combat, he kept going deeper into his research. He was teaching a few friends -- Mark Rich, Linda Wallace, Victor Jennings, Ivan Rivera, Bob Joles, Robert Lopez, Mike Hummell, Byron Howlett, etc. -- in
his art while training on the other new art of ninjutsu. These students mainly trained in AOC, pad work, sparring and weaponry for street self-defense.
Shadows of Iga… The training group (SOI) in Dallas was small and under the guidance of Eric Martindale (which promoted Ralph to 9th kyu), Paul Fisher, and George Spreg who were under Kelly Hill, student of Steven Hayes shihan, who Ralph met and trained with in 1983. Ralph traveled outside the Dallas area to many seminars during the early 80’s in his research of the Japanese warrior art of ninpo taijutsu.
Side note, In 1983 Ralph also had the chance to train with one of the greatest living martial artist, Dan Inosanto. Ralph considers Dan Inosanto one of the all time greatest martial arts guides of the 21st century and in his opinion the best he has ever trained with in terms of knowledge and understanding of training methods of warrior skills. Ralph traveled and trained under Dan Inosanto and his students for many years following his first meeting him in Dallas. Dan Inosanto promoted wholesome energy and opened Ralph’s training up to a new level of understanding. Dan Inosanto’s knowledge of history, the body, athletics, training methodology, flowing concepts, unarmed and weaponry systems are unmatched in Ralph’s opinion on the research into warrior training and living skills.
With no permission given and stepping out on his own, Mr. Severe began his own training group in Dallas in 1984 as a green belt, which grew into the strongest and longest running ninjutsu dojo in the Dallas area to this day.. into 2006.
Ninpo Taijutsu.. In 1986 he gave up all of his other combative training for his new passion, Bujinkan ninjutsu. Ralph Severe had his eyes opened to a different side of Japanese ninjutsu by a student of the great Charles Daniels, Kostas "Chuck" Dervenis shihan. Chuck was a pioneer following Hayes and Daniels shihan in American ninjutsu by writing many magazine articles letting the American student in on true ninjutsu as it was taught in Japan. Daniels shihan was a major information contributor to Ralph’s early Bujinkan study.
With help from his close friend James ‘The Rat” Garcia sensei (Bujinkan Shidoshi), Ralph kept his training dojo under Mr. Dervenis' guidance and built it up to become very strong. Mr. Severe’s opinion on James shidoshi that he is one of the true fighters of the Bujinkan Dojo left over from the true training of the 80’s and 90’s. After the 1988 Taikai when Ralph was promoted by Hatsumi sensei, later that same year Mr. Severe went to New Mexico to train a small group of students for 7 months: Abi Allen, Brian Komen, Alan Lundan, etc.. While he was in New Mexico, he was introduced to a new Bujinkan trainer, and began training under Bill Atkins shihan of California. Mr. Severe made up the name and started the Tenchijin Dojo, which Mr. Atkins is now head instructor. Ralph Severe felt Mr. Atkins had the best taijutsu to offer as an example and knowledge of the ryuha of any Bujinkan student - teacher in the U.S. at this time of his learning process. He had a great deal of respect for him as a human being as well as a great martial artist. Atkins shihan aided Ralph in many areas of the Bujinkan Dojo and promoted him to sandan and seen that he was tested for the shidoshi ranking ”video of godan testing” in the Bujinkan in 1989.
In 1989, thanks to Bill Atkins, after 9 1/2 years of Japanese ninpo taijutsu training, Mr.Severe was asked to became a full time student of Soke Hatsumi when he was promoted to Shidoshi (teacher level in the Bujinkan Dojo).
Soon after the 1989 taikai, Mr. Severe moved back to the Dallas area to re-build his Dojo with Andrew Tate, Eddie Moore, Don Smith, Andre Vaguine, Larry Graham, Andy Breton, Nancy Pirro, Butch Johnson, David Smith, Pat Dumas and others.
In January of 1991, dishearten of the Bujinkan politics, ranking and students' dishonesty, Mr. Severe began his personal warrior quest into other combative systems outside the Bujinkan Dojo. During his warrior quest he researched Shooto Wrestling, Brazilian Judo, Catch As Catch Can Wrestling and Russian martial arts of combat.
A friend and private student offered to send him to Japan in late 1992. Ralph traveled to Japan to visit and train with Sean Askew shihan and Hatsumi sensei. After his 30 day visit to Japan Ralph was totally dishearten in the over all organization of the Bujinkan. Ralph stopped teaching the Bujinkan Dojo arts publicly in late 1992 till mid 1996 in his quest for more updated and combative results in his training and teaching methods.
In 1996 he was coned into teaching the arts of the Bujinkan Dojo again. With this persuasion from friends, students and other special people, Mr. Severe again teaches the wonderful art of the Japanese ninja to the public in Dallas Texas. Mr. Severe has traveled many times across the United States to give seminars and train with others in Kamiyama ninjutsu.
In Dallas Mr. Severe has his own dojo method called the Urban Combative Training, where he teaches a traditional but more updated training system from what he used in the Bujinkan. He says Americans have a different mind set of freedom and are much stronger physically with many different fighting systems available to be used against them as well as to be used for self defense. Change is the wonderful thing about ninjutsu that he loves so much. The art is always changing and growing to fit to the world around you.
From 1992 to today Mr. Severe researches different martial arts updating his method of ninjutsu. His Kamiyama Dojo is always being updated and changed to the times we live in today while keeping it's traditional aspects.
In 2002 he was promoted to kudan, 9th level black belt, by Hatsumi sensei in Bujinkan Dojo Japanese Budo Taijutsu. This promotion graduated Ralph Severe and there was nothing else for him in the organization. In 12/2004 Ralph left the organization of the Bujinkan Dojo because of the politics and the lack of "jissen" pragmatic combative methodology and training methods within the Bujinkan Dojo. He still remains a good friend and student of Hatsumi sensei and the techniques and systems he learned under Hatsumi sensei are the core and base of the Urban Combative Training’s Japanese martial art curriculum.
Some of the more important skills Ralph Severe teaches at the Urban Combative Training are as follows.
|
For more great information on the Urban Combative Training methods.. check out the
new DVDs
for 2006 !
Mr.Severe's specialty is the TOGAKURE RYU NINJUTSU of the Bujinkan Dojo. He has made training tapes on the subject of the Japanese martial art of KUKISHINDEN RYU weaponry, Japanese Ninjutsu NE-WAZA or ground combat skills, basic Japanese Ninpo TAIJUTSU - beginner to black belt, and how to train in Ninjutsu for the beginner and advanced ninja. For more ninpo information look under the ninpo page on this site. Ralph Severe feels fortunate to have meet and trained with Soke Hatsumi. He keeps his teachings as pure as he learned them from Hatsumi Sensei. He dedicates his study of ninjutsu and his teaching to the Soke. The defense of the ninja is to hide! |
|
 Next |
This is a false “myspace” site with information about Ralph Severe taken from this web site. Don’t be fooled and think it is real !
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=35898523