Week Four May 2012 at Shinobi Martial Arts

Little Ninjas are reviewing and testing. It’s stripe week!

Level One To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Youth and Adults are looking ahead to fire movements and adults will be working with the hanbo (three foot staff) while youth work on shuriken (throwing stars).

Level Two To-Shin Do Ninjutsu adults will be working on tanto knife and hanbo cane self defense while the youth will work on kenjutsu sword self defense.

Level Three To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Adults will be working on tanto knife and hanbo cane self defense while the youth will work on kenjutsu sword self defense.

Black Belt Club is working on instructor training all this month.

Classical Ninjutsu will continue its study of the Kihon Happo and its fighting principles.

• Check out the new posts on the Shinobi Blog Network!

You might as well add muscle to that title too. When people train in our art they are supposed to be working together with their partner to discover the principle hidden within the katas. Suppose to…

Unfortunately the weaker side of human nature can often creep in and get in the way. When people don’t really understand the technique and its not working well for them they often will move faster or use muscle so they can “win”. It is ego, plain and simple, that causes this.

I’m not saying they are egotistical, I’m saying that our egos have been trained to want to be right. We crave the sensation of doing things right and being praised for them.

But not being right isn’t wrong when you are training. Real training is an experiment where you searching for the cause and effect principle hidden within the kata. Making mistakes and then working through them toward the desired outcome is actually one of the best ways to learn.

Speed and use of muscle cover up your mistakes, halting the learning process just so you can feel better about yourself in the moment. Slow down, let go of your need to be right and you will really learn and feel good about yourself all the time.

Week Three May 2012 at Shinobi Martial Arts

Little Ninjas are working on an earth escape against a leg grab from the ground.

Level One To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Youth and Adults are working on an Earth Level martial arts ground defense while on their hands and knees and testing on this month’s techniques.

Level Two To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Blue Belts and Red Belts Youth and Adults are reviewing Earth level martial arts techniques and testing on this month’s Water Level martial arts techniques. (Bring your pads!)

Level Three To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Green and Brown Belts Youth and Adults are Reviewing Earth, Water and Fire Level martial arts techniques and testing on this month’s Wind and Void Level martial arts techniques. (Bring your pads!)

Black Belt Club is working on basic instructor training all this month.

Classical Ninjutsu will continue its study of the Kihon Happo and its fighting principles.

• Check out the new posts on the Shinobi Blog Network!

Sometimes it is very difficult to explain what we teach to people who either know nothing or very little about martial arts. To-Shin Do is a self defense system based on the principles of ninjutsu, designed specifically to meet our society’s needs at this time. That’s great but…

If we say To-Shin Do, they say Tae Kwon Do, we say no, they say they don’t know.

If we say Ninjutsu, they say jujutsu like MMA, we say no way, they say okay.

(Whoa, I gotta stop watching those Dr. Seuss movies.)

Any way I’ve been thinking about this, because that’s what I do, and I think I have a simple answer. Three words that convey the essence of what we do so you can explain to your friends.

Ninja Self Defense

That’s it. And when they ask “Ninja?”, you say yeah real ninjas teaching real self defense.

Let me know how it works.

Week Two May 2012 at Shinobi Martial Arts

Little Ninjas are working on an earth defense against a leg kick or trip.

Level One To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Youth and Adults are looking at Tai-hodoki an Earth Level martial arts defense against a tackle and Te-hodoki 3, a cross-side wrist grab escape.

Level Two To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Blue Belts will be working on a Water Level martial arts defense against a rear arm twisting hammer lock and a Water Level martial arts defense against a jacket grab.

Level Two To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Red Belts will be working on a fire response to a kick and a fire response to an arm grab.

Level Three To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Green Belts will be working on a response to a choke on the ground and a response to a roundhouse kick or punch.

Level Three To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Brown Belts will be working on an around the waist tackle defense and a wrist fold from a mirror side grab (ta-ke ori).

Black Belt Club is working on instructor training all this month.

Classical Ninjutsu will continue its study of the Kihon Happo and its fighting principles.

• Check out the new posts on the Shinobi Blog Network!

Hey don’t forget that Mr. and Mrs. Hayes are going to be in Boston for a seminar soon. Here are the details and the link to sign up!

An-shu Stephen and An-shu Rumiko Hayes teach their 2012 Festival theme in New England at the Boston Martial Arts Center dojo. Friday night Ryu-Tai “riding the dragon” in health-restoration ninja yoga and a special meditation on holding focus in times of conflict and confrontation, and Saturday-Sunday unarmed and armed personal protection with advanced nagare intelligent effortless dragon flow emphasis. To register, contact Boston Martial Arts.

CLICK HERE to sign up!!!

Week One May 2012 at Shinobi Martial Arts

Little Ninjas are working on Kihon (basics) this week doing their Elemental Movements Drills.

Level One To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Youth and Adults are looking at Yoku-to an Earth Level martial arts defense against a straight punch and Te-hodoki 2, a rear arm grab escape.

Level Two To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Blue Belts will be working on a Water Level martial arts outward rolling low defense against a kick or low punch and a Water Level martial arts defense against an around the waist bear-hug from behind.

Level Two To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Red Belts will be working on a fire response to a hook punch and a ground defense against a standing attacker.

Level Three To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Green Belts will be working on a wind response to a shove and a wind response to a hand grab.

Level Three To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Brown Belts will be working on a sankaku-jime and defense against a choke from behind.

Black Belt Club is working on instructor training all this month.

Classical Ninjutsu will continue its study of the Kihon Happo and its fighting principles.

• Check out the new posts on the Shinobi Blog Network!

Our art is so vast it difficult to be an expert at all of it. We train on as much as we can but there is just too much to master it all. Which is why buyu (martial friends) are so important to our training, they can be our teachers for things we have not yet mastered.

Last year at Ninja Festival in Ohio I had the gratifying experience of watching one of my students become my teacher. There were a number of long distance students commenting on the forum about the use of the kyoketsu shoge (blade, rope and weight weapon) prior to festival. They had questions about its use and were asking if any of the senior practitioners could give them some tips at festival.

My good friend and senior student Derek Thompson had learned from me the basic concepts of the kyoketsu shoge many years before, including the neat trick of tying someone up from across the room with it but he has done much more training since.

At festival he got to work with the long distance students during a late night break. As I watched him explain he went through things I had shown him, then things I had discovered training on my own and then he went off into things I had never seen before. It was great. I was having fun learning from my student.

We all have specific skills and all of us have put in time training in specific areas. Train to know as much as you can but keep your mind open to the knowledge and help of your martial friends. Working together we can learn more.

Week Four April 2012 at Shinobi Martial Arts

Little Ninjas are reviewing and testing. It’s stripe week!

Level One To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Youth and Adults are looking ahead to water movements and adults will be working with the hanbo (three foot staff) while the youth will work with shuriken (throwing stars).

Level Two To-Shin Do Ninjutsu adults will be working on tanto knife and hanbo cane self defense while the youth will work on kenjutsu sword self defense.

Level Three To-Shin Do Ninjutsu Adults will be working on tanto knife and hanbo cane self defense while the youth will work on kenjutsu sword self defense.

Black Belt Club is working on Hanbo, cane and short baton use and avoidance all this month.

Classical Ninjutsu will continue its study of the Kihon Happo and its fighting principles.

• Check out the new posts on the Shinobi Blog Network!