Central Ohio Bujinkan Dojo

Was a good day!

Sakizuke: The Ranks You Don’t Deserve! This morning, I was exchanging with my friend Leandro Barros from Brazil. We were discussing ranking in the Bujinkan. He had read an article on Sakizuke by Duncan and was wondering when he should g…

Alternate location today. If you are looking for us at Silver drive today, you will find an Aikido/movement class.

So, if you are a first time visitor or if you haven’t been in recently, please be sure to call before stopping by.

-Thank you

This....

Attempting to apply a technique against a person resisting the movement is incorrect. This first comment will be read in so many different ways. That’s fine. It’s important to read between the lines to get to the essence of following a correct developmental process.
Kata are not to be confused with actual fighting. If something presents itself, you have the vocabulary to attempt to deal with it but, if it doesn’t work ( which should almost be expected at times, especially when the opponent feels it being attempted ) you need to change. You definitely wouldn’t stand there and force the issue against someone resisting and therefore knowing what you’re trying to do. How stupid. You are not trying to score points, or prove how strong or skilled you are. You are trying to survive. An important concept to know is kyojutsu tenkan ho.
The practice of techniques give you more choices and opportunities when they arise in the moment and, in the right context. The kihon happou for example is a set of movements teaching deep principles of a variety of ways to disrupt the opponents structure. They are not forms to be used as practiced for a fight. People think they are, and therefore just practice harder and faster in the prescribed set forms. This is incorrect, and as a result, the person is being trapped by the form and budo they are trying to learn and eventually be free from. The reality is you are learning principles within the kata to utilize when dictated by the opponent. It’s not about completing the kata exactly. You are learning to set up the opponent, much like chess. First you study slowly to understand the movements and strategies associated with a variety of circumstances. As you improve, you start to address and feel things more intuitively. Finally, after many years of practice, you may be able to play speed chess. However, if you try to play fast/fight fast too early, you will most likely lose.
Fighting is a combination of striking and grappling with the possible inclusion of an array of weapons and multiple antagonists. It has many facets to address to become truly skilled in all areas. This takes a long time.
Unfortunately, there are some people that profess to be able to apply techniques on any resisting attacker. Let's think about that for a moment. Arnold Schwarzenegger takes you by your lapel. Off you go, apply ura gyaku. Let me know how you get on. They forget or have no understanding of the difference between training and fighting. They purposely resist every persons move in the dojo, even if the person is a woman and half their size. When I feel this from someone, I act as a mirror, and guess what, they can’t do it on me either. Lol. Good luck doing a wrist lock on me when I know you’re trying too. Everyone will fail. Nagato sensei has said to us, “ if you are training and they resist you, hit them!” Why would anyone in their right mind upon being grabbed strongly just try and take a wrist lock? That is not the right mind.
In the dojo, you are not fighting. Like Nagato Sensei says, “ in the Bujinkan we have an agreement between Uke and tori.” We are not fighting, we are training. When someone doesn’t get it and is an idiot, they get hit. I’ve knocked a guy out in honbu because he was an idiot. Nagato sensei saw it and asked me what happened. I told him. He said I had taken too long to do it and that he would have done it in 20 seconds. Lol. I don’t doubt that.
People say they can step out of people’s techniques. Yes. I’ve done that to all Japanese Shihan and could do that to anyone I train with if I wanted as well. But, I generally don’t because, I’m either the uke for teaching purposes or giving my partner a chance to learn. The reason is, is that we are not fighting but giving our training partner the opportunity to practice new movements. We give an attack and assist them by giving them time to discover the variety of new ideas and principle as demonstrated. If you resist the person straight away before they have had a chance to practice, understand, and become skilled at it, of course they will fail. It’s like quickly learning or being shown some scales and asked to perform a piece of music on stage in a matter of moments. How unrealistic is this. People who cannot see this are caught in a specific viewpoint of how to train. So, don’t be a di****ad in training, because one day, it will come back right at you. It’s only a matter of time. Nagato Sensei was once asked about “sparring” in a dojo break. He smiled and said, “ just train or fight!”
The fact is, there are loud mouths in the Bujinkan that will one day get it or, they won’t. It’s up to them. If they don’t, they will create their own little monologue and eventually disappear to do their own way (which of course they think is the right way and everyone else is wrong ).
Their history for the most part is short in the Bujinkan, and their comments and approach often expresses this immaturity. You can see their frustrations clearly in their rebuttals to posts like this, as they attempt to make themselves feel better. Maybe they feel scorned or hard done by in life? That's the first thing they need to address and work through in order to practice this art without a sense of animosity toward others who don't fit their mould etc. Its unfortunate really, because everyone has something to offer. No-one has it all. We are all just training the best we know how, based on our experiences.
Everyone has differing skills and experiences. We can all learn from each other without having to be antagonistic in approach. It's not the best way to move forward, especially if we are all trying to support and pass on Soke's budo for the future generations around the world. Maybe it’s because they are only thinking of themselves?
It’s important to discern who is following the path correctly by observing their attitude, technical skill, knowledge, experience and heart.
If they act like a thug in a black suit and move as a neanderthal with the language to match, it’s not hard to make a decision in my eyes.
南虎

Great class tonight on structure and shields.

Protect Your Holes! What I like when training with Nagato sensei, is that he often has his way to convey his ideas. Today was no different when he said “protect your holes!” and laughed. What he meant was …

There will be no class tomorrow (Saturday 11/11/2017). The Aikido group is having a seminar with Larry Bieri. Study/practice on your own. We will re-group Wednesday.

Gone to Indy for the weekend.
Bujinkan Indy Dojo.
Shihan Robert Johnson workshop