K I H O N
Newsletter #12
December 2000
________________________________________________
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. Submissions are welcome.
**** CONTENTS ****
1. Taijutsu Tips: Tips to enhance your training.
2. Kata Ideas: Form variations worth trying.
3. Taijutsu Tales: Stories and lessons from life.
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.
*** Taijutsu Tips *****
New Student In The Dojo
Fred F. Feddeck, BNYD
So you have been training at the dojo for a little
while, and a new student, much like yourself a
while back, joins the dojo. What are your
responsibilities with regard to this new student?
Remember that in order for the dojo to run
smoothly and for training to continue, a set of
protocols and guidelines, established for smooth
training and dojo operation, must be followed. How
did you learn the "rules" of the dojo? A senior
student training at the dojo introduced them to
you. So, in turn, a new student must learn these
things by you introducing them to him or her. Also
remember that the things you may take for granted,
that have just become habit now that you have been
training for a little while, may not be intuitive
to someone new. (Some examples are tying your
belt, putting the mats out, washing the mats down
after class, opening/closing windows, where to put
training weapons for class, when and where to bow,
etc.)
By introducing these things to a new student, you
are not only helping them out, but you are also
helping the dojo to run more smoothly, so more
training can be had by all.
*** Kata Ideas *****
Cut Cut Cut II
Don Houle, Bujinkan Middlesex Shibu
Last time, I began discussing the sword-cutting
motion we use in the Bujinkan. Now I will try my
best to describe, in detail, the basic cut: shomen
giri. The first important part of shomen giri is
the starting position - usually daijodan no kamae
(sword held overhead). Although I won't go into
the details of daijodan, I will say that good
kamae is like the sturdy foundation of a castle.
Without a strong foundation, the castle will sink
into the swamp upon which it is built. (Sorry for
the Monty Python reference.)
Begin with the body. With the sword raised above
one's head, the first movement towards the
opponent is made with the feet, followed by the
hips. Depending on the distance to the target, you
may need to take a step with the leading foot
(usually the left, if in daijodan), in order to
start the cutting motion. This will get your body
moving a bit, as well as close some distance with
the target. Immediately following the foot
movement, you must begin a forward movement with
the hips, since the legs and hips together are
what generate power for the cutting motion. As
your center of gravity shifts out over your
leading (left) leg, the rear (right) leg should
begin to straighten and the rear foot should move
forward in "walking" motion.
Be patient! During all footwork above, your arms
and sword should stay relatively motionless. If
one begins a cut with the hands, one ends up
"leaving the legs behind" and finishes with a weak
cut and an off-balance kamae. It is not until the
rear (right) foot overtakes the front (left) foot,
that one actually begins to move the arms and
sword.
Pulling and pushing the sword: with a typical grip
of right hand over left, the left hand is the
power-generating hand and the right hand serves to
guide the blade to the target. By first dropping
the left elbow towards the ground, we are actually
pulling the sword down, into the target for the
cut. The right arm follows, pushing the blade
towards the target. This push-pull leads to a very
quick motion. The feeling generated by this motion
should be similar to having the sword pulled
forwards and downwards by a string attached to the
tip. This is one of the keys to a good cutting
motion.
Now it all comes together. With both the rear
(right) leg moving forward, and the sword blade
coming to bear on the target, we have almost
complete our cutting motion. But, we have yet to
actually cut anything! As the heel of the right
foot touches the ground, the right arm should be
mostly straightening at the elbow, bringing the
blade in contact with the target. The left elbow
remains slightly bent. The left foot should be
flat on the ground, maybe sliding forward slightly
to "keep up" with the rest of the movement. As the
body weight begins to settle on the right foot,
the arms straighten a bit more, sliding the sword
blade along the target in a pushing motion. We
continue this motion by bending the front knee and
lowering the hips with the cut, driving the blade
through the target.
*** Taijutsu Tales *****
"Ninja Fashion"
Don Houle, Bujinkan Middlesex Shibu
I was chatting with a friend of mine several weeks
ago, thinking back on all the changes in what I
call "ninja fashion" over my years in training. I
hope some of you can relate to these changes.
During the mid-80's, when my interest in ninjutsu
began, it seemed that the popular training
garments were woodland camouflage fatigue pants,
with Bud Malmstrom's excellent canvas leggings
along with black tabi "boots". Not many folks wore
or even owned a gi at that time, so a cool
training-related t-shirt was a requirement. There
were many excellent shirt designs at that time.
One that stands out in my mind is the "Ninjutsu -
The Art of Winning" t-shirt, and particularly
prized was the "Ninja Beaver" t-shirt.
If one held any rank at the time, the belt,
possibly an appropriately colored martial arts
style "obi," or more likely, a military style web
belt of the correct color, was worn to hold up
your fatigues. If you were really hip, you might
be sporting a pair of black fatigues or black gi
pants and a camo shirt. There were many, many
variations on this theme, including adding a black
gi top to the ensemble. Then you had the folks who
wore every one of their Shadows of Iga Ninja
Festival commemorative patches on their gi tops.
This left little room for any gi to show through!
As time passed, more people began to train in
established dojo instead of far-flung training
groups, and one was more likely to have purchased
the black martial arts gi that we have become
accustomed to today. Even though today's training
apparel has become much more standardized, there
are still some interesting points. In the early
90s, some folks' old gi had become so faded from
training and washing that they were more gray than
black. I know that I used to look up to these
people as mentors, since they must have been
training a lot in order to get these cool faded
colors! I soon found that when I began to wear a
gi on a regular basis, it was pretty easy to get
that faded look with only a little washing - and
maybe some bleach!
*** Shidoshi Insights *****
Kotsu - Knack, Bone, Body, or Essence
Joe Maurantonio, shidoshi (BNYD)
Early in our martial arts careers, we are taught
new skills and forms without first learning their
application. We learn how to move correctly,
execute strikes, and apply locks, without focusing
on the reasons why we are doing these movements.
Our training is centered on the feeling and
practice of these lessons rather than their actual
combat purpose. Here we learn the kotsu (essence)
of basic movement.
In many students, the principal hindrance to
learning a new skill or form is the desire to
intellectualize its meaning and purpose. Through
dedicated practice and training, we can learn the
lessons our teachers are offering. This process of
learning and refining one's movements will allow
an intuitive knowledge of the form's kotsu
(essence). Then, as a student develops in skill,
the teacher advances their training through the
sharing of various applications and strategies.
*** Budo Quotes *****
Ninpo began as training to become a moral people
and to learn to endure in whatever social
condition one is in; to know and accept one's
fate, and to live for human beings and all other
creatures. The person who masters all of these
is a ninja.
By Masaaki Hatsumi
[Ninpo: Wisdom for Life, Page 50]
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
* Bujinkan New York Dojo Workshop
Koppojutsu / Kenjutsu
Saturday December 16, 2000
7:00 - 8:45 pm ($10)
Bronxville, New York
* New NYU Ninjutsu Club
FREE Taijutsu Class
Friday Dec. 8th, 6:30 PM
New York University Campus
*** 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
Houston Gymnastics Academy
5756 So. Rice Blvd.
Houston, TX
Bujinkan Middlesex Shibu
300A Carlton Ave
Piscataway, NJ 08854
*** Shoshin Comments *****
Light And Opportunity
Lauren Brandstein, editor
In the past few weeks, I've worked through a sea
of bureaucratic nonsense, development workshops,
and paperwork to found the NYU Ninjutsu Club. Our
first big event, a "Demonstration and Recruitment
Event," was received with an amazing amount of
enthusiasm. Over thirty people attended, and the
event went extremely well, thanks mostly to Fred
Feddeck, my friend and sempai, who came downtown
to teach as a guest instructor. Many people
approached me afterwards to say how impressed they
were with his teaching, and most of them, being
unaware of half of what he was doing, probably
weren't nearly as impressed as I was.
It's been a challenge getting this thing started,
and without the support of my teacher, Joe, as
well as Fred and Glenn, and people like Garrett
who also came down to help out and act as demo-
uke, things would have been a lot more difficult.
It feels great to think that a lot more good
people, who have a sincere interest in training
and a genuine desire to learn and improve
themselves, might now be able to benefit from the
wisdom and guidance of these amazing people, as I
have.
Also in the past few weeks, I've started thinking
about something in my own training, which is
related to all the new people I've encountered,
both in the dojo and in starting this club. It's
about trading insights, learning from everyone,
from every source available. If you take the
approach that everyone and everything has
something to teach you, you will always be
learning. Every person you meet is worth
acknowledging, worth respecting, because everyone
can offer a new perspective and an opportunity to
think in a different way, even about something
familiar, something you might think you already
know.
I believe that thinking this way promotes the
"shoshin" mindset and being a student as a
lifelong pursuit. I think it can also make you a
gentler person, since you learn to appreciate
everyone for whoever they are, whether they offer
some insight into something you've been struggling
with yourself, because they are in a similar
place, or they are very different from you and can
offer something completely new. Some of the
questions I've been asked by people lately about
training, so basic, so obvious, have really
stumped me, and ended up leading to nuances I
never would have encountered with my previous,
unchallenged complacency. I've also renewed a
practice that has served me well in the past:
trading assignments. For example, you can ask a
friend to "assign" you a book to read, something
that has been important to them and that they
think you can learn from, and you assign one in
return. This type of constant searching and
openness to new insights can keep the idea of
change and growth fresh in the mind all the time,
so the world seems newer and more compelling, more
full of light and opportunity every day.
_______________ 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 **
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/newsletter/
___________________________________________
KIHON Newsletter and all contents
Copyright (c) 2000 by Joe Maurantonio
___________________________________________
|
