Being a good Uke is important to help the other person (Tori) learn, but there is much the Uke is supposed to learn also as the Uke, so if we aren't being a good Uke, then we are missing out on 50% of training.
Monday, November 2, 2015
Being a Good Uke. Japanese Martial Arts in Meridian, Idaho
I was planning on going over being a good Uke again and how to do this. Then I read this Blog post by Don Roley, great timing. For our those not familiar with the term, an Uke is the person receiving the technique. It comes from the root word, Ukeru which means to receive something. It shows up in a lot of training words: Uke, Ukemi, Ukenegashi, Ukulele, no...wait, that last one is a tiny guitar [ok, bad joke].
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Principles
"I do not teach techniques. I teach principles. There are many tenth dan who teach techniques. I teach 0." Soke Masaaki Hatsumi. Understand, Good, Play.
A technique is different from a principle and this is what so many martial arts teach: techniques. Techniques only work within the limited frame they were designed for. If an opponent attacks in a way you don't have a technique for, you will lose. And there is no way to train enough techniques to cover the myriad of ways an attacker may come at you. However, through training principles you are able to learn to adapt to situations as a natural result of your training.
Yes, there are techniques in the Bujinkan, but these are trained to know what the body should be able to physically do. The principles are what are so vital, you can adapt to any situation when training principles.
A technique is different from a principle and this is what so many martial arts teach: techniques. Techniques only work within the limited frame they were designed for. If an opponent attacks in a way you don't have a technique for, you will lose. And there is no way to train enough techniques to cover the myriad of ways an attacker may come at you. However, through training principles you are able to learn to adapt to situations as a natural result of your training.
Yes, there are techniques in the Bujinkan, but these are trained to know what the body should be able to physically do. The principles are what are so vital, you can adapt to any situation when training principles.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Mushin
The warrior needed to be superior to his enemy in every aspect; however, a preoccupation with winning becomes a self-applied pressure, which restricts freedom of movement,and the ability to make clear judgements.
Even though the Buddhist term "mushin" is often used in Kobudou, the objective was not to reach a state of Zen enlightenment per se.
The bottom line was survival.
- Budou,The martial ways of Japan ( Nippon Budokan )
See you in on the mat at Living-Warrior Dojo, your school for traditional Bujinkan Ninjutsu martial arts. Martial arts school and training for Meridian, Boise, Kuna, Star, Nampa and surrounding communities.
Even though the Buddhist term "mushin" is often used in Kobudou, the objective was not to reach a state of Zen enlightenment per se.
The bottom line was survival.
- Budou,The martial ways of Japan ( Nippon Budokan )
See you in on the mat at Living-Warrior Dojo, your school for traditional Bujinkan Ninjutsu martial arts. Martial arts school and training for Meridian, Boise, Kuna, Star, Nampa and surrounding communities.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Shoshin - Beginners Mind: San Shin Part 1
I want to write about Shoshin (初心), meaning beginner's mind, or spirit of a newborn. This is a very important concept and the word appears in many places in Bujinkan training. It is in the San Shin starting Kamae, Shoshin no Kamae, and the first level of San Shin, Shoshin Go Gata.
San Shin means three hearts form, and Shoshin is the first heart of San Shin. In this level we focus on the physical, solo movements of the five different Gata, or Kata. Now, Soke has also spoken about the true San Shin being Saino Kon Ki. This adds a new level of understanding, but I am not going to write on this here, this is a something that i will only speak on in class.
So, this is the focus for new students, the beginner's mind students. Focusing on the physical movements and learning them. Now, an important aspect of Shoshin is for martial artists to try and reach this again later in their training. You see, we start with white belts on to represent the Shoshin. You are starting at a point of an infant in the training. This is a good thing. Then you clutter your mind with all of the training, eventually attaining Shodan, or beginner's dan level. The first level of black belt. This represents all the training you have accomplished. Eventually black belts wear and fray and the white underneath shows through. Many budoka replace the belt with a new one at this point, while others keep the worn belt to let the white show through. Some belts in this state are more white than black. There are some high level instructors who actually wear a white belt.
Now, Soke speaks on the importance of letting the Zero Mind become our goal in training. We cannot simply go from white belt to zero mind, the years of training are vital, but eventually we strive to achieve the zero mind, to where we can let go and just move without needing to make anything in particular happen. This is far more advanced than it may sound.
So, essentially we are coming full circle, much like the Maru symbol shown here. The brush is coming around to meet the line where it began, and this symbol means zero. Maru (まる) can also mean correct or circle in addition to zero.
See you in on the mat at Living-Warrior Dojo, your school for traditional Bujinkan Ninjutsu martial arts. Martial arts school and training for Meridian, Boise, Kuna, Star, Nampa and surrounding communities.
San Shin means three hearts form, and Shoshin is the first heart of San Shin. In this level we focus on the physical, solo movements of the five different Gata, or Kata. Now, Soke has also spoken about the true San Shin being Saino Kon Ki. This adds a new level of understanding, but I am not going to write on this here, this is a something that i will only speak on in class.
So, this is the focus for new students, the beginner's mind students. Focusing on the physical movements and learning them. Now, an important aspect of Shoshin is for martial artists to try and reach this again later in their training. You see, we start with white belts on to represent the Shoshin. You are starting at a point of an infant in the training. This is a good thing. Then you clutter your mind with all of the training, eventually attaining Shodan, or beginner's dan level. The first level of black belt. This represents all the training you have accomplished. Eventually black belts wear and fray and the white underneath shows through. Many budoka replace the belt with a new one at this point, while others keep the worn belt to let the white show through. Some belts in this state are more white than black. There are some high level instructors who actually wear a white belt.
Now, Soke speaks on the importance of letting the Zero Mind become our goal in training. We cannot simply go from white belt to zero mind, the years of training are vital, but eventually we strive to achieve the zero mind, to where we can let go and just move without needing to make anything in particular happen. This is far more advanced than it may sound.
So, essentially we are coming full circle, much like the Maru symbol shown here. The brush is coming around to meet the line where it began, and this symbol means zero. Maru (まる) can also mean correct or circle in addition to zero.
See you in on the mat at Living-Warrior Dojo, your school for traditional Bujinkan Ninjutsu martial arts. Martial arts school and training for Meridian, Boise, Kuna, Star, Nampa and surrounding communities.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
New Dojo!
We have officially moved in to the new dojo. It is located at Riot Cheer, up the stairs inside the main gym area. The address is 200 N. Baltic Place #104, Meridian, ID 83642. Please use the contact form at the right to email the dojo and set up a time to meet with the Sensei (instructor).
See you in on the mat at Living-Warrior Dojo, your school for traditional Bujinkan Ninjutsu martial arts. Martial arts school and training for Meridian, Boise, Kuna, Star, Nampa and surrounding communities.
See you in on the mat at Living-Warrior Dojo, your school for traditional Bujinkan Ninjutsu martial arts. Martial arts school and training for Meridian, Boise, Kuna, Star, Nampa and surrounding communities.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
New Location!
This month the Dojo will be moving to a new location. This is a very exciting move and new training opportunities will arise. Check back soon for the new address and when the move will happen.
See you in on the mat at Living-Warrior Dojo, your school for traditional Bujinkan Ninjutsu martial arts. Martial arts school and training for Meridian, Boise, Kuna, Star, Nampa and surrounding communities.
See you in on the mat at Living-Warrior Dojo, your school for traditional Bujinkan Ninjutsu martial arts. Martial arts school and training for Meridian, Boise, Kuna, Star, Nampa and surrounding communities.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Ukemi is vitally important to our training, but often we overlook it while doing basics, like Kihon Happo. So here is a simple list of rolls to do in relation to the Kihon waza:
• Omote gyaku – yoko nagare
• Omote gyaku tsuki – kohō kaiten
• Ura graku – zenpō kaiten
• Musha dori – kohō kaiten
• Ganseki nage – zenpō kaiten
See you in on the mat at Living-Warrior Dojo, your school for traditional Bujinkan Ninjutsu martial arts. Martial arts school and training for Meridian, Boise, Kuna, Star, Nampa and surrounding communities.
• Omote gyaku – yoko nagare
• Omote gyaku tsuki – kohō kaiten
• Ura graku – zenpō kaiten
• Musha dori – kohō kaiten
• Ganseki nage – zenpō kaiten
See you in on the mat at Living-Warrior Dojo, your school for traditional Bujinkan Ninjutsu martial arts. Martial arts school and training for Meridian, Boise, Kuna, Star, Nampa and surrounding communities.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Damasare: Hidden in Plain Sight
An excellent article on Japanese Koryu (ancient martial arts traditions that existed before the Meiji era) and the way information is taught and sometimes kept hidden. This happens a lot in the Bujinkan and is why some people criticize our art, not understanding this happens in abundance and often what is criticized are the teachers who demonstrate techniques they themselves do not understand.
https://classicbudoka.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/84-damasare-hidden-in-plain-sight/
https://classicbudoka.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/84-damasare-hidden-in-plain-sight/
Monday, April 6, 2015
Change in Training Days/Time
As you may have noticed our training days and times have changed. We are now training Wednesday evenings from 7:30 - 9:30 pm and Saturday mornings from 8 - 10 am. I will be teaching kids classes classes at the Caldwell YMCA Tuesdays and Thursdays. See their website for details on classes. YMCA Martial Arts Programs Link
Kids and family martial arts classes offered in Caldwell at the YMCA. (See also (See also: karate, samurai, ninja, aikido, judo, self-defense)
Kids and family martial arts classes offered in Caldwell at the YMCA. (See also (See also: karate, samurai, ninja, aikido, judo, self-defense)
Hello!
So, it's been a long time since my last post. We are still around and training, I've just been neglecting the blog is all. This year we are focusing our training around Koto Ryu and the theme weapon of the year is the nagamaki. I will offer more insight on the blog about Koto Ryu, but for now let's talk a bit about the nagkamaki. This is a super cool weapon, basically a really long sword, kind of like a cross between a katana and a naginata. It has been fun exploring the use of this weapon, and I'm looking forward to exploring it more in depth throughout the year. Below are some pictures of nagamaki. There are actually several variants of the nagamaki, but the general idea is it has a very long handle and a long sword blade. This was a popular weapon with infantrymen on the battlefield during the feudal era of Japan.
See you in on the mat at Living-Warrior Dojo, your school for traditional Bujinkan Ninjutsu martial arts. Martial arts school and training for Meridian, Boise, Kuna, Star, Nampa and surrounding communities. (See also: karate, samurai, ninja, aikido, judo, self-defense)