The Sanshin of Warrior Fitness
A short introduction may be necessary for those readers not familiar with Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. Sanshin no kata is a basic training exercises within the system that templates movement patterns for Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. In English, it translates to “form of three hearts”. These three hearts are mind, body, and spirit. All three must be…
Knowing is Not Enough!
With the proliferation of the Internet and the incredible wealth of resources available in book, DVD, and digital formats, many of us already know more than enough to be martial arts masters! Yep. You heard me right – you know more than enough right now to be a master martial artist. Cool, eh? Heck, some…
All Strength is Not the Same for the Warrior!
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…
Your Sanshin No Kata Under a Microscope
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…
Unlocking Flow in Your Taijutsu Practice
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…
Create Your Own Adversity!
“Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course.” ~William Shakespeare Philosophers and sages throughout the ages have consistently extolled the virtues of facing adversity for the purposes of becoming a better, stronger person. No matter what form this adversity takes, wisdom dictates that it must be faced head-on,…
Basics Ain’t So Basic After All
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…
Lost Empire Herbs
