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Unlocking Flow in Your Taijutsu Practice

Jon — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:43:51 +0000

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 guarantee the movement is not flowing. 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? These 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” this 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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Enjoy!

Ukemi Flow Conditioning Workout

Jon — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:01:17 +0000

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!

How to Train for the Endurance of a Ninja

Jon — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:40:08 +0000

As promised in my previous post, So Ya Wanna Be a Ninja, 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 – 5
Shuto Push-ups – 10
Fist Push-ups – 15
Hindu Push-ups – 20

Shuto Push-up

Fist Push-up

Core:

V-ups – 20
Knee Hugs – 20

For reference, these exercises are illustrated and described here.

Legs:

Ichimonji Squats – 10 each side
Walking Lunges– 20
Mountain Climbers – 20

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!

So Ya Wanna Be a Ninja?

Jon — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:25:29 +0000

Masaaki Hatsumi, Grandmaster of the Bujinkan Dojo, once stated, “endurance is of primary importance for the ninja.” One definition of endurance is the ability to resist fatigue. Looking at the kanji (Chinese character) for Nin, there is the ideogram for “sword” over the ideogram for “heart” giving Nin a meaning of, “even though you hold a sword over my heart, I will endure.”

How many of us training in the Bujinkan, or any other martial art, can truthfully claim that ability? How long can you train? How far can you push yourself? In martial art, endurance, or the ability to “keep going” is defined in years, not minutes, hours, or days. How can we create an effective training program that will instill in us the ability to continue, to endure?

Physical Endurance

Let’s begin by examining the concept of physical endurance. There are 3 basic types of physical endurance:

Aerobic endurance
Anaerobic endurance
Strength endurance

We discussed the body’s 3 energy systems and how using the Tabata Protocol can effectively improve both the aerobic and anaerobic systems here. Strength endurance is defined as the ability to effectively maintain muscular functioning under work conditions of long duration. There are two basic ways to increase the ability of your body to do more physical work. One is the continuous adding of weights, sets, reps, and time to push the body to create an adaptation to allow it to perform more work for a longer duration. As we discussed previously in the article on GPP, the body’s capacity is expanded. Progress is incremental and continuous for as long as one is able to keep increasing driving forces in the body. The next one, however, is often overlooked in our “just add more volume” culture. More is always better, right? If one vitamin is good for you, take 4, that’s even better (please dont’!). But, there is another way to allow the body to continue training in addition (no pun intended) to adding more work. By removing restrictions in your body, like unnecessary tension or extra body weight or lack of flexibility/mobility in a particular area, you then free up resources in your body that were spent holding that tension that you weren’t even aware of on a conscious level. These restrictions, once removed, allow even greater leaps in performance than simply adding more work. When the 2 are combined, it’s a powerful combination!

How Do We Program It?

By programming our workouts so that we effectively build in both the removal of restrictive forces, while also increasing driving forces, we can maximize our progress. This idea is present in traditional methods of Hatha Yoga in the form of balancing strength and surrender. Contrary to popular opinion, yogi’s do not simply work to become more flexible. They actively work to increase both strength and flexibility as complimentary opposites in order to achieve a state of balance. Now, I’m not asking you to become a yogi here, merely pointing out that this is not a new concept at all, but has been used by traditional arts for thousands of years. Our program for developing ninja-like endurance will utilize both joint mobility exercises and yoga asana (poses), as well as breathing exercises, to aid in the removal of restrictive forces binding your training and slowing your progress. Next week I will be putting out an article on breathing exercises that can be used for relaxation, stress management, removing residual tension, and also for increasing energy – keep your eyes out!

For an example of some easy yoga postures that can start helping you right now, head over to my good friend Josh Sager’s excellent blog, Fretterverse, and check out my article on Yoga for Guitarists. A free sample joint mobility training program can be obtained simply by signing up for the Warrior Fitness Mailing List at the top right of the page. Sign up now and begin working on removing restrictive forces today!

And, don’t forget to check out Warrior Fitness: Conditioning for Martial Artists for more exercises, options, explanations, and program design!

Stay tuned for a sample Strength Endurance Workout coming soon!

Fitness Requirements for Bujinkan Martial Arts Training

Jon — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:00:52 +0000

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 class, when practicing techniques, it is imperative to be as efficient in one’s movement as possible, and thus avoid using excess, unnecessary power (read – strength). In order to accentuate the study of distance, timing, angling, and space management, one must put strength on the back burner in the dojo to avoid powering through the movements and missing all the wonderful subtleties that taijutsu has to offer. However, in an actual conflict, you can and in fact, you must, use all your power, including strength, to survive. As Jack Hoban said in his interview here, “real fights are very physical – tiring and punishing”. Anyone who thinks physical fitness isn’t required in the traditional martial arts is really just kidding themselves.

Bujinkan Practitioners and Fitness

Why do Bujinkan practitioners need fitness training? Fred Hatfield, aka “Dr. Squat” once wrote, “Optimal physical conditioning provides the platform from which the skills can be used.” Meaning that the specific physical skills of taijutsu must be built upon a solid foundation of basics, like sanshin no kata and kihon happo, and even more fundamental, a strong budo-body. Without this platform in place your martial art skills are like a house built on sand.

From the book, Warrior Fitness: Conditioning for Martial Arts:

”Since combat occurs in a volatile and unpredictable atmosphere, training must prepare the warrior to adapt. Remember that the goal of all the exercises in this manual is to develop the ability to control the degree of tension in our body and be able to utilize just the right amount of force at the appropriate moment. This way we may be able to sustain activity for longer and longer periods of time without exhausting ourselves.”

The first step in ensuring you are building skill on top of a solid foundation is General Physical Preparedness (GPP). The goal of GPP is enhanced work capacity. This is the ability to run faster, jump higher, and hit harder. When work capacity increases, it allows the budding warrior to adapt more easily to increases in both mental and physical demands. In other words, it increases your capacity and level of readiness to absorb higher levels of specificity. In a martial art as seemingly limitless as Budo Taijutsu, one must possess the endurance to “keep going!”

In the forthcoming part 2 of this series on fitness for Bujinkan practioners, we’ll look at some examples of GPP type exercises and how to incorporate them into an overall training program.

For more information on increasing your level of readiness for martial arts training, please see the book on Warrior Fitness here.

Jack Hoban on Fitness

Jon — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:09:04 +0000

The interviews conducted here at Warrior Fitness will highlight people who have significantly influenced my thinking and training on fitness, who are leaders in their particular fields of expertise, and whom I admire. Jack Hoban happens to fit all three. Through his unwavering commitment to martial arts and fitness, Jack has inspired me to keep going over the past 20 years down the dual path of martial arts and fitness.

Jack Hoban is a former active duty U.S. Marine Corps Captain and long time practitioner of martial arts. He is Shidoshi Senior Instructor in the Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu and Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu systems under Grand Master Masaaki Hatsumi in Japan and has authored three books on warriorship. Mr. Hoban also holds an MBA and is an executive in the healthcare industry. Jack’s full biography, and further information, can be found on his website here.

1. Can you please describe your current philosophy on physical fitness?

I have been serious about physical fitness for most of my life, first as an athlete in grammar school, high school and college, and then as a Marine, and martial artist. That hasn’t changed, just become more refined and age-appropriate as the years have gone by. Humans are physical beings and have been so for millions of years; I think we should acknowledge and honor that fact by maintaining a high level of physicality in our lives. That’s my philosophy. Until fairly recently, being physically fit, for most of us, was just a part of being human—and staying alive through hunting and gathering, farming, work, or other physical endeavors. That has changed, and there is a greater risk of falling into a sedentary lifestyle today. But our basic nature as physical animals has not changed. We have to be careful not to stray too far from our nature, or certainly unhappiness and ill health may result.

2. How has your outlook changed over the years?

It really hasn’t changed. It has just become more refined. I have tried some of the new fitness technologies—for example I run barefoot now using the new Vibram footwear. I also think I use cross-training more effectively than in the past. But I pretty much do the kinds of things I have always done. I do have to worry more about “overdoing it,” because injuries take longer to heal.

3. Do you have a daily fitness regimen that you follow?

Yes and no. I have a range of things that I do, but it changes according to my schedule, the season, the weather and how I am feeling.

4. Can you briefly tell us what it consists of?

Again, it is not a daily thing in that I don’t do the same thing every day. But over the course of a week I typically fit in a few runs (45 minutes to an hour), I lift weights, I do a lot of core training, and I do various calisthenics. In the winter I use the gym for the rowing machine, treadmill and elliptical. In the summer I swim in the ocean almost every day. I practice martial arts daily by myself, and have a class between 2 and 5 times a week.

5. How do you think fitness and budo (martial arts) are related?

Inseparably, although martial artists might take care to explore a regimen that is complimentary to martial arts—one that increases strength and endurance, but also promotes flexibility and relaxation.

6. How has your being in excellent physical condition enhanced your martial arts training?

Simple, it helps me to “keep going” longer and more consistently without being tired or sick. And by the way, real fights are very physical—tiring and punishing.

7. How does your being in excellent physical condition help your work with the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP)?

When I first meet a new class of students, the unspoken question is “Is he one of us? Can he do what we do? If he can’t, why should we do what he does?” That’s just the nature of young, competitive men. Because I can pretty much keep up with them “for an old guy,” I gain a certain measure of respect. That way, they are open to the other physical and ethical lessons I am there to share.

8. Has the Marines Combat Conditioning program influenced your personal exercise program, and if so, how?

Yes, in at least two ways. It has made me more aware of the value of cross training, and two, it has made me more creative in using training aides of opportunity. By that I mean, you can design your own training regimens and make your own training apparatuses just by using your brain and common items and structures. You don’t need fancy equipment; an old tire works just fine as an exercise apparatus.

9. The last, but most important question, how do you keep going?

I enjoy it! Find a method of physical exercise that you enjoy and pursue that. Find other people who like it as well, and do it together. That will help too.

Thanks Jack!