What is Dango Jiro?

On this page:
What Does Dango Jiro Mean? | Why Is Dango Jiro a Training System and Not a Martial Art?| What Does Dango-Jiro Teach? | Stragetic Thinking, Tactical Application, Skills and Skill Sets | It's NEVER his turn | Who Created Dango Jiro? | Further Resources

Dango Jiro is not a martial art. And despite the Japanese name, it is neither a traditional nor ancient. Nor is it a modern fighting system, a combat system, a reality based fighting system or a macho streetfighting style.

Dango Jiro is a training system.

It is not what "fighting style" someone knows that makes him competent at physical conflict. It is his ability to successfully and appropriately apply his skills, under stressful conditions. That, not knowing a martial system  is what defines competence. Competence isn't about how many (or what) techniques you know. It's about "Git-R-done." 

It is you and your skill, not the system, that will be the source of your success in a physical conflict.

That is why we do not claim Dango Jiro is a fighting style or a martial art. We're training you in what you need to succeed.

What Does Dango Jiro Mean?
The name Dango Jiro is actually an inside joke. Although it is a legitimate Japanese provincial term (dumpling stew/mix), it is the Japanese equivalent of "Mulligan Stew."

Depending on your location or background, you would know such inventions as "Leftover stew," "Hunter's Stew," "Refrigerator Stew" "Chef's Surprise," "Headcheese," "Goulash" or "Jambalaya. Basically all of these terms refer to a dish made up from what you have available, everything gets thrown in the pot and cooked up. Since Dango Jiro consists of mixed body movement dynamics, from several different martial art systems, such a name seemed only appropriate.

Our other reason for choosing this tongue-in-cheek name is that we did not wish to hang some kind of macho, pseudo-scientific, aggressive name on the system in order to promote it as a fighting style. As stated earlier is not a fighting system or martial art, it is a training system; one that is designed to make the student apply critical thinking to what he or she is learning in order to understand how and why it works.

Why is Dango Jiro a training system and not a martial art or fighting system?
Yes we have a kids program ... and that program has belts. However, our goal isn't to produce 'black belts' it's to teach you to move and think.

What does Dango-Jiro Teach?
Fundamentally Dango-Jiro is about teaching you to be aware of where you are in space and how you move your body. Then, it teaches you how to apply it to end a physical conflict.

Strategic Thinking, Tactical Application, Skills and Skill Sets
One of the hardest skills to master when it comes to martial arts is 'thinking.' For example, 'thinking on your feet when things don't work quite right.' Our goal in Dango Jiro isn't to just teach you how to punch and kick, it's also knowing when and why to do it.

It's NEVER his turn
One of the bigger problems with sports based martial arts being peddled as self-defense is that sports based martial arts play fair. In fact, until one person dominates the situation, they take turns. And what they are doing allows for their opponent to reset and prepare for the next attack -- if not counter attack. When it comes to applying physical force to someone, we failed good citizenship in school, our attitude is once we lay hands on him, it only gets worse and worse.

Who invented Dango Jiro?
No one person created Dango Jiro. There is no (insert celestial chorus) Founding Master (end celestial chorus) to be worshiped and kowtowed to.

There is no organization where you have to claw your way to the top in order to stand next to (repeat celestial chorus) The Master (end celestial chorus).

That is because Dango Jiro was not designed for us, it was designed for you. But we did have a lot of help.