Kyushindo - by G.S. Mayo (Chief) - Style Founder

To who ever requires the truth about me and the beginnings of MayoShinDo.

I, George Mayo known as Chief to my students past and present, started studying martial arts in France when I was a boy of eight years old. I studied different systems and different styles of martial arts under many masters. I came to Scotland in 1940 studying and living in Edinburgh. I started teaching martial arts in 1948 which entailed throwing, punching, blocking, kicking and nerve points. I also added a modified yoga for health. I met Kenshiro Abbe in 1955, we became friends and spent many hours together training and in philosophical discussion relating to technique and principles.

I moved to London in 1956 and opened a club. I then opened clubs in Portsmouth – 1956, Southampton – 1957, Bristol – 1958, Luton Southend and Romford – 1959, Brighton – 1960, Oxford – 1969, Northampton – 1971, Cardiff and Birmingham – 1972. These dates are only approximate.

Being a student of Kinesiology, I modified the movement of the techniques to be as natural to the body as they could be, without losing the effect of them. In 1985 I called together all the areas I had training, to unify what I called Kyushindo Karate. The Judo syllabus had been set years before. The area coaches under my guidance and tutorage, set up each grade so all areas were doing the same technique, the same way in the same grade. I believe this took about a year, after which all the area coaches and myself signed the new syllabus.

I moved back to France in 1986 semi retiring but spending at least 10 days a month in England, after I had been living in France a while I started spending less time in England. It was after this I started noticing changes in the practice of my Kyushindo, the way the techniques were being done, and the attitude in which students did them, even though I had students coming over to France for seminars and gradings.

In a discussion with my Vice President Derek Collins, we came upon the reason for the change in technique and attitude. It is because many of high grades, although good at what they did, emphasised different aspects of what I taught, and believed them to be what I taught, not just a part of a whole. So the techniques from different areas, were lacking different aspects of Kyushindo, thus actually changing the technique, and the way it is performed and practiced. I spoke to, and tried to correct one of my high graded Judo instructors, after this talk with Derek but he did not want to listen, or change the way he was practicing the technique.

I also spoke with Derek about competition, I do not believe competition is a good thing it changes the principles and practice of good technique and I want nothing to do with it. Derek pointed out to me that we could not stop people doing what they wanted away from our classes and it would be better if we knew they were competing so we could make sure none of the attitude or techniques they used in competition crept into our classes. Derek in fact went away and after researching competition created a sport style based on my principles, the techniques are different to my karate – they have to be for safety! These techniques do not get practised when my karate classes are being taught.

Due to people not adhering to my principles and the way I practise techniques and having nothing to do with my organisation, but still calling themselves Kyushindo and claiming they are following my teachings, I have changed the name I use for my practice to MayoShinDo to divorce myself from them.

Yours Faithfully