Shinbudo
(Mixed Martial Arts System)
Provides REAL Fighting Skills

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Shinbudo is a modern system of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) designed to identify and integrate the most effective techniques and training systems available today!  

With a focus on REAL self-defense and self-development, and with a healthy balance between realism and safety, the Shinbudo class provides a friendly, safe and enjoyable format of comprehensive training for both men and women. 

The Shinbudo MMA program is taught and supervised by David Arnebeck, the Founder and Head Instructor of the Warrior’s Cove, who is also the student of World Champion, Rickson Gracie, and the Area Representative of the Rickson Gracie International Jiu-Jitsu Association! Rickson Gracie is widely considered to be the best no-holds-barred fighter in the world with an undefeated record of over 400 matches! He is also the undisputed World Jiu-Jitsu Champion. Rickson has repeatedly stated the need for cross-training.  The Shinbudo class has an emphasis on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu due to its proven effectiveness in realistic fighting situations.

Click Here For Gracie Jiu Jitsu Documentary

Shinbudo MMA System Provides
Reality Based Training

MMA Cross-Training has been repeatedly proven as superior to single-style based systems in realistic fighting situations.

REALISM is an important aspect of Shinbudo training, meaning that outdated or ineffective techniques are not taught. Only those techniques and training principles that have proven effective in realistic situations are included in the program. There are many "traditional" methods of training that are outdated, or have simply proven to be wrong!  However, many instructors continue to teach them to their students.  Following is a short list:

The Shinbudo System
Corrects the Following
Common Mistakes
of Martial Art Training!

• Kata & Hitting Air - If you are going to learn how to deal with a real attacker, you should practice against a real training partner, and also practice hitting full power against a heavy bag. Practicing numerous techniques against an "imaginary opponent" in the air is a waste of time and energy. We actually had a visiting "Black belt" from another school that could not kick a heavy bag without injuring his foot! This "black belt" later indicated that they never practiced hitting a target! Unbelievable! 
    
  Traditional form, kata, and hyung training (practicing a memorized sequence of moves in the air over and over) is also useless for realistic self-defense training.
    

• Contorted Stances - In a real fight, your stance must be relaxed and in balance, and allow for quick fluid movements. Many martial arts schools continue to teach weird, contorted, stiff and cross legged stances that do not make any sense. Just take one look in the martial arts section of the phone book and you will see plenty of these! You never see any of these positions used by the top fighters in mixed martial arts and no holds barred events because they would get knocked out if they did so!
    

• Fist on Hip Syndrome - "Keep your hands up!" Anyone with even the most basic understanding of REAL self-defense training understands that you MUST practice blocking and striking with your hands up near chin or at least chest level! However, nearly all Karate and Tae Kwon Do schools, along with many other styles too numerous to mention, continue to practice placing their fist way down near the side of their hip. This leaves their ribs, diaphragm, neck and head open for strikes. It also takes much longer for their strikes to reach their opponent, because their hand is further away. Once again, take a look at the martial arts section of the phone book to see this for yourself!
     

• The Terminology Trap - Te Chiao Hern Tu means Iron Bridge Across a Stream. It is an upward block with the wrist. Will that information help you in a self-defense situation? Of course not. However, many schools continue to force their students to learn all of the movements in a foreign language! This is a waste of time and energy. 
   

• No Shoes - Outside of your home, do you usually wear shoes or do you usually go barefoot? Most of the time we wear shoes. Therefore, in our Shinbudo classes, we allow our students to wear athletic shoes during training, if they choose to do so.  Most martial art styles do not allow their students to train while wearing any type of shoes, even though they most likely will be wearing shoes if they ever have to defend themselves!
     

• No Free Sparring - Training to defend against REAL punches and kicks (striking) must involve FREE SPARRING! In other words, when you and your partner have been adequately prepared (through several months of preparatory training), at some point you will want to put on the padded gloves and boots (for your safety), get out on the training floor and have some fun trying to hit and counter hit each other! At first the sparring is VERY LIGHT so you are comfortable and safe, and later, as you become more proficient, the sparring moves from light to moderate contact levels, still very safe yet very educational. This training is very important because you don't know what your training partner will be throwing at you, including combinations and feints, so will be able to practice in a more realistic way. 
    
  Some martial art schools do not practice any free form striking, and those that do, usually limit the sparring with rules that make it totally unrealistic. For example, sport Tae Kwon Do overemphasizes kicks to the point that many of their students never learn to defend or attack well with their hands. In addition, many Karate and Tae Kwon Do schools practice sparring, but nearly all of them do not allow kicks to the legs, and the legs are the main target for kicks in REAL sparring and striking situations! Jump kicking and kicking to the head are also very risky techniques that should only be used by expert kickers in a self-defense situation.
     

• No Free Grappling - Training to defend against REAL grabbing attacks, throws, chokes, & joint locks (grappling) must involve FREE GRAPPLING! In other words, after several months of preparatory training, you will start with a safe form of grappling called wrestling, which is merely trying to gain a superior position on your training partner. After you become more proficient, you will apply and also defend against submissions such as joint locks and chokes, all applied in a safe manner. Free grappling will show you what is actually working for you and what is not, just like free sparring explained above. Very few schools practice grappling, and even fewer schools practice free grappling. Therefore, even though they may practice some grappling techniques, they will not have the necessary training to apply them effectively in a REAL grappling self-defense situation.
     

• No Instructor Leadership - Instructors should practice what they teach. In our Shinbudo classes, members have the opportunity to free spar and free grapple the instructors. Therefore, each member has the opportunity to experience and test how well the training works, and also see if the instructor can actually perform what he is teaching in a realistic manner! Many martial art instructors will never allow their students to free form strike or grapple them. They only demonstrate defenses for pre-selected attacks, so the instructor knows what will be coming at them, and the student is not allowed to counter with other techniques or combinations as the instructor "defends" against the pre-selected "attack".  This obviously is NOT real self-defense!
     

• Overemphasis on Weapons - Some styles focus on weapons training. However, how often do you carry a concealed martial art weapon? For most sane people, the answer is never. It seems the same is true for most criminals. FBI and Law enforcement statistics show year after year that over 80% of their combative encounters are hand to hand that do not involve any type of weapons. Most of the remaining encounters involve vehicles as the weapon. Less than 1% involve knives. Approximately 3% involve guns, which tend to render martial art weapons useless. So schools that are spending a lot of time on weapon training could be using their student's time better. Additionally, there are dozens of weapons such as swords, spears & three section staffs that you will never encounter on the street, so why practice them at all? Of course, at some point at a more advanced stage you may want to practice knife, gun and stick defenses, which we do in the Shinbudo training, but if you are still working on defending yourself from an unarmed attacker, why waste time on an armed attacker. Learn to defeat an unarmed attacker first!
    

• Overemphasis on Multiple Attackers - With the same logic as weapons training above, your training should focus on being able to defeat one unarmed attacker, before you start fantasizing about defeating two. Training against multiple attackers is a waste of time for beginning and intermediate students. Even for martial art masters, taking on multiple attackers is a very dangerous affair! Multiple attacker training is useful, when it is time. One of the latest arguments against ground grappling is how more than one attacker can defeat a defender engaged in ground fighting. This is simply another argument in favor of cross training. Beware of anyone claiming to be able to consistently defeat two attackers. It is easy to "defeat" students that are not really attacking, or to put on a martial art demonstration that is choreographed. Multiple opponent fighting should only be practiced after several years of reality based training. Instructors should not place their students in this type of training before that time.

Student Testimonials
on Reality Based Training
 

"As the Training Coordinator for the defensive tactics and use of force for our department, I've encountered dozens of styles and systems of defense. The simple truth is that in police work, as well as your typical bar fight, the altercation ends up on the ground about 70% of the time. These are FBI statistics that remain constant year after year. To survive and overcome a situation like this, you need training that focuses on simplicity, realism, and proven methods. This is the training you will get at the Warrior's Cove. The staff is respectful, helpful and eager to see you make progress. Their system of martial arts cross training is by far the most enlightened I've come across in my 11 years of law enforcement."

Deputy Kent Mueller - Shinbudo & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Student. 1st Degree Black Belt of Judo. Officer of the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department. Self-Defense Instructor for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department.

 

"I want to thank you for the skills I learned at the Warrior's Cove. In Mexico, my girlfriend and I were leaving a bar, and we were jumped by three men. I took the biggest guy down to the sidewalk and applied a choke. I then told him to call off his buddies. Without the training, I could have been seriously injured. Thanks."

Dr. Jason Webb - Shinbudo & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Student and Doctor of Chiropractic.

 

"Of course every martial arts school says that their methods are the most effective and realistic, and that their instructors are the most skilled and experienced (mostly because they're wearing a black belt). After having trained at various schools, I have no doubt that three months of Shinbudo training at the Warriors Cove is more valuable for self-defense than three years at any other martial arts school in Minnesota."

Paul Ehresmann - Shinbudo & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Student. Previous training includes Tae Kwon Do and United Martial Arts.

"I've studied at various martial art schools in the last 13 years. Many schools teach only punching and kicking, but no grappling. I saw a Black Belt from one of these schools in a bar fight. He was bear-hugged and thrown on the ground. It wasn't pretty. I did eventually find a school that taught grappling, but during sparring, I noticed the techniques weren't practical. Even the highest ranked members weren't able to perform the techniques if the opponent resisted slightly. One other school was very militant, and played mind games and showed no respect for the students. Therefore, I highly recommend the Warrior's Cove because it teaches punching and kicking, but only the stuff that works in real life. More importantly, it teaches what to do if the fight goes to the ground! All the senior students and instructors are patient and respectful. They have made me, and all the new students, feel welcome."

Joe Molinaro - Shinbudo & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Student. Former Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Aikijutsu, and Chung Moo Do (Oom Yung Do) practitioner.

"You have earned my respect and loyalty as a student. Congratulations for your success at the Arnold [Schwarzenegger] & Gracie Brothers World Championships!"

Matt House - Shinbudo & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Student.

"All the members I've trained with are very easy to work with and personable. I've never had an issue with anyone being too aggressive or indifferent or even less than friendly. The loose scheduling is also excellent. I have preset days but if the class isn't full I can switch up if my schedule needs to switch days. One on one detailed questions for the instructor during open gym is another nice perk. The fact that the tuition is locked in at sign up also makes the whole package very attractive!

From my experience, one is less likely to encounter confrontations requiring all out strikes than in cases where submission techniques could be used. I see a more practical use for submissions as taught in this style. Submissions diffuse a hostile situation, are a more efficient use of energy, and contain the confrontation better than striking in most public situations. The style [Gracie Jiu Jitsu] is built as a fully functional no holds bared fighting used by some US military forces which is proof of its effectiveness and is what caught my interest."

Mark Lessard - Shinbudo & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Student. Former training includes 6 years of Tae Kwon Do.

"I had lost my faith in martial arts due to my prior training. I was able to make it to blue belt in Tae Kwon Do simply by doing forms. It felt more like dance class than self defense. This all changed the day I pursued Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu."

I was able to locate a school called Warrior's Cove, and I was also excited to learn that the school was directly associated with the great Rickson Gracie whom I've seen on many a highlight reel. He is so good in fact that Royce Gracie actually claimed Rickson to be 10 times better than him. I figured it was meant to be and went in for some information.

I was greeted by a man named David Arnebeck. I could tell that he had a fighters build and an abundance of confidence. He made me feel at ease as we discussed my martial arts history and goals. I told him that I had taken 4 years of Tae Kwon Do but still felt as thought I was no good in a 'real' situation. I was good at forms but lacked the real sparring experience. He told me that many students at Warrior's Cove had joined because of the 'true to life' training. He said, 'kicking the air will do you no good.'  He said many things that I also heard from Bruce Lee's fighting philosophy. He had me convinced. I joined that week. I have now found what seems to be the most effective form of self defense and exercise.

My first day was a real eye opener. I didn't want to be like most beginners. I wanted to get right into free-sparring. This is where you wrestle other students to gain superior positions as they are taught in class. My first opponent was a towering gentleman by the name of Jan. (pronounced Yan) Being much taller than me, Jan had a considerable advantage not to mention he was also a gold belt. We started 'rolling' and he put me into his guard. To be in some ones guard means that you are trapped between their legs as they lay on their back. I had no choice but to give up. He then followed up by showing me ways to escape. This is what I love about this school. The other students aren't there to 'beat' you. They are there to learn and to teach others as well. Mr. Arnebeck goes out of his way to do the same. He is never hesitant to demonstrate the move with you in order to answer your questions. The teaching is great, the students and staff are very helpful and receptive, and the atmosphere is that of a dedicated practice.

I have come a long way since my first week and am now (11-15-04) a 3rd degree white belt on my way to my gold belt. I can't wait to have enough experience to make it to gold so that I am able to start the submission moves. I already feel so much stronger and well balanced. My asthma has also been tamed to the point where I'm barely using my inhaler. Thanks to Warrior's Cove I have a new found confidence in myself and the art and I know that I will actually 'earn' my way to new ranks. I'd rather be a white belt at Warrior's Cove than a higher rank anywhere else. Thank you..."

Michael Geronsin - Shinbudo & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Student. Previous Training Includes 4 Years of Tae Kwon Do.

 

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If you are interested in taking one or more classes at the Warrior's Cove, we suggest you visit during the class you are interested in. We have a seating area for visitors. You may stop by as many times as you like to watch classes. You may also participate in one free class in each program that we offer.  You will find both our instructors and the other members to be friendly, informative, and supportive.

If you have any questions that are not answered at this website, please call or email the office nearest you.

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