K I H O N
Newsletter #21
November/December 2001 ISSN# 1534-1437
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An email newsletter focusing on Ninjutsu/Budo
Taijutsu training. Published by www.KIHON.com
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**** CONTENTS ****
>> Letter From The Publisher
>> Sempai Insights: Instructor Insights
>> Taijutsu Tales: Life Lessons
>> Budo Quotes: Martial Arts Quotes
>> Keiko Events: Upcoming Events
>> Shoshin Comments: Comments
**** LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER ****
Joe Maurantonio, shidoshi
We at the KIHON Newsletter and at the Bujinkan New
York Dojo would like to recognize all those who have
given assistance to the September 11th, 2001 charity
and volunteer organizations. In remembrance, we bow
our heads for the fallen friends and families of all
our neighbors; raise our eyes to the displays of
unity and support shown through the flying of our
flag. Though the danger is not past, we have never
been prouder to be Americans.
Furthermore, we would like to take this opportunity
to thank each and every one of our readers for your
well wishes and encouraging words during this past
year.
Finally, I would like to remind martial artists the
world over that as individuals on the warrior path
it is one of our responsibilities to protect the
freedom and liberty of our families and homes. In
this, I believe we are all united. For my colleges,
students, family and friends, let me wish you all
a happy holday season and a safe, joyous New Year.
*** Sempai Insights *****
Don't Overlook the Obvious
Glenn Catania, BNYD
As our training progresses through the years,
there is a problem that tends to come up. Advanced
students as well as beginners can get stuck. The
punch comes in and you parry it, and then you
stand there and do nothing. 'What should I do
next?' We think, 'maybe I can perform a double
somersault twist with a take down.' But that is a
lot to get done. What if everything is not set up
right? Where do you go from there? Basics. When
things get crazy, the easiest thing to do is go
back to basics. Why get involved with some
complicated move when omote gyaku is right in
front of you? Apply the gyaku that is easy and
familiar.
We practice the kihon over and over, not because
we have nothing else, but just the opposite. Kihon
is the well from which all else springs. It's the
inspiration that looks back at you in the mirror.
Enjoy applying the locks and strikes. Make the
most of them. I have been in classes with my
teacher where he has spent forty-five minutes on
omote gyaku alone, and it never looked the same
twice. Yes, in the most fundamental way, it felt
the same, yet it was applied differently or moved
the opponent's body in a new direction every time.
The basics are where a lot of creativity comes
from. When you begin to feel a bit comfortable
with them, new, yet somehow familiar ideas just
start to happen. Remember the first Indiana Jones
movie where Harrison Ford's opponent got very
fancy, spinning and flashing swords? Indie just
acted without much thought and took care of the
situation in the simplest way possible. I'm not
saying use a gun, just keep it simple. Don't
overlook the obvious.
*** Taijutsu Tales *****
Tai Kai 2001
Bill Lami, BNYD
My first Tai Kai will forever be etched in my mind
as one of the most unforgettable events of my
life. I would encourage any other new students to
try to attend at least one day at a Tai Kai. The
reason for this, as Shidoshi Ed Martin put so
well, is that you will be drinking from "the first
bowl of soup," meaning that you will be receiving
a firsthand account of our art, directly from the
Grandmaster himself. You will hopefully come out
with a greater understanding of what ninpo is all
about. On another level, just ask yourself how
many people in this lifetime can say that they
have trained in a one-thousand-year-old combat
proven art with one who has been handed down the
tradition throughout a millennium of generations.
As a 9th kyu, I found it very difficult to
replicate Hatsumi Sensei's moves. They were very
subtle and difficult to see, not to mention the
distraction of my nervousness and awe when
watching Sensei. Despite this, Hatsumi Sensei
emphasized that the feeling of the movement was
more important than memorizing techniques, and
then stated very clearly that forms can and will
break, but it is the feeling that lives on. We
were also given the opportunity to ask the judan
any questions that we might have. It was then that
I received an important clue about what our
training and development in this art is like. I
learned that we begin by building up the forms, to
allow our bodies and minds to understand the
principles of the kihon. After a certain point,
however, we begin to break down those very forms
as we inherit the true nature or feeling of the
techniques, shedding the old skin of the physical
and entering into the realm of feeling and the
abstract. Though I do not yet fully understand
this, it has given me something that will guide me
through the quest we call training.
*** Budo Quotes *****
If you are living with your mind focused on a
daily routine, in spite of what you believe you
are being shaped into a mold and will become
rigid. Eventually you crumble with surprising
frailty.
By Masaaki Hatsumi
(Ninpo: Wisdom for Life, Page 89)
http://www.kihon.com/ninpo/
*** Keiko Events *****
* Bujinkan New York Dojo
27 Milburn Street
Bronxville, NY 10708
http://www.kihon.com/ny/
* Yonkers Public Library
1500 Central Park Ave
Yonkers, NY 10710
Tai Chi / Budo Demo
January 26, 2002
*** Shoshin Comments *****
Kill Your Ego II
Lauren Brandstein, editor
In the last issue I talked about the fear that can
arise when one is faced with the need to perform a
technique while people are watching, and the
source of that insidious whispering of fear, the
ego. Now I will talk about some things I have
thought about and things I have done to minimize
that unnecessary drain of energy and get more out
of training. To read the first part of this
article now, go to:
http://newsletter.kihon.com/kihon_newsletter_20.txt
To escape the voice of fear, we must kill the ego.
It can only be killed by that which it fears the
most, exposure to criticism. In these situations,
separate yourself from the voice of fear,
challenge yourself to face it and go beyond it, to
relax in spite of it and simply do what you need
to do. I often practiced being mindful of my
breathing and posture when I felt scrutinized. I
reminded myself that the watching eyes around me,
which I perceived as full of skepticism and
potential scorn, were more likely looks of
identification and sympathy in the case of my
peers, and caring criticism in my sempai and
sensei, who looked only for ways to help me
improve. I also told myself positive messages that
would counter and drown out the sound of the
jangling ego, assuring myself that I knew what I
was doing and could definitely do whatever was
asked. These methods are still helpful to me
whenever I feel nervous about my ability to handle
any situation.
It is important to cultivate a state of mindful
relaxation at all times, and to strengthen your
own core, the part of you which is quietly self-
contained, which cannot be moved or harmed by
anything, especially not something so
insubstantial as the gaze of another person. The
more one faces these situations, while being
mindful of the body and mind's reaction to the
ego, the easier it will be to ignore and dissipate
the fear, until the ego is weakened, and finally,
dead. Now that my ego is a bit weaker, I feel a
greater sense of calm and assurance in my
training, both in front of others and alone. Like
everything in training, this carries over to life
as well. I feel more often that whatever comes up,
I can handle it, and if I fail, I can handle that
too, and I'll do better the next time because of
it.
_______________ KIHON Newsletter ______________
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KIHON Newsletter and all contents
Copyright (c) 1999, 2001 by Joe Maurantonio
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