Ballinger’s Bushido Karate

Okinawan Karate Lineage: A Legacy Forged Through Generations

Okinawan karate is not simply a collection of fighting techniques. It is a living tradition shaped by generations of teachers, students, communities, and cultural exchange. Its development took place mainly in Okinawa, where different traditions emerged around Shuri, Naha, and Tomari. Over time, these traditions became important foundations for many karate schools practiced around the world today.

The historical story is often associated with influential figures such as Kanga Sakugawa, Sokon “Bushi” Matsumura, Kosaku Matsumora, and Arakaki Seisho. Their names represent different stages in the transmission and development of Okinawan martial arts. Matsumura, in particular, is frequently connected with the Shuri-te tradition, while Matsumora is associated with Tomari-te. These traditions were not completely isolated; knowledge, training methods, and teachers often crossed regional and personal boundaries.

From the Naha tradition came Kanryo Higaonna, whose teachings became an important foundation for Goju-Ryu. His student Chojun Miyagi later organized and developed Goju-Ryu into a distinctive system emphasizing both hard and soft training methods, controlled breathing, conditioning, kata, and practical application.

Another major figure was Anko Itosu, whose influence helped shape the teaching and modernization of karate in Okinawa. His efforts contributed to the introduction of karate into broader educational settings and influenced later generations. Among his students was Kenwa Mabuni, who eventually founded Sh*to-Ryu, a style known for preserving and combining techniques and kata from several Okinawan traditions.

The lineage shown in this image also includes Chojuro Tani, founder of Shukokai, followed by later teachers such as Teruo Mimoto and Masataka Osh*ta. These later generations demonstrate how Okinawan karate continued to travel beyond its original environment and develop through international teaching organizations.

Beyond technique, the tradition also emphasizes character, humility, perseverance, respect, and responsibility—values that allow karate to remain a path of personal development as well as martial skill today.

It is important to remember that martial-arts lineage charts are often simplified. Historical relationships between masters, teachers, and styles can be complex, and different organizations may present the lineage differently. A chart should therefore be viewed as an educational representation rather than a single universally accepted genealogy.

What remains constant is the principle of transmission: knowledge is passed from teacher to student, refined through practice, and preserved through discipline. Okinawan karate survives because each generation carries the responsibility of learning from the past while continuing to develop the art for the future.

Competition Martial Arts. I think there’s a strong love for watching competitions of any sort. Sports are Americas favorite passtime. Some people are just die hard competitors. And thankfully those people exist because they drive the competition market. Being an athlete no matter what sport it is you choose you have to practice, study, train to compete to win. We see alot of young competitors in most sports. By the time one reaches college age 18-22-23 yrs old. They’re burnt out of the sport. It takes someone with true discipline and love for their art craft to want to continue to compete past the age of 25yrs old. Once you reach 30’s + is pretty much not happening. There are some exceptions. But they’re 1% of the competitors. Will we see sport martial arts die off in the next 10-15 yrs?

How did I get into teaching martial arts? Was this something you set out to do in life?

This is a rather long post. Not something I can write in short form.

The true answer is NO. No I never expected to be teach martial arts, nor did I want to or have a desire to. It kind of just happened. I was never even the best or most talented student in my dojo. I guess I was just one of those ppl who enjoyed training and learning martial arts.

So how did it happen?

As I studied Karate & Kali from Tim Armstrong, & Bruce Ogle 1984-1991. I was very dedicated student. That time period alone during my HS and teenage years I could write a lot about. But I’ll save that for later. After HS. And going into the Army in 1991 I pretty much didn’t train much during that time. Until I come back home, at that time I moved to Ft Wayne, IN. I would find myself occasionally dropping in a dojo here and there where ever I was at and train with whatever dojo I visited. I never really found a place I liked or could call home after Armstrongs Karate. He set the bar pretty high for what I was looking for. So I would attend seminars whenever I could. And drop in on classes and ask to partake in some Dojos. When I lived in Ft Wayne 1994-2000 I did train in CDK/TKD for several years under Ralph White, and joined an backyard Eskrima group, ran by Kim Satterfield and Rob McDonald. I initially began training with Ralph White bc I met him at a store and he was wearing his school jacket And we just began talking and he invited me to his Dojang. I went a couple of times and I really liked his training regimine and it felt legit to me. I ended up staying around. Over the course of a few years i learned his system and tested and earned BB there. He really wanted me to help him teach school kids he had with ft wayne community schools back then. I may have been idk 24-25 yrs old. I didn’t really want to teach at all. Nonetheless, I ended up teaching a couple schools with him for a year or so. In 2000 I moved back to Muncie, IN. At that time I was still active with G**o Kim in Eskrima. Kim and I had developed a great friendship and I was a dedicated student of his as an apprentice instructor in Inayan Eskrima

Upon moving back to Muncie IN.
I got a job working in Corrections with troubled teens at a Boot Camp facility. It was a state accredited program. This was more Para Military designed than anything else. We ran it very strict like a military boot camp. It was while I worked there I met who’s been one of my best friends now for over 26 yrs (Jay Dotson) he was the DT’s instructor, MPD Sgt. and Chief of BMH Police dept. During his training course he must of recognized I had prior experience and training and at the end of the course he and I began talking. We shared information and a week later we had met up to train together and a friendship developed. I told him I didn’t really train like I used to because I had not found a place I could really invest my time in. I wanted to find a good dojo for my son. I was however still attending seminars and other training sessions wherever I could. I was interested in more FMA at that time. I was traveling to INDY & Ft Wayne regularly to study Kali and Eskrima with my 2 G**os. Bruce Ogle and Kim Satterfield.

Jay invited me to meet his teacher, Carl Jackson who was ranked 6th dan under Ron White and Bill Vichiolli then. I had been wanting to at that time get my son in to Karate. I took him to Ron White Dojo, but Mr White was not actively teaching at that time. Carl Jackson and Mr V. Who occasionally come to his dojo was who I decided to train with. It wasn’t long that Carl Jackson and I developed a close friendship as well and I already a Black belt under Armstrong (A Ron White black belt), and Ralph White, as well a G**o rank (BB equivalent) in Kali under Bruce Ogle and an apprentice instructor in Inayan Eskrima with Kim S. I still was not interested in teaching. I didn’t even want to teach my own son. I felt he would do better under someone else. I enrolled him into Mr Jackson’s Dojo. Also during this time I had met Boz who also worked in corrections at Pendleton Correctional Facility, were I later ended up working for a few years after MRDC He and I would get together at my house and train Kali. Now here’s where it shifts.

I just wanted a training partner. But in order to get Boz up to speed with where I was I had to teach him what I knew and what we worked on. Still I didn’t want to teach. But it was the only way to work out. Boz taught me and I taught him. We shared training ideas. And we went to Indy to train together with Bruce Ogle often.

As time went on. I began teaching karate at Jackson’s Karate, and Jay started his own dojo at the YMCA and I would come in and assist him when he asked me too so I was back to training 3-4 days a week Karate at 2 different locations. And on weekends driving to Indy and Ft wayne to study FMA. Theres alot of Time missing in this story bc the time line could write a book. Like meeting and training with Guru Mike Casto for many many years in Kali Silat.
Attending Inosanto Seminars, And many others in JKD, Kali, BJJ, Bando, Muay Thai,Kyusho Jitsu, I spent a lot of time training. More than teaching. I was a student never wanted to teach. But other ppl began to want to train with me. Wanted Kali, and JKD that I had learned. Then I’d do Karate on week nights and I’d often share those other arts with the adult students. And they all loved it. I guess I realized then I had a knack to teach. As time went I began a training group I called Indiana Martial Arts Academy (IMAA) it was a short lived name. It later shifted and changed to Kailat Kombatives bc most were all law enforcement, corrections officers, former military and working in security or some field where we were to keep our skills sharp for our jobs. Kailat was the name I chose. An acronym for (Ka / Karate / Kali - ilat / Silat) it also is a term that means “to close on your target” which is what our jobs had us to do. We had to close in and take down and subdue our offenders. Kailat was the perfect name. Kombatives was just that. We trained hard. We beat each other up, and we pressure tested everything. Empty hand, to knife and stick fighting. And we also went to the range and worked on tactical weapons training. This group grew from 2-4 ppl to eventually 15-25 ppl at its peak. We worked out at my back yard, in a park for years until we got a spot in the Hospital in the winter months to train indoors at the workout room. I worked security for BMH so I had access to this facility. As well as Jackson’s Karate dojo.

Teaching became more and more intertwined in my life at this time. Working full time. Trying to be a father and a husband and doing martial arts 4-5 days a week. I was really pressing the limits. But it was working. It ended up taking a toll on my marriage I didn’t realize it. Which ultimately resulted in our divorce. Although that happened I still kept going on teaching and training. Now mind you again I still didn’t want to teach!’ Lol. Then one day Jay come to me asked me to take over his school at the YmCA karate program bc of his job commitment and he couldn’t really be present as often as he wanted and asked me to teach for him and wanted me to take it over. Of course I said yes. At that moment I became a teacher which was what I never thought I’d do. I turned the school into a productive program. Kids Karate with over 30 kids and we started competing in tournaments which Jay never had the desire to do. I felt it was important for them. We would have students from Carl Jackson’s karate and Whites Karate come to my classes and on off nights we would go there. It give the students the opportunity to train 4-5 nights a week. Many took advantage of it. My adult class advanced class grew. We fought like the old days. They would glove up and go hard. And then the kickboxing and MMA class started. We had several students who began fighting in KB and MMA my son was one of them. These guys were not playing around. We brought in UFC local to Muncie veterans. Hector Urbina, Carvin Maffatau, And other amateur fighters. Ppl came to train and spar with us all the time. This was a great era for Muncie IN and myself bc. I just loved training and sharing. Everything was going good. Until 2012 I was in a serious auto accident that changed the course of everything for me. It took me 2.5 years to be able to rehabilitate myself to walk and be able to move again. Thankfully I was blessed to have great ppl who kept what I had started going without me. I would often show up on crutches to sit on sidelines and coach. But for a few years I couldn’t do anything. Here it is 2026 and I still have complications from that injury and I can’t perform like I used to. I lose my balance, can’t walk barefoot without a limp, major leg swelling. Blood clots in my legs. Can’t Kick like I used to. Every day I hurt constantly. Anyway in a nutshell I often feel like giving it all up now days. I’m 53yrs old. Been doing martial arts since I was 13-14yrs old. Age and injury has taken its toll on my body. But if I can still teach I will share my experience and knowledge as long as I can. But I still don’t want to be a teacher. lol 😂. I guess I don’t have a choice as it’s just been what I’ve done for 25+ years now. Teaching just happened. I never sought it out or considered myself as one. But I’m blessed and have had some great experiences and students since I began this journey. I’ve watched kids I taught from 6,7,8yrs old who are now grown adults with family of their own. Many of them and their parents are still training Kali with me in my monthly groups. This is a journey I never expected or tried for. But I’m grateful it landed in my lap . Some photos I have of over the years. But one thing about me is I never took many pictures most were photos others took and I ended up with. I hated being in photos. lol