K I H O N
Newsletter #1
October 1999
________________________________________________
An email newsletter focusing on Ninjutsu/Budo
Taijutsu training. Published by www.KIHON.com
________________________________________________
***** MISSION STATEMENT *****
We at KIHON.com wish to provide a short newsletter bringing you
information about Bujinkan dojo and upcoming training events, as
well as some insights into training that we hope will help to
further your growth as a martial artist.
***** CONTENTS *****
1. Taijutsu Tips: Tips to enhance your training.
2. Kata Ideas: Form variations worth trying.
3. Ninja Reviews: Books, videos, and items of note.
4. Shidtshi Insights: Monthly questions and answers.
5. Budo Quotes: Budo quote of the month.
6. Keiko Events: Upcoming training events.
7. Dojo Locations: Location & contact on our dojo.
8. Shoshin Comments: Endnote.
*** Taijutsu Tips *****
Junan Taiso: Stretching Tips
By Fred Feddeck
Bujinkan New York Dojo
Stretching should be an important part of your daily training.
Being flexible, limber, and relaxed are key components in
building good taijutsu. I would like to share a stretching and
relaxation routine that was taught to me that you can then take
and use for yourself. I do this once a day and about 15 minutes
before a training session.
First I focus my awareness on all of the key joints such as my
knees, elbows, wrists, and hips, making sure these are nice and
limber. From there, I then focus on my shoulders and spine as I
try to remove all the tension from them. I finish with my torso
and legs.
While I am doing this "routine" I like to pace around the dojo
and use that time to clear my mind of all the daily distractions
that might interfere with the lessons I am about to be taught.
I also use this walking time to try and feel the motion of my
muscles and identify any places that might still be tight and
need additional stretching. Once I have finished this, I am
ready to go.
With this said, I would now like to offer some advice for your
own stretching routine. First look at the current state of your
body in terms of flexibility and relaxation. What areas are tight?
Do you have any injuries that stretching might help? Where does
your greatest flexibility lie? Once you have assessed this you
can begin to incorporate various stretches into building a
routine with methods for yourself and your body type. For more
stretching ideas, I recommend the book "Stretching" by Bob
Anderson. I hope this article has given you some good jumping
off points for improving your training.
*** Kata Ideas *****
Variations On The Sanshin No Kata
By Don Houle
Bujinkan Middlesex Shibu
Sanshin no kata (sometimes called gogyo no kata) is the starting
point for much of the taijutsu that is practiced in the Bujinkan.
These single-participant exercises are designed to allow the
student to learn and internalize the fundamental motions of our
art without the pressure of facing an incoming attack. As well as
representing five physical manifestations of movement, these
techniques also represent five intellectual and tactical responses
to an opponent's attack.
Since these exercises are typically performed alone, they are a
great way to train outside of the dojo. Practicing on our own,
we should focus on the fluidity with which the movements are
performed. Try to get low - begin in a low shoshin no kamae and
strive to keep the top of your head level all the way through.
Don't dip low and then rise up when changing your foot position.
If you find yourself bobbing, start in a slightly more elevated
kamae and work on getting lower.
Once you have gone through the set of kata, you may feel that you
want to do more. To keep these exercises from getting stale, you
may want to add in a weapon to spice things up. Try performing
the sanshin using a bokken [wooden training sword] or rokushakubo
[six foot staff]. As an example, here is a simple way to do KA no
kata with a katana:
* Begin from hidari shoshin no kamae (left leg forward),
holding the sword in the right hand
* As the imaginary attack comes in, receive with jodan uke
* Regrip the handle with the left hand and perform a cut
to the right side of the imaginary opponent's neck
(on your left)
* Take migi shoshin no kamae (right leg forward)
with the sword held in your right hand straight
out in front (ichi no kamae)
* As the imaginary attack comes in, move to the
inside and deflect it down with the side of
the blade (moving the blade in a clockwise direction)
* Perform a cut to the left side of the imaginary
opponent's neck (on your right)
* Return to hidari shoshin no kamae (left leg forward)
* Repeat.
This is but one of the many variations of these exercises.
Play around with these on your own to help you understand
the important concepts that the sanshin no kata embody.
*** Ninja Reviews *****
Beautiful Warrior: The Legend of The Nun's Kung Fu,
By Emily Arnold McCully
Reviewed By Lauren Brandstein
Bujinkan New York Dojo
Beautiful Warrior: The Legend of The Nun's King Fu, by Emily
Arnold McCully, is a fictionalized account of the origins of
Wu Mei and Wing Chun Kung Fu, written for children. It is a
deeply researched and well-told story, heavily illustrated with
artwork by McCully. A pronunciation guide is provided for the
handful of Chinese names that appear in the book.
The style of Beautiful Warrior is similar to a fairy tale.
McCully's writing is clear and easy to understand, bold and
distinctive. The story is told in a Grim-esque, linear fashion,
from the birth of Wu Mei to her mastery of Kung Fu, then to the
life of Mingyi Wang at the time that her path crosses that of
Wu Mei, which results in her training and the birth of the
Wing Chun style.
The illustrations are works of watercolor, tempera and pastel,
which imitate the look of ancient Chinese prints. The text is
set into the paintings in frames, and as much of the story is
contained in the pictures themselves as in the words. The art
is colorful and vital, conveying a powerful sense of life and
motion. It brings a subtlety and sophistication to the text that
the necessarily simple language of children's literature alone
could not accomplish. The artwork could almost serve as a
narrative text by itself.
This is a wonderful book for children of all ages. It contains
important values for martial arts and life, such as perseverance,
the triumph of subtlety over strength, and respect for tradition
and the wisdom one receives. A major underlying theme is
independence and the importance of following one's own path.
Rather than being presented in a moralizing paragraph at the
end which condescends to the reader, as is done in too many
children's books, these values are woven into the text like
jewels to be discovered by the reader. Overall I would recommend
this book to any child of budo, young or old.
*** Shidtshi Insights *****
Joe Maurantonio,Shidoshi
Bujinkan New York Dojo
Q: Are there any set techniques for the jutte or is it used
like/with regular taijutsu. Meaning if somebody punches at you
would you use it to strike the attacking elbow or wrist?
A: Hurnmph. "Regular taijutsu" would have to be defined... So, if
by "regular taijutsu" one means "relaxed, flowing motion, and
effective body dynamics using one's body or whatever tool is at
hand, to turn an attacker's force back upon itself," I would say,
"yes." But no restrictive list of kyusho. Hatsumi Sensei has
actually written a small bit about this weapon in his Japanese
book, "Hanbojutsu * Tessenjutsu * Juttejutsu". There are
approximately five Kata for jutte listed and I do not believe
there are currently any lists for the tessen.
*** Budo Quotes *****
According to the densho, yari, bo, and ken [sword]
techniques should be natural, flowing body movements.
These should be done without thinking about the technique.
From nothing [not thinking], something [an action] comes
forth, and the person who masters this idea is the one who
can comprehend the secret teachings. This understanding in
your heart is more important than the techniques. The mind
of "munen muso" [no thought, no mind] in the heart is the
real secret teaching rather than the technical skills.
By Masaaki Hatsumi
[Ninpo: Wisdom for Life, Page 14]
more info at: http://www.kihon.com/ninpo.html
*** Keiko Events *****
Bujinkan Kukishin Seminar
Mark O'Brien (Shidoshi) Instructing
Nov. 13 & 14, 1999
Bujinkan New York Dojo
Bujinkan Hombu Daikomyosai
Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 1, 1999
Tokyo Budokan
3-20-1 Ayase
Adachi-ku, Tokyo, 120-0005
*** Dojo Locations *****
Bujinden Hombu Dojo
Atago, Noda-shi
Chiba-ken, 278, Japan
Bujinkan New York Dojo
27 Milburn Street
Bronxville, NY 10708
(914) 337-3339
Bujinkan Bellaire Dojo
Houston Gymnastics Academy
5756 So. Rice Blvd.
Houston, TX
Bujinkan Middlesex Shibu
300A Carlton Ave
Piscataway, NJ 08854
*** Shoshin Comments *****
Some Thoughts On Beginning
By Lauren Brandstein, editor
October is one of my favorite months. To me, October *is* autumn.
It is an uncertain time of endings and beginnings, a season of
tremendous change. It is a time of death, the death of lazy days,
the death of summer. Now the wind has teeth and we must be wary.
We are more likely to become sick, muscles grow tight,
temperaments grow brittle.
It is also a time of birth, of beginnings. We go back to school,
back to work. Things take on a new intensity. It is time to become
serious again, to work harder at ourselves and our goals.
Nature is preparing to start anew, and such drastic beginnings
require drastic ends. We too must have drastic ends. We must
experience death to experience growth. Our old selves must die
so that the people we wish to be can be born.
Therefore I feel this is an appropriate time for the beginning of
the Kihon Newsletter. I am honored to have this part in its birth
and life. I wish good luck to everyone in all that you strive to
accomplish in the coming season.
____________________ KIHON Newsletter ____________________
** DISCLAIMER **
It is recommended that you seek out medical advice
before following any of the suggestions stated herein.
It is also suggested that you find a qualified instructor
to guide you in your martial arts training.
** IMPORTANT **
Please go to our website and check out what's happening
at www.KIHON.com It's worth a look!
** SUBSCRIBE / UNSUBSCRIBE **
http://www.KIHON.com/dojo/newsletter.html
_________________________________________________
KIHON Newsletter (c) 1999 by Joe Maurantonio
All Rights reserved
|
