All Strength is Not the Same for the Warrior!

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Jon

As martial artists most of us tend to cringe and shy away from words like “strength” and “power” in favor of seemingly more budo-friendly fitness words like “agility”, “coordination”, or “balance”. Yet, often we do not understand the actual definitions of the words and simply avoid them because of some misplaced fear that they will be detrimental to our taijutsu and make us “muscle” through our techniques. Nothing could be further from the truth! Let’s examine some of the components that make up strength in more detail to understand just how much they are applicable to creating a strong physical and mental base from which to launch the rest of our Budo Taijutsu skills.

General physical conditioning is essential for the warrior to develop a broad-based platform of strength, endurance, agility, coordination, and flexibility from which to launch and further refine skills. But, what exactly is strength? Strength is defined as “the ability of a given muscle or group of muscles to exert force against resistance.” It is a function of the appropriate muscles contracted by effective nervous stimulation. This alone, however, is insufficient. There are also at least five different sub-categories of strength which we will break down to give you a more complete understanding of the term.

The first sub-category is Maximal Strength. This is the maximum amount of force that a person can voluntarily produce. Example exercises to cultivate Maximal Strength are: one arm pushups, one arm chin-ups, one legged squats, and heavy weight lifting. But what on earth does Maximal Strength have to do with Budo Taijutsu? Aren’t we training to only use as much force as necessary and appropriate to a specific movement or technique? Why would we need our maximal voluntary strength output when training for taijutsu fitness? These are all good questions. On the surface, it would seem like this sub-category of strength is a big “N/A” for us. What possible benefit could this particular strength quality have for budoka? To begin to appreciate the benefits of training maximal strength, we must first understand the different types of muscle fibers. Generally, when people speak about fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers, they tend to separate them out as two distinct types. This can be a little misleading due to the fact that muscle fibers are not either /or, but in actuality they appear to lie somewhere on a continuum between the two. Thus to emphatically state that one type or the other is predominate within certain groups of muscles can cause confusion. Because low intensity exercise, like jogging at a steady-state pace for example, does not activate the fast twitch (FT) muscle fibers, we must increase the intensity of the exercise to stimulate the motor units that contain the FT fibers. If the motor units are not stimulated, then no response occurs and no adaptation occurs. Fast twitch muscle fibers and slow twitch muscle fibers are both recruited in high percentages when performing maximal strength exercises. Maximal strength training creates potent neural adaptations which lead to increased intermuscular and intramuscular coordination. A side bonus for working on maximal strength with body weight exercises is that the majority of them that fall in this category also require balance, coordination, flexibility, and appropriate tension throughout the entire body. Examples include, but are by no means limited to, one arm push-ups, one-legged squats, one arm chin-ups/pull-ups, etc.

Does this mean that we should devote every training session to developing maximal strength? No – far from! As warriors, we must understand the different qualities that make up strength and learn how to apply them to optimize our fitness levels specific to our goals. Since our goals do not revolve around winning any Strongman competitions or Power lifting contests, we can relegate working on maximal strength to only once a week, at the most, or a every couple weeks at the very least, to reap the benefits. The rest of the time, consign maximal strength to its rightful place back in our strength and conditioning toolbox. Too much emphasis on maximal strength can lead to becoming muscle “bound”, as in bound, constrained, unable to move freely and without appropriate tension.

The second sub-category of Strength is Explosive Strength. This is the ability to produce maximal force (see above) in a minimal amount of time. Explosive strength? Jon, you’ve got to be kidding me! We don’t use explosive strength in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu! Really? Are you sure? Every time you leap, sprint, dive out of the way of an errant sword strike, or (and this is a big one!) use stored elastic energy to create power in your movement, you are using explosive strength. Sure, the terminology sounds like something that will adversely affect our taijutsu and that any serious budoka should avoid like the plague, but rest assured, that the much maligned concept of strength does play an important role in budo taijutsu and utilizing the strength exercises prescribed in this manual will provide a solid physical basis on which to build real skill. Plyometrics is a specific training means for developing explosive strength designed by Russian sports scientist, Yuri Verkhoshansky in the early 1960’s. Closely linked to Explosive Strength are Speed Strength and Reactive Strength.

The third sub-category of strength is probably one of the most familiar to us. It is Strength-Endurance. OK; much better… now we are in familiar territory. Endurance is a concept that a ninja can relate to! This strength quality involves the production of muscular tension without a noticeable decrease in efficiency over long periods of time. Development of strength-endurance is a fundamental necessity for warriors, whether on the battlefield, in training, or just everyday life. A helpful analogy to keep in mind when applying the different aspects of strength training to budo is that they are like a recipe for success. All of the ingredients in any recipe are not utilized in the same amounts. A little bit of salt may be all that’s required to enhance the flavor, while a lot of flour may be necessary to provide the base. The same idea applies to strength training. Warriors will normally require a lot of strength endurance and cardio-respitory endurance, but maybe only a little bit of maximal strength development is necessary to round out their overall skill. “When effective methodology is used, exercises with resistance promote not only an increase in movement speed but also perfection of coordination, motor reaction, quickness and frequency of movements, the ability to relax muscles, development of local muscular endurance and an increase in maximal anaerobic capacity.” (Verkhoshansky, Special Strength Training – A Practical Manual for Coaches) The key here is in how these various strength qualities are trained. For martial arts, specifically Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, we want to work exercises which emphasize intermuscular coordination of the whole body. Isolation exercises should be avoided as they are antithetical to what we are trying to accomplish in training. When performing all of the exercises listed here, try to use as little tension and muscular effort as possible; just enough to accomplish the task and no more. Try not to utilize general tension (tightening of the entire body) to carry you through the exercise. Since everything that we do acts as conditioning for our Central Nervous System (CNS), for good or for bad, we want to make sure our exercise philosophy is in harmony with our overall training strategy. Remember that in our day-to-day Bujinkan Budo training we are striving to perform techniques efficiently and effectively with minimal muscular recruitment, therefore our physical fitness training should not use a separate strategy.

Hopefully this short look at the various types of strength has been helpful!

Your Sanshin No Kata Under a Microscope

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Jon

Sanshin no Kata (form of the three hearts) forms the basis for movement in the Bujinkan. These five foundational exercises cannot be overlooked, especially with regard to solo training.

When I first began training in the Bujinkan over 20 years ago there were very few training resources. There was no Internet! In a way it was much easier for a beginner since there weren’t a lot of distractions. Today we are bombarded by information and perhaps sometimes even overwhelmed by it. Back in the day, practicing alone was easy. You had kamae. You had some basic strikes. You had ukemi. You had basic hanbo movements. And, you had Sanshin No Kata. In the early days of my training, Jack Hoban used to drill us in these basics virtually every class. I remember many a hot, sweaty night in the old gym dojo back in Asbury Park, NJ where the small class would work Sanshin No Kata in front of full length mirrors for the entire class, usually followed by basic kicking and punching an ancient heavy bag in the corner. This kind of practice may seem boring or at least unsexy these days, but I assure you it built a very strong foundation.

How to Practice

Today, one of the best ways to practice these kata is still in front of a full-length mirror. This way, you will be able to notice all the little “hitches” and inconsistencies in your movement. Use the mirror as a training device to evaluate your posture and movement. For each kamae, and especially including the transitory movements between kamae, make sure that:

back is straight (crown lifted up),
shoulders are down,
head is not transposed forward over the neck,
chest is relaxed,
butt not sticking out,
hips are open,
knees are over the toes,
weight evenly distributed (50/50)
no leaning forward or backward

These are the very obvious, glaring errors that will be easily noticed as you start this practice. Chronic tension and tightness when in transition between kamae will be abated with continued practice – the key to eliminating the excess tension in your movement is first being aware of it! With consistency and patience, you will gradually shape your body to conform to the characteristics of good taijutsu. This is not an easy process and can be painstakingly difficult due to the constant attention to detail working to chip away at all the unnecessary, inefficient movement built up over years of chronic tension and unnatural movement. You may also notice a particular lack of flow between movements because you are concentrating so much. Build efficiency in steps. First, work on the static kamae. Next begin to add the steps and strikes. Finally, work the entire kata in a flow with no pauses or breaks in the movement. This process will gradually streamline your movement and eliminate the unwanted tension and imbalances. It takes a lot of practice, dedication, and hard work to move with ease!

Chi No Kata as an Example

Let’s take a look at the first kata, Chi no Kata, as an example.

To begin, start in Boubi No Kamae, left hand straight out in front with a natural bend in the elbow, pointed at the opponent’s heart, right hand held in a fist in the crook of your right hip. Move with exaggerated slowness as if practicing a Tai Chi version of the kata.

Drop the weight from your hips, shift over the front knee, and let your rear elbow straighten, dropping the hand in front of the hip to create a slight tension in the spine. This point here about creating torque or stored elastic energy (SEE) in the spine is essential in being able to move powerfully without winding up or telegraphing the movement. If you are having trouble feeling it, try to exaggerate the movement. Make it much larger than necessary to study the feeling. It should feel like a tension in the lower back near the bottom of the spine.

When this tension (torque) is relaxed (released), the movement happens. See if you can figure out where the energy is stored and how it’s released in the rest of the San Shin no Kata!

Be very careful when transferring your weight that you do not bob up and down; move smoothly through the same plane by shifting your weight laterally. Another point to be mindful of during the weight transfer is that you should be in balance (kamae) at all times. If you were to stop the movement at any point in the transition, you should not lose your balance.

Try it. Practice it. Create a strong foundation upon which to build, expand, and grow so that all the information and knowledge being handed down to you today takes root.

You can pick up my video tutorial on how to use Sanshin No Kata to create stability and power in your movement as a FREE Bonus with my Martial Power Program. OR, you can click HERE and get the Sanshin No Kata video separately for just $7!

Ninja Walking

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Jon

The following article is an excerpt from Warrior Fitness: Conditioning for Martial Arts… Enjoy!

Proper walking is footwork training for budo. How we walk in day-to-day life is how we will walk (move) in combat. Efficiency in more complex movement begins with efficiency in simple movements. How can we expect to move with ease in the chaos of a combative environment when most of us have trouble walking with natural gait? Walking is a ubiquitous activity that many people simply take for granted. They move through the day without any awareness of the strain they place on their knees, hips, and lower backs by their poor movement patterns. Just a little awareness will do wonders for your balance, posture, and lightness of step. When Hatsumi Sensei first came to the U.S., of the things he noticed immediately was how heavy and inefficiently people walked. His comment was that most people walked “like Frankenstein”!

Walking Exercises:

1. Stand in shizen no kamae (natural posture) and balance on one leg. Lift the other foot a few inches off the ground and then lower again in a slow, controlled manner using the flexing of the grounded leg to regulate the descent. Gently bounce a few times getting the feeling of how the grounded leg’s flexion and extension controls the lowering of the other foot. The balance on your leg should be such that you are able to lower the opposite foot to the ground in any direction and easily maintain kamae (balance). Switch legs and now balance on the other leg while lowering the foot.

2. Stand in shizen no kamae (natural posture). Use your right hip to lift the right foot off the ground. It will feel strange at first since this is not a very commonly used muscle action, but once you get used to it, it will become an efficient way of lifting the leg. With the right leg lifted, pull back with the right shoulder. Notice how this has the effect of creating a slight torque in the spine and moves the right foot forward at the same time. Release the tension in the spine by placing the right foot down in a forward step. Feel how the release of tension propels the body forward and allow it to create the same lift from the hip and pulling back of the shoulder on the left side.

3. Combine the previous two exercises together and begin to walk.

4. Another idea to try when walking is to alternate periods of normal, regular breathing with holding your breath for duration when “full”, after an inhale, and when “empty”, after an exhale. Try inhaling for a count of 5 (steps or seconds), hold your breath for a count of 5, exhale for a count of 5, and finally, hold your breath empty for a count of 5 while walking. Repeat as long as you can continue the pace. Note that 5 is just an arbitrary number and can be raised or lowered to suit your own needs. This practice will help you to understand how your body can function during situations when you must suddenly hold your breath yet still continue to work. Another benefit of this exercise is that it also helps the body to process oxygen to brain, heart, and other working muscles more efficiently.

Don’t forget “light feet and soft knees” when walking!

Unlocking Flow in Your Taijutsu Practice

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Jon

Here’s another one for all my Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu friends out there.

The following set of exercises is specifically designed to increase flow (nagare) in your taijutsu. However, before we get into the exercises themselves we should address the question, what is flow?

Flow is efficiency and continuity in movement. Flow is smoothness of movement that is unencumbered by mechanical, jerky actions. Moving at a faster pace and working harder, does not necessarily mean that the movement is flowing. In fact, if you are working harder, I can almost guarantee the movement is not flowing.

Get Out the Way – Move!

Flow is not something you do; it is something you get out of the way of!

What types of internal distractions, tensions, hitches in movement are preventing you from getting out of your own way?

The following flow exercises are culled from basic exercises of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, but can be utilized by anyone to expand your movement potential and increase flow.

When training these exercises, the idea is, of course, continuous movement. Begin with a slow and smooth protocol, working on keeping a good technique level and efficient transition between the movements. One discovers the key to developing flow by examining the in between stages of movement. Often, we see the kamae (structure) and then we see the roll, but what we miss is the essence of flow – the small, transitory movements between them.

Do not attempt to “accomplish” the exercise; that is not the point. Use it as a vehicle to unlock the flow in your movement. Try to keep moving. Don’t pause to think in the middle. Increase the speed as you begin to feel comfortable, but if the technique begins to get sloppy or the movements begin to look mechanical, drop down the intensity level until you are once again performing the flows with good technique. Remember, there is zero training value in simply trying to do the exercises for a “cardio” workout. Go buy a treadmill!

Chi No Kata

1. Step back from a natural posture into left leg forward Ichimonji No Kamae. Do Chi No Kata. From the end point of the kata, continue lowering your center of gravity and extend the right arm to effectively blend the transition from Chi No Kata into a front roll. Allow the momentum of the front roll to carry you to your feet, lifting up from the crown of your head and using your spine, into right Ichimonji No Kamae and, without stopping in the kamae, leap forward landing again in right Ichimonji No Kamae. Continue the movement by reaching forward with the left hand with a feeling of the body being pulled by the hand into left Ichimonji No Kamae. Repeat on the other side.

Sui No Kata

2. Step back from a natural posture into left Ichimonji No Kamae. Do Sui No Kata. From the omote shutou strike at the end of the kata, continue lowering the body with the weight on the front leg, simultaneously stepping through with the back leg to transition from the strike into a back roll. Allow the momentum of the back roll to carry you to your feet, lifting up from the crown of your head and using your spine, into right Ichimonji No Kamae and, without stopping in the kamae, leap backward landing again in right Ichimonji No Kamae. Repeat on the other side.

Ka No Kata

3. Step back from a natural posture into left Ichimonji No Kamae. Do Ka No Kata. From the ura shutou strike at the end of the kata, bring your left foot forward next to the right foot a little more than shoulder width apart to transition into Hira No Kamae. Without stopping in the kamae, lower your center of gravity and flow into a side roll to the right. Roll right back into Hira No Kamae and leap sideways to the right, landing again in Hira No Kamae. Repeat on the other side.

Fu No Kata

4. Step back from a natural posture into left Ichimonji No Kamae. Do Fu No Kata. Immediately transition to Hoko No Kamae and flow into a cartwheel. Land back in Hoko No Kamae and leap down into a kneeling Ichimonji No Kamae. Repeat on the other side.

Ku No Kata

5. Step back from a natural posture into left Ichimonji No Kamae. Do Ku No Kata. Immediately transition to a forward break-fall followed by a forward roll into Jumonji No Kamae. Leap directly upwards. Repeat on the other side.

Enjoy!

Flow drills from the book, Warrior Fitness: Conditioning for Martial Arts

Ukemi Flow Conditioning Workout

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Jon

This one is for all the martial artists out there – I created the following ukemi conditioning workout for myself a few years ago to specifically target the transitions between my rolls and begin to unlock flow. Additionally, it has the effect of really getting your heart pumping and makes a great workout! Start out slowly and smoothly by practicing for the first few rounds. Groove the movement and then begin to increase the speed. Remember, you do yourself and your training a disservice if you rush through the movements simply to say you accomplished the workout. Flow is not something you do, it’s something you allow – you have to be able to get out of your own way! That being said, give this a try and let me know how it works for you.

Ukemi Flow

Begin in Shizen No Kamae (natural stance), squat down to ball of foot squat
Zenpo Kaiten (front roll) over the right shoulder
Ushiro Kaiten (back roll)
Stand up into Shizen No Kamae (natural stance), squat down to ball of foot squat
Zenpo Kaiten (front roll) over the left shoulder
Ushiro Kaiten (back roll)
Stand up into Shizen No Kamae (natural stance)
Yoko Nagare (side roll) with the leg crossing in front to the right
Yoko Nagare (side roll) with the leg crossing in front to the left
Stand up into Shizen No Kamae (natural stance)
Zempo Ukemi (forward break fall)
Stand up into Shizen No Kamae (natural stance)
Yoko Nagare (side roll) with the leg crossing behind to the right
Yoko Nagare (side roll) with the leg crossing behind to the left
Stand up into Shizen No Kamae (natural stance) – repeat!

Start out with 4 rounds of 3 minutes each with a 1 minute break between rounds. Use the minute break to get your breathing back under control and shake out the tension. When this becomes easier, decrease the rest period to 30 seconds between rounds. Finally, try to perform the Ukemi Flow continuously for 12 minutes. You can also adjust the difficulty level of the flow by adding directional leaps at the end of each roll. Or, it can be made easier by performing it from kneeling in Seiza no Kamae instead of standing.

Notes: Make sure you warm-up with brief joint mobility session prior to the workout.

Got your own version of an ukemi-specific workout? Please share with us in the comments section below!

A Day in the Life…

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Jon

At the suggestion of my good friend, and West Coast Buyu, Dave Furukawa, I am presenting a look at one of my daily workouts. Please see Dave’s comments on my previous post here for reference.

This is a record of my activity from yesterday, Memorial Day 2010:

Morning

Life begins early here, even on long holiday weekends, since our 19 month old, Juliana, doesn’t distinguish weekends from weekdays yet! So at 6 am I was up making coffee and searching through her Elmo DVDs to find the particular episode she wanted that morning. As the coffee was brewing I began working through my joint mobility routine in the kitchen. Each joint from neck down to ankles and toes is rotated through its entire range of motion to flush the joints with synovial fluid and increase blood flow to the surrounding muscles. This has the effect of lubricating the joints and removing the “rust”, as well as awakening the entire body.

As interest in her Elmo episode waned and Juliana wandered off to “read” her books and play with toys, I began working through San Shin no Kata, the Bujinkan basic movement exercises. Each movement was practiced stationary, then walking forward and backward with emphasis on using the spine to generate power for the movements.

Mid-Afternoon

In the afternoon I took the kids to the playground. My older daughter, Caitlin, rode her bike while I pushed the baby along in her little buggy. As I walked each step was coordinated with breathing to work on breath capacity. For example, inhale for 5-steps, hold on the inhale for 5-steps, exhale for 5-steps, then hold on the exhale for 5-steps. This can be done continuously with the same pattern or you can alter the number of steps for each breath cycle up or down to make it easier or more challenging. See my post entitled Breathing 101 for more breathing related exercises. At the playground, in between pushing the kids on the swings and taking the little one down the slide, I used the monkey bars for random amounts of pull-ups and chin-ups.

Evening

Finally got the kids to bed around 8:30 and went down to the basement gym for my workout proper. My current program is geared towards developing unarmed striking power and basic weapons work.

Brief joint mobility warm-up
Suburi with Yari (spear) – 3 rounds of 10 thrusts from Seigan no Kamae, 10 thrusts from Jodan no Kamae, each side
Suburi with heavy bokken – 3 rounds of 10 cuts from Jodan no Kamae, advancing and retreating
Swipes with 15 lb clubbell – 3 sets of 10
Mills with 15 lb clubbell (think omote shuto type movement) – 3 sets of 10
Reverse Mills with 15 lb clubbell (think ura shuto type movement) – 3 sets of 10
Clean to Order with 25 lb clubbell – 3 sets of 5 each arm
Clean to Order with 45 lb clubbell – 1 set of 5 each arm
5 minutes of various yoga asana to cool-down

This is just a quick glimpse into a much larger program that I am testing on myself for eventual release. For more information on my previous programs, please check out my ebook, Warrior Fitness: Conditioning for Martial Arts.

A Case for Mini Workouts

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Jon

These days everyone is short on time. Most are content to allow the daily grind and family time to fill their days while lamenting about the fact that they have no time for working out. The complaints are common and heard often. But somehow these same people are able to find time to watch an hour or more of TV every night before going to bed.

Now, I’m not going to ask you to forego your Sunday night Walking Dead episode (I certainly won’t!) in favor of hitting the gym for an hour, so don’t worry – just using the ability to watch TV as an example of “finding time”.

While it may be a stretch for many people to find 45 minutes to an hour each day for exercise or martial arts training, how about just finding 5 minutes? Surely everyone can find a spare 5 minutes even a few times a day, right???

Recently, as my own daily grind has become busier and busier, I have been finding just how effective mini workouts can be to fill in the gaps in one’s training. These types of workouts are often overlooked because of their brevity.

After all, how can one possibly get a complete workout in 5 minutes?! Well, you can’t. But that’s not the point. The effects of mini workouts are cumulative. In other words, they add up over time (that’s what cumulative means… :).

They are not meant to completely replace your regular training, but are meant to enhance it and compliment it.

They are an effective way to keep yourself on track and focused when short on time, or if you have already completed a full workout and still want to get in some extra training – nothing wrong with that either! Remember, the goal of the mini workout is not to be too complicated or over-involved. Make them short, sweet, and to the point!

Examples of Mini Workouts

Here are just a few ideas I’ve found that make ideal mini workouts:

10 push-ups + 10 v-ups + 10 squats (repeat 3-5 x’s)
Finger tip push-ups (see how many you can do)
Tabata exercises (pick one and go)
5 Kettlebell Snatches (each side) + 5 Kettlebell Swings (each side) + 10 Hindu Push-ups (Perform AMRAP for 5 or 10 minutes)
Isometrics
Breathing exercises combined with bodyweight training
Joint mobility work
Pull-ups (5-4-3-2-1 rep scheme)
Burpees or Sprawls for 50 to 100 reps

Mini Workouts for Martial Arts

The mini workout should be an essential aspect of any martial artist’s training. It is said that great martial artists are training all the time. Well known and respected masters from Musashi to Tesshu to Ueshiba to Hatsumi Soke have constantly extolled the importance of solo-training and dedicated practice.

While mini workouts do not form a complete picture of solo- training, they do play an important role. In the future, I’ll be sharing a more extensive look at solo-training for martial arts, particularly for Bujinkan practitioners. But for now, here’s a short list to get you started:

Ukemi practice – mix up rolls, change directions freely, roll over obstacles
San Shin no Kata
Solo flow drill – move continuously for 5 minutes. Flow from strikes to kicks to leaps to rolls, from kamae to kamae – be creative!
Kamae work in a mirror
Striking practice
Junan taiso (see above!)

Make sure to make time for mini workouts!

The “Incomplete” Kihon Happo DVD Review

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Jon

Chuuto Hanpa Kihon Happo or, The “Incomplete” Kihon Happo, is a new DVD by Bujinkan instructor, Rob Renner. Rob has been training in the Bujinkan since 1986 and living in Japan since 2005. He trains with Hatsumi Soke and the Shihan, senior instructors, typically 5 to 6 days a week.

This DVD is, as Rob points out, not the “official” version of the foundational techniques of the Bujinkan, but rather a synthesis of each Japanese Shihans’ take on the techniques as studied and interpreted by Rob.

The DVD begins with Rob’s expanation of Hanmi, or “half-body” kamae. This incomplete Ichimoni no Kamae has the hips at a 45 degree angle forward to facilitate structure, stability, and mobility instead of the traditionally taught kamae with the hips completely sideways while the head looks forward. Not only is Rob teaching 1/2 kamae, but as each technique is analyzed, he shows how to utilize 1/2 the distance, and 1/2 the time as well to create more efficient, and effective, technique.

Each technique of the Kihon Happo is then presented, first as they are usually performed in Bujinkan Dojos worldwide, followed by a discussion of common problems and mistakes when done as shown. Make sure to pay attention here as you may recognize some of your own mistakes. This discussion alone is worth the price of the DVD!

Rob then moves on to demonstrating and explaining how to use the principles of Bujinkan Taijutsu to effectively do the techniques. Each section begins with a quick bulleted list of principles that will be taught for each technique. This is an effective way to prepare the audience for the material to be reviewed in the section and also serves as an effective reminder as the same principles are presented, and added to, each time. Throughout the principle-based discussions, Rob constantly stresses the importance of correct kamae by using hips, knees, feet, and shoulders in alignment to be able to control distance and move in any direction.

In the Torite Goho section of Kihon Happo, Rob makes a very important distinction between translating kuzushi as “breaking balance” versus “breaking structure”. When you break an opponent’s structure, he is still very much on balance, but simply can’t generate force in any meaningful way. And, since his balance is not compromised, he still believes in his mind that he is okay. Hmm… sounds like kyojitsu to me. However, when breaking an opponent’s balance, his body will automatically endeavor to correct it and suddenly you’re in a fight.

Kihon Happo Techniques Taught on the DVD

Koshi Sanpo:

Ichimonji no Kata
Jumonji no Kata
Hicho no Kata

Torite Goho:

Omote Gyaku
Mushadori
Onikudaki
Ura Gyaku
Ganseki Nage / Musodori

In the final section of the DVD, Rob uses the Torite Goho to show examples of Hatsumi Sensei’s movement as it is today. This is done by following all the principles espoused in the earlier parts of the DVD and through manipulation of the kukan and kyojitsu. It’s a great way to wrap up, pull everything together, and show a progression of the material all at the same time. This is a very well done DVD with tons of detailed instruction. Highly recommended!

For more information, and to purchase the DVD, please see Rob Renner’s website, Bujinkan Zeropoint Dojo.

Basics Ain’t So Basic After All

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Jon

As a teacher and student of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, I often hear the same question over and over again – how can I improve my skill? What should I practice to get better? Since I remember myself asking that question several times (probably several hundred times if you ask some people!) to my teacher and seniors in the art, I always take time to give a thoughtful and honest answer. And, my answer to these sincere seekers is always the same – practice the basics.

Basic Does NOT Equal Simple

I think maybe the term “basic” itself is a little misleading. When someone says, basic, most of us immediately translate it in our minds to “simple”. Nothing could be further from the truth for the basics of our martial art. What I’d like us to do today for the purposes of our discussion is to suspend the judgement that basic = simple. Instead, replace the word basic with foundational. How do you continue to build upon a skill set indefinitely? Well, the foundation must be strong. It must be broad. And, to keep going higher still, it must be deep.

Each January, every year, for the past 20 years I have been training in the Bujinakn, my teacher, Jack Hoban, spends the entire month with us reviewing nothing but the basics of our art. This sets the tone for the year and helps to increase the capacity of the entire class to absorb the higher level lessons for that year. Guess what? Invariably, I learn something new each time Jack teaches. Every year, just by practicing the basics… eh… excuse me… the foundational training of our system new ideas, new concepts are born as we go deeper into the details and application of the techniques.

Shu Ha Ri

In traditional Japanese arts, there’s a concept called Shu-Ha-Ri. This is a method of progression, or more accurately, a cycle of progression, for learning any art.

Shu – “Protect” the form.

Ha – “Break” the form

Ri – “Leave behind” the form

This process is a continuous cycle in our Bujinakn training. In order to progress higher in the art, our base must be solid, so we protect the form. In order to understand the art, we must begin to break the form. In order to master the art, we must leave the form behind. Yet, this is not a linear progression at all! Working on the foundation is never a step backwards. Think of it more as a ratcheting back to spring forward. Want to surpass your current level? Strengthen the foundation.

Think you know the basics? Think again.

I will be sharing my interpretation and experience of the foundational skills of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu here. Please come and check it out!

How to Train for the Endurance of a Ninja

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Jon

As promised, here is an example strength endurance workout to start you on the way to building ninja-like endurance.

We will work the upper body, core, and lower body for a complete, whole body workout.

The goal of this type of training is to improve the body’s general endurance capacity so as to increase our overall resistance to fatigue. This will enable you to train longer, harder, and more frequently, as well as improving your ability to recover between training sessions and between exercises.

Instructions

Move from one exercise to the next with no rest between exercises. Determine rest periods at the end of each set on your own. If no rest is required then move back to the first exercise and begin again. Strive to perform as many sets as possible in 20 minutes.

Upper Body:

Pull-ups – SM (submax)
Shuto Push-ups – 20
Fist Push-ups – 20
Hindu Push-ups – 20

Shuto Push-up

Core:

V-ups – 20
Knee Hugs – 20

For reference, these exercises are illustrated and described here.

Legs:

Ichimonji Squats – 25 each side
Walking Lunges– 20 per leg
Mountain Climbers – 50 per leg

Finisher:

Wall Sit for time

This last exercise we will perform only once when the main work above is complete. The idea here is to provide a final challenge to both the body and the mind. You will already be exhausted from all the prior work, so consider this an exercise in willpower and mental toughness. This will require the mental fortitude to push yourself just a little bit farther!

Remember, it requires more than a black costume and funny split-toe shoes to be a ninja – train hard!

Warrior Fitness

Old School Training for the Modern Warrior

Category Archives: Martial Arts