The short name of the system of martial art you will be studying here is shindo. Shindo is a combination of two Japanese words, shin (pronounced "sheen"), meaning Reality, or Truth, and Do (pronounced "dow"), meaning path or way. This is the same "Do" that you hear in the names of systems already more familiar in the west, such as "Judo," and "Aikido." Thus, the name of our martial art, Shindo (properly pronounced "sheen-dow,"  but usually pronounced by westerners to rhyme with("window"), means the way of Reality, or Path of Truth. The particular style of Shindo taught at the academy is called the Tao-Zen Ryu. Ryu is a japanese word meaning "style," and Tao-Zen is the compound name of our particular system. Tao is simply the chinese version of the japanese word " Do," and has the same meaning. Zen is the Japanese name for an ancient philosophy that teaches simplicity, right action, and the value of a clear mind. Thus, the full name of our system of martial art , Tao-Zen Ryu Shindo, denotes a system and style of martial art that strives for clarity , simplicity, and living in a way that leads us ever closer to our own truths and realities.