"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.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
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.