K I H O N
Newsletter #26
November 2002 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 ****
>> Shidoshi Wisdom: Three Essentials
>> Sempai Insights: Teacher Teaching
>> Taijutsu Tales: Distractions
>> Budo Quotes: Sword Care
>> Keiko Events: Training Sessions
>> Shoshin Comments: Where Aware
*** Shidoshi Wisdom ****
Three Essentials of Budo
Joe Maurantonio, Shidoshi (BNYD)
Years ago, I remember first learning about Hatsumi
Sensei's "three essentials of budo." It was a bit
of an eye opener to learn, not because they were
so deep in meaning or insight but rather because
Sensei so rarely listed items off in such a
straight forward manner.
The first essential was to know (mirror;
knowledge) yourself. Through this one would come
to understand one's own capabilities and
limitations. One accepts themselves as they are
and thus can develop limitless growth. Herein one
comes to be a balanced person.
The second essential was discrimination (sword;
courage) which when wielded properly leads to the
elimination of mistaken thought and action. Thus
eventually leading to act decisively and righteous
in all endevors.
Finally, the third essential is that of the
mastery of the heart (jewel; compassion). To do
what must be done, not attached to outcome but
with the sincerity of true devotion.
Applied together, the three essential elements of
knowledge, courage and compassion can be used to
polish and nurture our proficiency and
understanding of true budo.
**** Sempai Insights ****
Who's Teaching?
Glenn Catania, BNYD
This is a very important question you must ask
yourself. There is a problem throughout the
martial arts world. At a certain point in training
many students forget proper dojo etiquette. It
happens at all different levels of training, from
the first rank to the very high ranks. Ask
yourself is dojo etiquette important for everyone
but me? Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in
policing everyone else, that you yourself can
become improper. There are times when your teacher
may ask you to help pass along proper behavior in
your school. This means helping the new people
understand basic protocol of the dojo. This does
not mean becoming sergeant of arms. The school you
are in should become like a family. Brother and
sisters helping to keep the family together.
Different dojos have various levels of this
sentiment. The important thing is to understand
what your role is, and remind yourself to act
accordingly.
What is the most important thing your Sensei does
during every class? They teach and help pass along
the proper way to perform the lessons. It is very
important that your teacher is the person to do
this. The most dangerous time for a student in our
martial art is when they receive the first rank
(9th Kyu). It is a very happy time. The student
feels they are accepted and they have reached a
goal they have been striving for a long time. The
danger here (we have ALL felt this way) is that
you think you really know a lot and now you are
going to pass it along. It is a great honor to be
given a rank, but you are on the beginning of the
road to understanding and of being able to apply
your skills.
One week after a student received his 9th kyu
rank, he looked over at some fellow students
practicing and commented, "Popcorn". I didnt
understand. He said, "White and stiff." You see,
in one weeks time, after receiving his green belt
rank he was now a "superior" martial artist.
Remember this and please dont let it happen to you
no matter what level of training you are at. As
far as I know, this student no longer trains. It
is most important that you DO NOT teach, unless
your Sensei has asked you to. This goes for any
level. It is one thing to help a student by
saying, "If you twist my wrist a little more to
the right it will really take me down." This is
great feedback that we all want, interaction
between training partners. You should not stop
training and begin to explain what your take on
the current technique is. Don't teach- if someone
is having a problem call over the teacher. Please
remember to be a student and let the teacher
teach.
**** Taijutsu Tales ****
Distractions
Fred Feddeck, BNYD
The storm is already in full force as I get
dressed to go outside. Rain is driven by the wind
as thunder shakes the walls and lightning
illuminates the room with white flashes. It is the
afternoon, but the sky is so black that it has the
appearance of dusk. Psyched up, I open the door
and run outside into the maelstrom.
Standing in the field my clothes are quickly
drenched in the rain as my feet sink into the mud
mixed with rocks, sticks, and vegetation. I begin
by practicing kamae, shifting from posture to
posture. The mud tries to keep my feet in place
when I want to move them and slide them when I
want to remain still.
Working through the kihon happo, my senses are
taken from me. Water pours over my head and down
my face, taking my vision. Passing my eyes it
makes its way into my mouth and nose as my lungs
take in both air and water. It feels like I am
trying to breath underwater. The rain is now so
intensely pelting the landscape and my head that
all I can hear is the white noise.
As I move through jumonji no kata the distance
between the flash of the lightning and the report
of the thunder is diminishing so the center of the
storm is quickly approaching.
Lightning that shocks my eyes, quickly followed by
shockwaves from the thunder. Something primitive
down inside me screams for me to run and hide.
Despite the fury I continue practicing.
In that moment, my being and individuality is
overrun by the storm.
The dark clouds begin to break and the storm
passes as the rain stops. My senses returned, I
stand there taking the cold clean air into my
lungs. I take in the air and exhale it into the
cold seeing my breath.
When I practice at the dojo am I really
practicing?
When I practice on my own am I really practicing?
There are so many distractions when training and
they are often of our own making. We are our own
worst enemy. I may be practicing a technique, but
am I really practicing it if my mind is thinking
about other things? Thoughts of the day, self-
doubt in relation to ability, and even thoughts
about "doing" the technique are all distractions
to actually learning it. If the mind is already
occupied with other thoughts, how much more can it
really learn.
Once out in the storm my senses were quickly
overwhelmed and there was nothing for my mind to
think about. The only thing there was movement. My
body moving with what I was practicing without
thought of right, wrong, or judgment. Stepping out
into the middle of the storm was like walking into
an ambush. Quickly overwhelmed there was no time
to think- there was only time to act. In that
moment there was purity to my practice as it was
freed from the self imposed limitations of my
mind.
*** Budo Quotes *****
It was natural for a warrior to be rebuked
for not taking respectable care of his sword.
Likewise, human beings must be urged to
cultivate an attitude of polishing themselves
and achieve tempering from facing hardships.
By Masaaki Hatsumi
[Ninpo: Wisdom for Life, Pg 43]
http://www.kihon.com/ninpo/
*** Keiko Events *****
* New York Workshops and Events
http://www.kihon.com/dojo/events.html
* Bujinkan New York Dojo
http://www.kihon.com/dojo/ny.html
* Bujinkan Middlesex Shibu
http://www.kihon.com/dojo/nj.html
**** Shoshin Comments ****
Where Am I?
John Rizzo, BNYD
A few days ago, I was riding on a train headed
home. The seat I was sitting in jutted into the
aisle. It was a crowded train, and many people
were forced to stand. There was a man standing in
front of me who was very large in stature. He
stood with his feet perpendicular to the trains
movement. I could see it coming, and just waited.
When the engineer hit the brakes for our first
stop, the standing man fell backwards without hope
of righting himself. I put my hands out and
stopped him from crashing into me. The girl next
to me said something about how fast I reacted. It
wasnt a fast reaction, though, and it wasnt a
reflex. I had merely been ready for his losing his
balance. I knew it was coming. I was aware.
We train to hone our reflexes, so that our
responses to situations will hopefully prove to be
the correct reaction. Knowing your situation at
all times is a large part of this, and one of the
more difficult aspects of training. It takes an
acknowledgment that our classes do not end when we
leave the dojo, that in fact we should be training
and honing our skills every day.
Sometimes, instead of practice punching light
posts and rolling in gutters, you can work on
awareness. Ask yourself how many people are around
you? What are they doing? If the train stops
suddenly, is someone going to fall on you? Being
aware of your surroundings and situation is
probably the most important part of survival in a
combat situation. Having a heightened level of
awareness can likely keep you out of most
circumstances you would rather not be in.
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KIHON Newsletter and all contents
Copyright (c) 1999, 2002 by Joe Maurantonio
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