Here’s another one for all the Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu students and teachers 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 …

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 …

Ever wonder how to put it all together?  How do you fit in conditioning, strength, core exercise, joint mobility, breathing exercises, solo martial arts practice and class time in one complete program?  Here’s an example 7-day program I created for a friend that integrates all of the above.   This program will require a set of dumbbells and a pull-up bar.  The repetitions may be adjusted up or down depending on your level of fitness. 
Warrior Fitness Longevity Program
Please remember that there are no “one-size-fits-all” programs and that this was created specific …

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” …

Jon will be teaching a Bujinkan martial arts seminar at Redemption Kettlebell Gym in East Windsor, NJ on Saturday, April 24, 2010.  Please click on the flyer here for more details: Bujinkan Seminar Flyer
The seminar is $50 at the door, or to pay in advance, please click here:

As a 20 plus year veteran of Bujinkan martial arts training, as well as being the owner/founder of Warrior Fitness, one of the things I pride myself on is my ability to access the fitness needs of my fellow martial artists, particularly those who train in the Bujinkan.  A common misconception that you’ll hear bandied about from dojo to dojo all across the world is that strength, and by association overall, general fitness, is not required.  I think this has to do with a fundamental misunderstanding of how we train.  In …