K I H O N
Newsletter #10
September 2000
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An email newsletter focusing on Ninjutsu/Budo
Taijutsu training. Published by www.KIHON.com
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**** 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. Submissions are welcome.
**** CONTENTS ****
SPECIAL FEATURE:
A Visit to Soke Hatsumi's Noda Dojo,
by Stephanie Sears
1. Taijutsu Tips: Tips to enhance your training.
2. Kata Ideas: Form variations worth trying.
3. Ninja Reviews: Books, videos, items of note.
4. Shidoshi Insights: Shidoshi Q&A or article.
5. Budo Quotes: Budo quote of the month.
6. Keiko Events: Upcoming training events.
7. Dojo Locations: Contact info.
8. Shoshin Comments: Endnote.
*** SPECIAL FEATURE *****
A Visit to Soke Hatsumi's Noda Dojo
Stephanie Sears, Bujinkan member
My June trip to Japan was strongly marked by a day
visit to Soke Hatsumi's dojo in Noda, which took
us an hour and fifty minutes, with three train
changes from the center of Tokyo--in itself, a
trip reminiscent of an Arthurian quest. We were
lucky to join Soke Hatsumi's last session in Japan
before he went off for the summer to Tai Kai in
other countries. His class went from noon to 2 PM,
after which there was another session from 2 to
4:30 PM, taught by another senior instructor.
The modest Tokyo suburb has a hybrid and slightly
disorderly charm which is neither urban nor rural.
The winding alley along the train tracks with rows
of parked bicycles, the little houses sided by an
occasional, tiny vegetable garden, a small
hothouse or potting shed attended by senior
citizens, a disheveled field by the rail tracks,
all were pervaded by a quiet discretion which
seemed to me and my friend Tom an appropriate
place for the Grandmaster's dojo. Indeed, it
blends so well in this harmless neutrality that we
couldn't find it at first. We asked some of the
old folk puttering about and none seemed to know.
After some meandering, we found the medium-sized
building, and stepped into a fine-looking dojo,
covered with green matting. The walls of the small
entrance were decorated with some of Soke
Hatsumi's art. Most of the building space was
taken up by the training area, but there was also
an office by the main room. The furthest wall of
the dojo was covered with a very diverse
collection of weapons, including a small forest of
naginata, a type of weapon that I had seen only in
books before. Above was an impressive kamiza,
which bestowed on the dojo a formal atmosphere of
tradition and mysticism. And then, as one entered
the dojo, there was Masaaki Hatsumi, easily
recognizable from his photographs despite the fact
that he was surrounded by students who, to our
surprise, were mostly Westerners.
The class was already taking place as we came in.
No one asked us who we were. We changed and walked
onto the mat and sat in a corner under the kamiza.
All very simple and informal. However, there is no
doubt that Soke Hatsumi's presence is powerful and
that one does not (at least I didn't) feel like
being too casual in one's demeanor. One cannot
escape his observation, and I felt keenly that any
small and apparently insignificant gesture I might
make would reveal to him some far more significant
characteristic of mine. His demonstrations were
interspersed with brief but vivid remarks,
translated by an Australian black belt. The gist
of one of these was to always take an adversary
seriously and never give him an inch. Some of
these unadorned comments made me realize, even
more strongly than in New York where I train, the
seriousness of this art's potential to preserve
one's life and dispatch the adversary.
There was a difficult moment for me, when, having
barely arrived, I was certain that I was going to
have to demonstrate some kind of grappling
technique in front of Soke Hatsumi. He was going
round the room, systematically making each student
perform a technique of their choice. Luckily,
there were some forty to fifty students there and
he stopped five or six students before me--perhaps
charitably.
During a break in training, Soke Hatsumi sat on
the mat with ink and brush and began doing
calligraphy and drawing animals on sheets of paper
which he distributed freely and randomly to all
who wished to have one. We were able to introduce
ourselves to Soke Hatsumi and get photographs of
ourselves with him. The atmosphere was very
congenial.
After the break we were able to see a Fifth Dan
test. The student seemed literally electrified
when Soke Hatsumi's sword came down on him, and
rolled out of the way just in time. The perfect
timing could leave no doubt that he had well
passed his test.
*** Taijutsu Tips *****
Paying Attention to Your Intention
Glenn Catania, BNYD
Your opponent is standing across from you. You're
waiting in ichimonji no kamae, looking, watching
for any sign that it is coming. They start to
breathe; you see their foot begin to move. Here it
comes, the moment you have been waiting for. Hey,
why is his fist a whole foot from my face?
Doesn't that drive you crazy? It is like the scene
in the movie Major League when Wesley Snipes
steals 2nd base, but doesn't make it. The 2nd
baseman waves him on, "C'mon! C'mon, you're almost
there!" We have all been, at one time or another,
the puncher on the other side, punching a foot
from someone's face.
One of the most important points of training is
intention. It is very important to give your
opponent something to work with. Learning the
technique is more difficult if the uke is like a
reed bending in the wind. Yes this is important,
to be receptive and not defeat the technique, but
put some intention in your attacks. DON'T GO FAST,
but allow your partner to practice as if there was
a real attack.
On the other hand, don't muscle up; otherwise you
will just break faster. This is not the easiest
thing to do. If you work on your intention, your
taijutsu will get better, just as working on your
distancing and timing will make your taijutsu
better. These all work together. A very easy way
to practice your intention is feedback. Remember
the person attacking is practicing just as much as
the one applying the technique. Ask your opponent,
"Did the attack make you move?" If they answer
yes, you know you are improving your intention.
*** Kata Ideas *****
Kata Basics
Don Houle, Bujinkan Middlesex Shibu
Dont focus too much on kata. When we are taught
our first kata in Budo Taijutsu, we are tempted to
study nothing but kata from then on. The
temptation is due to the fact that kata are cool.
Isnt it exciting to practice a movement that is
similar to a movement that was used hundreds of
years ago? Picturing yourself fighting against an
armored opponent is a bit more thrilling than
imagining fighting some modern-day punk, right?
But kata should be used to polish your technique,
or to learn more about a particular ryuha
(school).
Know the basics. The important thing to remember
is that kata are made up of individual techniques,
usually basic techniques. If you have trouble with
the basic techniques, the kata is going to be
really tricky.
Kata are not set in stone. In my early days of
training (when the fact that there really were
kata in the Bujinkan at all was just becoming
known) I remember learning a couple of kata at the
Shadows of Iga Ninja Festival. I practiced these
and thought I knew them. Then, one of the Japanese
shihan came to the next Ninja Festival and taught
them completely differently from what I had
learned the previous year. Since then, I have seen
the same kata taught differently by nearly every
instructor. Sometimes the differences are big,
sometimes they are pretty miniscule, but there are
almost always changes. Cherish these
dissimilarities. They are what add life to our
art.
Pay attention to details. Kata are great for
learning small details of our art. Many senior
instructors have great insight into particular
kamae, movements, and strategies that only get
mentioned when practicing kata. Write these things
down in your training notebook, (you do have a
training notebook with you at all times, right?)
and go back to review them later. Some of the
greatest lessons are realized in a couple of
words.
*** Ninja Reviews *****
Living The Martial Way
By Forrest E. Morgan, Maj USAF
Reviewed By Lauren Brandstein, BNYD
Living The Martial Way is "A manual for the way a
modern warrior should think." The book is a step
by step, subject by subject guide to warriorship,
providing a complete and tactically specific guide
to making a warrior mindset part of your everyday
life and training. Every relevant subject, whether
mental, physical, or spiritual, is examined in
detail. It begins by exploring definitions of
"warrior" and "martial art" and presenting a brief
history and overview of the martial arts. Morgan
then proceeds through every facet of budo,
including how to find the right art and the right
teacher, how to establish good physical and mental
training practices, as well as discussing elements
of strategy, mysticism, honor, and discipline, to
provide just a few examples. Also included are
subtler terms such as mushin or kokoro, often
combined with true stories from the experiences of
the author or someone close to him.
The writing is clear and concise, if a bit
formulaic at times, beginning with the most
general overview and then breaking each subject
down into short, easily understood sections. One
gets the impression that the author has recently
read a guide to writing a "Guide To" book; yet the
very uniform and sectionalized quality of the
writing is one of its greatest strengths. It can
be easily read straight through, cover to cover,
or one can pick it up at any time, open to any
page, and get something very valuable out of a
single short section. Reviewing is also very
helpful and easy, since the sections are listed
very specifically in the table of contents, and
arranged according to subject. Every section
begins with a brief overview of what will be
explored, and ends with a summary of important
points.
Any practitioner of any martial art or warrior
tradition will find this book indispensable. It is
not specific to any one art, nor does it attempt
to persuade the reader as to the validity of any
particular set of doctrines. The book contains
several black and white pictures which the author
uses to illustrate his points, which are taken
from a huge variety of traditions, yet no specific
techniques are taught, nor is any method of
training held above any other. Rather, the book
leads the reader through an examination of his or
her own practices and beliefs, and then through
the process of establishing a stronger warrior
identity and daily practice. Every budoka should
own and use this book.
*** Shidoshi Insights *****
Kokyuho - Breathing Methods
Joe Maurantonio, shidoshi (BNYD)
In many martial arts, there is the belief that
forced control over one's breathing will increase
strength and power. In our dojo training, we
believe that breathing should be relaxed and
natural, following one's own body rhythm.
In several of his talks and written in his books,
Hatsumi Sensei has made it a point to emphasize
that in training we need to breathe deeply to the
abdomen, though we should not force this
procedure.
Breath training can be incorporated into class
lessons through stretching, striking, forms, or
meditation exercises. These lessons are taught
early on to new students. It is then recommended
that they do these exercises in and out of class.
*** Budo Quotes *****
To fight against an opponent is not the highest
achievement of the martial arts. Likewise,
those who have won many competitions are not
necessarily the greatest martial artists. A
sincere martial artist has to keep training, be
steadfast to changes that occur or the passage
of time, and live with an eagerness for budo as
his base.
By Masaaki Hatsumi
[Ninpo: Wisdom for Life, Page 42]
http://www.kihon.com/ninpo/
*** Keiko Events *****
* Mark O'Brien USA Seminars
http://www.kihon.com/mob.html
* Bujinkan New York Dojo Seminars
http://www.kihon.com/dojo/events.html
*** Dojo Locations *****
Bujinden Hombu Dojo
Atago, Noda-shi
Chiba-ken, 278, Japan
Bujinkan New York Dojo
27 Milburn Street
Bronxville, NY 10708
Bujinkan Bellaire Dojo
5756 So. Rice Blvd.
Houston, TX
Bujinkan Middlesex Shibu
300A Carlton Ave
Piscataway, NJ 08854
*** Shoshin Comments *****
Learn How You Learn
Lauren Brandstein, editor
Recently, I was talking with a mathematically bent
friend of mine about time and the cosmos and such,
and he decided to teach me about the fourth
dimension. In order to tell me what he was trying
to tell me, he ended up having to teach me about
forty minutes of calculus. At every turn I would
try to jump ahead of him by asking some question,
guessing at the direction he was taking and how we
would use whatever equation we were working on.
Usually I couldn't quite understand his answers
anyway, but they gave me some idea, and I felt
more comfortable with the material and motivated
to concentrate after he'd made some attempt to
confirm or refute my guess. Finally he said, "Why
do you always DO that?!? I will get to it in a few
minutes!" It took me a moment to figure out what
"that" was and then put together some kind of
defensive response.
This incident made me think about how I learn, and
what that may mean for my life as a student. I
realized that I always need to see some kind of
immediate goal up ahead, the next step to a
greater goal, and I need to feel like I know how
to get there. Whether or not I understand what it
is I will be doing when I get there makes no
difference. I wondered whether or not I should try
to change this about myself. Just realizing it and
recognizing when I act on it has changed my
perceptions quite a bit.
I have heard from my sensei many times that I
need to question less, to trust that he has my
best interests in mind when he tells something. I
have found that knowing when and why I tend to ask
questions that I don't necessarily need to voice
has allowed me to learn at a faster rate. I can
still have the questions, and even ask them in my
mind, but now, sometimes, I can prevent them from
interrupting the flow of what I'm trying to learn
and what my teacher is trying to teach.
The desire to see ahead in training, and all
learning, is common to many people, but our
behaviors in dealing with it differ greatly. It
has always been my nature to question everything
along the way. Others may silently listen to
everything told to them, yet accept and absorb
very little. Some people simply never even
recognize that they have questions at all, never
realizing why they get stuck at a particular point
in training, finding it difficult to advance.
There are a lot of different types of learners. I
think it is important to find out how you learn.
This may be as simple as asking yourself questions
like, "Do I find it easier to understand things
early in the day, or at night?" Or it could be as
complicated as keeping a journal of experiences
and studying yourself for months or years. Once
you discover a pattern in your thinking or
behavior, you may decide to change it, taking time
to settle on a means of achieving that and then
putting those methods into effect. It is also
possible that merely seeing yourself in a
different light will be enough to have a positive
effect on your life as a student. Either way,
every realization of your nature will take you
that much closer to achieve your goals for
yourself.
_______________ KIHON Newsletter ______________
** STATEMENT OF PURPOSE **
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.
** DISCLAIMER **
It is recommended that you seek out medical
advice before following any of these suggestions.
It is also suggested that you find a qualified
instructor to guide you in your martial arts
training.
** IMPORTANT **
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KIHON Newsletter and all contents
Copyright (c) 2000 by Joe Maurantonio
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