Re: African and Caribbean Martial Arts List

This post mentioned several African, Caribbean, African American and African South American Martial Arts. It was quite informative. The author mentioned a Martial Art System named Yara without definition. I studied Yara for 9 years with the founder of the system Onisegun Milford Graves. Firstly, the word Yara is from one of sthe languages from Nigeria called Yoruba. The word means to be nimble and quick. Onisegun Milford Graves is a Modern Renaissance Man and one of the worlds deepest thinkers. He is a famous Avant Garde Free Jazz Percussionist Extraordinaire. He is an Herbalist, Acupuncturist, Vegan Culinary Scientist, Horticulturalist, Botanist, Professor of Tenure at Bennington College of Vermont, Medical Music Tonaligist, Master Builder, Powerful Martial Artist and Husband and Father of 5 children. Yara Mind Body Arts was conceived from his mind when some athletic friends in the community requested him to start to hold classes in his basement of his home. This was a laboratory for some sweat and guts, knock down drag out experiences that have been documented by him on video. He is an avid procurer of valuable historic data.

The 9 years that I trained with Onisegun Milford Graves I saw many practitioners bow in submission from all styles of Martial Arts. When he first went to Japan in 1977 some Japanese Martial Arts Masters took him to the beach to give him a ki test. They blindfolded him and from behind his back they punched at him on 10 different occasions to test his sensitivity to ki. He got a perfect score. The Japanese Masters acclaimed his abilities to be equal if not greater than O-Sensie Ueshiba. In 1993 I was priviliged to accompany him with a classmate while he was on tour. In the country town of Gugo Hachiman we put on a musical and martial demonstration in front of several Japanese towns people including the Mayor as well as many martial artist. They were curious and quite attentive to our performance. Onisegun Milford
Graves gave the audience his realistic approach to combat using African and African American dance movements that have combative applications. Though wiry he is very strong with full body power. By him being a Trap Drummer he has phenomenal coordination with his 4 appendages. He has mysterious power, which has been cultivated like the ancients in Kemet (Egypt). He practices the sciences like Imhotep or Zoser of old. He often says through study of Microbiology and watching viruses, bacteria and the like, he found Martial Techniques. He really thinks out the box.

Growing up in South Jamaica Queens and going to Boys High School in Brooklyn Onisegun Milford Graves had his share of fights in the Jitterbug era, before children started toting guns. The main difference in the Yara Closed Door Temple, which was a garage Onisegun Milford Graves converted into a Temple with International ambiance was that the majority of the teaching occured while you where battling on the floor and often it was with Onisegun Milford Graves. I fought enough seemingly for a life time and had sustained a few injuries myself and afflicted a few on others at certain times. There was one Energetic Form that was similar to Tai Chi and Chi Gong that everyone started with. We would also do anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes of calisthenics prior to Onisegun Milford Graves entrance into the class. Which shortly after his admittance we start banging. You would get the impression you were in an New York Stylized Shaolin Temple with contraptions and apparatus set up all over the small Temple space. He also had a heater that made the Temple quite arid in the Winter, you thought you was in an high altitude because you could hardly breathe cause the air in the Temple was so thin. Sometimes you were fighting for 1 hour with no breaks without mats. It was rough and tumble. It really helped build your endurance. It was like UFC way before UFC came out. This school was Male only because of the type on contact it was, very close and personal. It was not very welcoming for women. The 9 years that I was there only 2 women participated and one of them was my daughter. The other was a female musical protege of Onisegun Milford Graves and those classes lasted for a short period of time. My daughter was in a youth scholarship program which involved introductory classes in Math, Science, Acupuncture and Martial Arts. This course lasted a couple of months.

Yara had elusive kicking, punching, grappling and moving push hands, which was a combination of Sumo, Wrestling and Tai Chi Push Hands with a hip polyrhythm. The first time I attempted it I found it to be the most exhausting thing I ever had done in life. But after a few months it felt rather great. I pray that this post may help others to understand what Yara is. I know my expression in actuality is far from complete. If anyone has questions I will do my best to answer them. Thank you.

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