This may have already been addressed somewhere, I've read through the last ten pages of the forum archives and have as of yet not been able to find it so here goes.
What art or arts do you fellows primarily derive your tools from? I see Thai boxing mentioned a couple of places as well as some oblique references to a couple of other arts but not too many direct indications. From the ranges covered in your curriculum it would be next to impossible to have a single art cover it all so I am going to assume several.

Senshido started out as a hybrid system predominated by tools from the Wing Chun system, BJJ and Muay Thai... it's evolved far beyond those days. If you were to look at a full out simulation or real fight occur with one of our practitioners, it will look more like a rabid animal mauling a prey sounds and all You won't see any 'style' really, you may pick up (if you're paying close attention) a few tools like an elbow, a knee, a head butt etc. but not in a stylistic way...

If you pick up our Functional Combative Drill Training tape, you can watch Helen in action against Lawrence who is armed and outweighs her by 100 pounds go full out no consent and Shred him to pieces... let me know what styles you pick up on there if any.

Thank you for your question and interest.

Sincerely
Rich Dimitri

Although I have as of yet not seen one of these sequences (it should be revealing!) I think what I was more trying to get at was the development stage of your tools, for example - when I think of kicking I tend to break it down into two broad categories, with shoes and without. When I am training with my shoes on I am thinking toe kicks and heel kicks ala Savate whereas my barefooted kicking is more in line with Muay Thai's push kick and round kick (I do train them all with shoes though). Why I am asking this is to try and achieve some type of conceptial understanding of what you fellas are up to. If you tell me you use TKD for your kicks, Greco for your clinch work and Kali for your weapons work I get a certain understanding of the body mechanics involved as well as the combative philosophies embraced.
Although I admit it is somewhat cobbled together at this point I will describe the approach I am using presently at this time in my development. Striking skills - primarily Muay Thai with a couple of add-ons, Edged weapon skills - Kali and Lynn Thompsons Cut/Don't be Cut and for Grappling skills - (you guessed it!) Catchwrestling as taught by Tony Cechinne.
To restate perhaps a little more clearly, I am talking about when you are training specific skills in an isolatory fashion. Hopefully all this makes sense.

That's the thing though... our kicks don't derive from TKD or MT or any specific style really, neither do any of our technical tool applications. The physical portion of our arsenal is based on 5 basic principles I coined Senshido's 5 Principles of Physical Retaliation, in no particular order:

1. Closest weapon to closest target (define yours and your opponent's)

2. Primary and secondary targets

3. Non telegraphic movement

4. Economy of motion

(3 and 4 right there rule out the majority of the martial art's physical attributes)

5. Tactile sensitivity

Once these principles are fundamentally understood and properly applied, style ceases to exist and strategy takes over. You do what needs to be done when it is called upon with one thing in mind... survive with the least amount of damage done to you as possible.

Like I said though the primary influences I suppose would be BJJ/Catch, Muay Thai and Wing Chun... there are also Aikido aspects, western Boxing and as Chad put it "Get to the point man!" type tools... the Shredder for example is based on gross motor tools, so is the majority of our arsenal because once you get down to reality, this is what you have access too.

Senshido changed alot from it's origins back in '94. In 1994 it looked more like a MMA than it does today. Today, it's much more strategic and tactical and relies more on the state of mind.

I mentioned this in a previous post a while ago... I learned more about street survival in a 3 day seminar with Caliber Press designed for law enforcement and security where absolutely NO physical aspects were covered then I did in my 27 years of training in the martial arts.

I hope this made some sense

Thanks


Sincerely
Rich Dimitri

Functional Combative Drill Training Tape...After watching Helen nearly deface (didn't she draw blood?) her agressor, I can make the opinion that she is using the "way of get the hell out of my way." Very deadly and secretive 'system.'

There is nothing wrong with studying a system, as it were, but don't lose focus of YOUR (read, your) goal in studying the system in question. Once I began to understand the limitations and gaps in most systems, as they all have them, I began to train much more methodically.

We are only capable of growing two arms, two legs, and one head on our shoulders. If I were looking at efficient power and application, how many ways could I really apply and elbow, or knee or hand strike?

The advice within any system should be considered. Considered; then tested. Face value is useless until it is (or can be) applied. The information I've seen on Senshido so far has been good, it's obvious Rich appreciates the expression: "Get to the point man!"

My personal protection goals are very specific: I have to be able to apply it.

I love the freedom of choice.

Chad Power

Thanks for the excellent answers guys, you certainly have got the mental processes stirring in me. Style and limitations of style have been a stumbling block for me for a long time. Bruce Lee talked about the individual always being more important than any style but for me, when I come upon a system I respect and see the work done by the men who have come before me I feel humbled by their achievement and question myself being more "important" than their style or system. Hope that made sense!

Somehow I managed to miss the what is Senshido description on the Senshido defined page. If I had read that first this whole thread would have been unnecessary. Like I said - Stupid me.