Santa Cruz Dojo

Sensei Rod Sanford, owner and chief instructor of Rod Sanford's Traditional Martial Arts in Soquel, California, U.S.A. and founder of the Martial Virtue Research Society was studying Judo by 1960. By 1964 he had left Judo and was studying traditional Japanese Karate (Chito-Ryu). From 1965 into the 70's he also studied Kodenkan Ju-Jitsu under Master J. Chow-Hoon. In the mid '60's he joined the Butoku-Kai and began to study Shorinji-Ryu Karate-Do and other Okinawan and Japanese martial arts under Master Richard Kim at the San Francisco Chinese Y.M.C.A. Under O'Sensei Kim he has studied Aiki-Jujutsu, Kobudo (Okinawan and Japanese Weaponry), T'ai Chi Chuan, Hsing Yi, P'a Kua and Chi Kong. He has studied martial arts history, tradition and philosophy under O'Sensei Kim and has successfully completed the International Coaches and Judges courses through the I.T.K.F.

Mr.Sanford began teaching the Martial Arts as an assistant instructor in the traditional Karate and Ju-Jitsu programs in Monterey and Santa Cruz. He was also an assistant instructor in a children's Judo program in Salinas. In the later part of 1967 Mr. Sanford began running a dojo under the watchful eye of his Sensei. For many years he taught through various school and community centers. In 1980 he began to teach martial arts on a full-time basis and moved into his present 6,000 square foot dojo in Soquel, California.

Today Mr.Sanford and his staff offer traditional instruction in Shorinji-Ryu Karate-Do, Kobudo, T'ai Chi Chuan, Chi Kong, and Aiki at their dojo in Soquel. Mr. Sanford also travels throughout the United States, Canada and Europe teaching traditional martial arts. Often he is asked to teach the Aiki that he has learned from O'Sensei Kim and Sensei Koga.

With O'Sensei Kim's introduction Mr. Sanford has studied Goju-Ryu Karate under Master Tomoharu Kisaki, President of the Japan Karate-Do Gojiu-Ryu Yuishinkan and Master Mario Higonna of the International Okinawan Gojyu-Ryu Karate Federation. He has studied under Master Kenei Mabuni, Sohke (Head House) of Shito-Ryu Karate. And he has studied Shotokan Karate under such greats as Masters Hidetaka Nishiyama, Masatoshi Nakayama, Hiroshi Shoji, Taiji Kase, Toru Yamaguchi, Hiroshi Shirai, Masaka Ueki, Hideki Okamoto, and Keinosuke Enoeda.

In 1973 Mr. Sanford met and began to study Aikido and police tactics with Mr. Koga. Mr. Sanford continued to study with Mr. Koga until the mid '90's. He has trained in Aikijujutsu under Soshi Siego Okamoto of the Daito-Ryu Aikijujutsu Roppokai, Japan and Sohke Don Angier, successor of Yanagi-Ryu Aikijujutsu. And has trained in Gracie Ju-Jutsu with Ralph and Caesar Gracie.

Mr. Sanford studied engineering and law enforcement in college. Later he studied Vocational Education and Adult Learning at the University of California. He holds a Community College Instructor's credential. After graduating from college Mr. Sanford joined the Santa Cruz Sheriff's Department. He received the rank as operations sergeant. While with the department he was a S.W.A.T. team leader and was specially trained in dignitary protection. He was a member of tactical team, a specialized search and rescue team, dive (SCUBA) team bomb team and was trained as a K-9 handler.

Besides teaching martial arts he has been an instructor and consultant in police tactics for over thirty five years. He was his department's defensive tactics instructor for over 25 years. Throughout the years he has studied a wide range of police tactical systems, from the Koga Method to the F.B.I. system and many others. Today, his system, the PIDT Method, is widely recognized as a major police tactical system.

Mr. Sanford established the Pacific Institute of Defensive Tactics in 1984. Through his institute as well as through California police academies and colleges Kyoshi Sanford teaches police weaponless defense, arrest tactics, officer safety, impact weapons, building searches, car stops, crimes in progress, police firearms and other related tactical subjects. He teaches these subjects on a basic and instructor level. In 1994 he was nominated for the Governor's Award for his contributions to law enforcement training in California.

In 1996 Mr. Sanford assisted as a subject matter expert for the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) and Arizona P.O.S.T. in developing a three part telecommunications series on Controlling Violent Subjects. This course was broadcasted nationwide for law enforcement training and some portions have been released to over fifty thousand law enforcement agencies across the world. He has also been the consultant with P.O.S.T. in developing their Car Stops and Managing Civil Disobedience And Crowd Control training programs. He worked closely with P.O.S.T. on their firearms and field tactics program. Throughout the years he has helped P.O.S.T. develop the standards, curriculum, documentation and exams for California law enforcement officers in the areas of weaponless defense, arrest and control, impact weapons, firearms, officer safety, crimes in progress, car stops and crowd control.

Mr. Sanford now runs his dojo in Soquel with the help of his wife, Bedelia and son, Sean. His daughter, Sonora, is also a student at their Dojo. He is assisted by a staff of instructors that include: Mr. Lou Jemison, Mr. Dan Wakefield, Mrs. Debra Hannibal, Mr. Sean Sanford, Mr. Joe Trent, Mrs. Jennifer Farley and Mrs. Salvia.

After O'Sensei Richard Kim's death in November of 2001 Mr. Sanford and other senior students of O'Sensei Kim pledged to stay together to continue O'Sensei Kim's teaching. They formed the Zen Bei Butoku-Kai, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to preserving the teaching and ideals passed on by O'Sensei. The mission of the Zen Bei Butoku-Kai is to advance the study of traditional karate, t'ai chi, chi gong. aiki and budo, and to foster the growth of these martial arts as taught by O'Sensei Kim.

Our vision is simple, to endeavor to make the world a better place by upholding, through teaching and practicing, the spiritual and physical traditions of martial arts training.

Mr. Sanford and Mr. Jemison are on the Board of Directors of the Zen bei Butoku-Kai.

Mr. Sanford and his family have dedicated their lives to preserving traditional martial arts as taught by O'Sensei Richard Kim. They wish to see that O'Sensei's legacy is never forgotten.