Bujinkan Taka-Seigi Dojo San Diego

~Notes & Reminders

Bring your kodachi next Thursday!

~This Week’s Focus

Kukishinden Ryū Shoden Gata: Yanagi Ore.

~Student Quote of the Week

"I told my wife we were doing chokes for a second week now, and she said we're crazy!" – Joao

~Training Highlight of the Week

This week's highlight was watching a senior black belt, Tyger, coach a junior black belt, Terry, through the proper application of a choke. After many attempts and a great deal of patience, Terry was finally able to overcome that inner hesitation that kept him from fully committing to the technique.

This revealed an important lesson. Many of us hold back in training because we care about our partners and don't want to cause discomfort. While that compassion is important, we must also recognize that incomplete practice does not prepare us for real danger. If our goal is to become capable of protecting ourselves and those we care about, we must be willing to train honestly within the trust and safety of the dojo.

A training partner who trusts you to apply a technique correctly and stop when needed is giving you an invaluable gift: the opportunity to learn what the technique actually feels like and how it truly works. If we never practice properly, how can we know what we are capable of when it matters most?

There is an old truth in martial training: we do not rise to the occasion; we fall to the lowest level of our training. This week was a great reminder that trust, honesty, and commitment to our partners make us all stronger. Keep sweating, keep pushing each other, and keep growing together.

Gambatte!

Check out this preview of our Hanbo workshop!

Hanbo Workshop Preview June 27, 11 am - 1 pmRegister today: https://243160226.hs-sites-na2.com/intro-to-hanbo

Anyone else learning lessons and earning scars? (Doesn’t have to be dojo related)

~This Week’s Focus
Shinden Fudō Ryū Shoden Kata: Unjaku.

~Student Quote of the Week
"Wow, the intensity in your demeanor as you approach with a 3-foot razor blade… I can't even do the technique when you finally cut because I don't feel in control of myself." – Jacob

~Training Highlight of the Week
This week we explored a kodachi technique that, on the surface, appears deceptively simple: a parry flowing naturally into a cut. Anyone who has trained with the sword in nearly any tradition has likely seen or practiced something similar. But when the full kata was introduced, the true lesson revealed itself.

This kata demands a profound connection between the two combatants. It requires focus, timing, trust, emotional control, and confidence in both yourself and your training partner. The moment doubt, hesitation, or insecurity enters the exchange, the integrity of the technique begins to break down. That was the real lesson this week.

Watching everyone work through that struggle was fantastic. Everyone pushed hard, confronted the discomfort, and gave honest effort. But the deeper truth is that we still have much to work on, and that is exactly why this kata was chosen. Sometimes training must humble us, not to discourage us, but to reveal the many layers of skill that kata truly demand. Technique is never just movement; it is structure, mindset, connection, timing, and spirit working as one.

We move forward one step at a time. Gambatte!