I had been following Sensei AJ's YouTube channel for a while, and had always wondered how can I learn from this person while being a continent apart. The answer: The Digi Dojo.

What stood out to me from Sensei AJ's videos was his sharp execution of technique, which to me means that he has that rare combination of thousands of hours of practice plus the understanding of the principles at work behind the techniques.

The biggest takeaway for me was that sometimes the smallest detail will have the greatest impact on improving or progressing to the next level of karate training/understanding.

His teaching style allows me to look at karate from a completely different perspective of not just repeating movements endlessly, but to train with a specific purpose in mind. He even encourages that we change that specific purpose between training sessions in order to improve as a whole.

The best example has a not particularly important video regarding Hikite. Sensei AJ said don't focus on your fist, focus on your shoulder and the fist will automatically find itself in the "correct position. And after some practice, by God was he right!

I believe Sensei AJ's content would help Karateka from other styles, not just Wado, because his focus is on principles and natural movement. He even shows Kobudo training and educates how armed training can translate into unarmed training.

And finally, most other publications are limited to their syllabus. Sensei AJ's content is always evolving, and he constantly asks for feedback on what topics to address.

This is not something I see any top-level instructor do.

As a professional musician and music teacher, I always emphasize to students that basics are important.

I often remind myself that no matter how much we progress in rank or in skill, we must always go back to basics and make sure our foundation is solid. I found especially effective how AJ demonstrated how the stances are all related to each other. This relationship is not often taught.

The Stances Masterclass not only taught me how to position my body, but I also learned how stances make movements easier and more efficient.

I have a better understanding of stances as they relate to each other. This will facilitate learning the basics in a way that it “sticks” because each stance is not taught in isolation.

Watching this series will help keep your basics sharp.

I was looking for a source to improve my martial arts skills and then I found AJ’s book Wado No Michi. All the details help me to understand techniques better and principles deeper.

I like AJ’s precision about anything he demonstrates, his training methods (and his jokes). What is definitely one of the best things is the simplicity. AJ’s ability of teaching hard concept with simple word and pictures helps me to better understand and to improve my skills and also my teaching.

For example Meotode principle. Before I only focused on one hand and took distance after attack (like in kumite competition). And now I use both hands, one hand for a punch, the other hand for controlling the opponent then I can reverse hands to do combination. It allows me to score more easily and make my techniques more effective than before.

The biggest difference between Wado No Michi and other books are the plenty pictures, lot of details for each technique and complete course of Wado in one book. I have many books about martial arts and this is the best about Wado-ryu karate and would therefore definitely recommend this book and AJ’s work to other Karateka.

I have always enjoyed learning new ways to apply the basics of karate. This course definitely did not disappoint!

The new ways to apply the fists were eye opening and the application for kumate was very informative. Because of that, I'll definitely be keeping my mind open to even more ways to apply the basics beyond what I've learned.

This is the first video series that has taught new ways to apply the basics.

I've always looked for new ways and been disappointed. I was cautiously skeptical when I started the series, but I'm glad that I got it and would definitely recommend this series to anyone who wants to study the basics of karate in a new way.

Having a good foundation in the basics of karate is essential, and this series definitely provides that necessary foundation.

After looking on the Internet to find information about Wado Ryu, I found The Digi Dojo.

My Pro Licence has provided me with the most comprehensive knowledge gathered at one place on the World Wide Web. Especially because I access to all videos, showing the different techniques, kumites, katas and more.

I think that the idea behind the Digi Dojo is excellent and an invaluable asset for studying and evolve myself and my students in both Wado and karate.

I watched The Stances Masterclass to be reminded of the traditional stances I first learnt as a beginner many years ago, as we sometimes names get lost with all the modern sports karate we seem to teach.

The biggest takeaway I got was the straight forward and easy to understand explanations of the various stances by AJ.

I will re watch this video again and when I teach these in class I will be confident that I am teaching correct Wado Ryu stances the way they we intended.

The series exceeded my expectations by AJ explains and demonstrates the stances in a thoroughly professional way and expanded my knowledge.

I would definately recommend this series to anyone who is serious about learning authentic wado - ryu karate. Go into watching this series with an open mind, and you'll learn more than you thought.

When I got a glimpse of what The Digi Dojo contains and it's value, getting my Pro Licence was a no brainer...

And it exceeded my expectations.

The Digi Dojo is a great place to get inspiration that I can put into my teaching and my techniques. For example, I now study Meotode and try to implement it as an extension of other techniques.

I've been on many seminars with Sensei Sakagami and Sensei Nukina and learned Kumite Gata which we had little or no experience from before. But there is too much that will be forgotten, so now I use the Digi Dojo to study to check the different forms.

Give it a try. You will not be disapointed.

Coming from a family of Wado karate practitioners we always felt that there was a serious lack of educational material available to Wado students outside of Japan.

Hours spent online looking for resource material on katas, techniques and details regarding on how to execute them correctly fell painfully short. The negative consequence of such lack of information makes learning, understanding and progress in karate, dependent on the short period of time you get to interact with your Sensei at personal level.

As karate has transitioned into a more of a sports and competition oriented model, the time spent on thorough analysis of each technique is lost, thus we see kids blindly emulating the seniors without much attention nor understanding on technique, body mechanics and aesthetics.

The search for a comprehensive resource ended when I stumbled upon AJ's Wado No Michi. It was an All-in-One (albeit a few which he has since added on to The Digi Dojo site) compendium to fill the void of a true reference book. It covers Basics, Pinan & Advanced Katas, Kumite Techniques all with detailed explanations answering the vital questions of Why/What/When/Where and How?

AJ's Video collections on The Digi Dojo complements and completes where "Wado No Michi" fell short due to its limitation as a book.

Personally it has helped me to learn, discover and identify many areas in which I was lacking may it be in Katas, Kihon or Kumite. It also helps me to incorporate learning in the comfort of my own home during by busy work schedules. The magnificent gifts of modern technology, bringing access of this invaluable information on a global scale, and at your fingertips.

I recommend this to all practitioners of Wado, young and old, to sign up and use this invaluable resource and take your karate to the next level.

I got my Pro license because I wanted access to all the videos, not just a few or having temporary access.

Even though I'm in Shorin Ryu, it's really useful. It will do me good for sure as this fabulous website contain so much details, regardless to the school you are in.

And it's not just the detailed explananations. AJ is always ready to answer your questions thoroughly and never backs down to take a extra step if necessary.

Don't hesitate if you're thinking to go pro too 🙂

The technical information will not only help beginners but act as a reference source for more experienced practitioners as well. You should be proud of your accomplishment.

The second I went Pro I looked up the database and I'm already impressed. Even after years of training I found some tips to improve my Junzuki right away!