Japanton – Chronicles of Anton in Japan!

So a short note on training with Paul Masse.  Protect your boys, he does not hold back.  He took a page from keeping it real Doug Willsons book.  Oh and him and Yabunaga san play a twisted game of lets see who can hurt each other the most in a sensei class so be aware of that.

In senseis class on Tuesday we were hammered.  The things we were doing were the basic elements of taijutsu and many of us could not do it.

Let me start with a compliment, props to Eric S. on an amazing demo in front of Soke.  Doug Wilson put him on the spot but he did a simple and effective technique.  Secondly props to me making him so awesome, it actually had nothing to do with his hard work but my teaching him with no choice but to be good.

Ok now on to the other stuff.  As a warning to any of those who are planning on taking their Godan Test soon, it is difficult to administer a good test.  If you make the mistake of rolling out of the way before it is time, sit there and take the hit.  Try again some other time.  If you are rolling away five or six or seven times before the actual swing, you are not ready.  It may be your nerves but if you don’t have the nerves to do a small test, what good are you in a fight?  You just need to relax, there is no rush for rank, it means nothing.  If you are not ready then don’t do it.

Don’t pin this on a teach putting you up before you are ready, Hatsumi sensei said it is up to you to take responsibility for your own training, if you can’t do that simple task, you have no place in an art like the Bujinkan.  There are many Jugodans out there, Hatsumi Sensei says many are not good teachers.  You must find one who can transmit the art to you.

Long and short of it, I dont’ want to see any more sad godan tests.  I know, I’m the bad guy.

I have a few posts that I have to do.  I have not decided the order for it yet.  So I will let you decide.

–  My future Wife

–  Taihen Jutsu

–  Oguri Sensei’s Class

–  Training with Paul Masse

Let me know.

I will keep this short.  It was a very interesting day.  Ask me about it when I get home.

So Hatsumi Sensei’s class tonight was interesting.  The title

Do the technique like you’re just that cool

is what he said regarding the attitude that you should have.  He also talked about this ridiculousness that you should have like Jackie Chan.  Also he added that you should not do things perfect, because perfect things can be broken flawed things can not. No I am not making this up, I am not that creative.

So that’s three checks, I am not perfect (though damn close), I am ridiculous and I am just that cool.

Anyhow long and short of this is I made it to Japan safely.  Went to Sensei’s class.  Eric was throwing out weak sauce techniques as if they were strong and the dollar lost a lot of value.  A Japanton semianr will take place a week after I get back.  Oh and I am starting to get sad cause I realize Trish is leaving to work overseas a week after I get back.

That’s all for tonight tomorrow two classes and maybe work on the Zero Point website.

I was asked a question about Nagato Sensei’s Kihon.  I want to touch on this after I have a chance to go over his newly formed Kihon classes.  Well they are not that new, but they started after I had left Japan in May of this year.  As a result I can’t fairly give an opinion of his Kihon classes.

What I can tell you what I like about Nagato sensei’s movement.  Something that I picked up on my second trip to Japan which sticks to me to this very day is his distance.  We were doing ganseki nage, as demonstrated by Timmy, and then it was time for some Japanese shihan addition.  What struck me is he emphasized being at a range where you could move the opponents fist to either side.  Basically being just out of range so you could approach for the nage or maybe a musha dori.

So if you look at anything in a Nagato class, understand that distance.

Adding More to the Post after a Nagato class

So after attending a class where the order of the day was temakura I can comment a bit more.  This was not a “basics class” by name but the technique was a basic one so let’s have at her.

The first thing I will note is once again the distance that Nagato took allowed free foot movement.  Secondly there was an emphasis on covering the other weapons of the opponents as you moved through the technique.

Now to touch on the comment about battle effectiveness, the techniques were solid as with the other main Japanese shihan.  I would not put it on a scale of more or less battle effective because from experience using techniques in a self defence situation, techniques are battle effective when used under the correct conditions.  I will say that when we were using hanbo we were told to attack other groups as we did the techniques.  This builds an awareness which is needed for combat.  So in that sense the training was combat effective.

Anyhow that’s all for now, I will continue to go to the classes and see what basics I can pilfer from Nagato.

As many of you who know me know, I like to go to Japan for training.  That said if I have either Brian or Russ teach a few classes understand it is a direct result of my love for training in Japan.  I have some work which needs to get done for this trip to happen.  For the sake of my training and anyone who trains at the club I need to make it to Japan as often as I can.

In addition, Brain and Russ are both fine practitioners who take time to go to seminars and Japan when they can to improve their abilities.  Make sure not to miss their training if I am not at a class.  Missing it would be a mistake.

For those who are going to Japan with me the dates of October 22nd to November 17th are 95% certain.  I will begin looking for tickets so have your money ready.  Usually I can find something for around $1000 Canadian, it seems like this trip we will be looking more in the ballpark of $1200 Canadian.  I will keep you up to date on what I can find.

I will tell you right now, I am not saying that everything that everyone does is right, that’s nonsense.  I won’t say that you have to go to Japan every year, not everyone can manage that it is understandable.  You don’t have to copy everything that your teacher does, some of it won’t work for you.

This is however the Bujinkan, there are right ways and wrong ways to do things.  There are nine schools so there are many different variations but we look at what is the same not different.  If you can’t go to Japan find someone who does and train with them to keep the feeling.  Things will change based on your body, but you must have the essence.  To find that train with the many good Shihan around the world.

If you disagree with what I have said, take it up with Hatsumi sensei because I am just saying what he has said.  If you don’t believe me then go to Japan and hear it in his own voice.  I am growing tired of people who hold themselves up as ‘representatives’ of the Bujinkan but what they are saying and doing completely contradict what Hatsumi Sensei is teaching.  These are the same people who knock those who actually have some understanding of what Hatsumi sensei is trying to teach.  They will go and talk about the importance of cross training when if they actually put the time in to learning proper taijutsu would discover that it is completely unnecessary.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not giving poor skill level a free pass but this goes beyond that.  Just because you do well in a fight doesn’t mean that you are doing Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu right.  Just because you don’t win in a cage match doesn’t mean that you are learning the wrong way.  It’s our stupid North American philosophies and egos which destroyed this art and it’s reputation.  If we can’t be bothered to swallow our pride, forget what we think fighting is and trust what Hatsumi sensei wants us to learn, why are we still in the art?  If you don’t think that this art works then switch to one that you feel does.  I wish you all the best in your new endevours.  But rather than try and change an art that has protected me, in real life, on more than one occasion, in the past year do what Hatsumi says.

Go ahead read his books, watch the DVD’s and sit there happy assuming you have learned everything.  Your ‘tactical reality based Bujinkan training’ will just take up valuable space in the Honbu Dojo anyhow.  Hatsumi Sensei is the kuden, he is the living densho, he can teach you what you can not learn from books or videos and I have felt its effectiveness firsthand.  I’m done, for now.

In training with Oguri Sensei and Seno Sensei, I had a chance to experience their kihon.  This should not be confused with the kihon happo, simply the karada no kihon.

This is the basic way to move your body.  This involves things like the required flexibility to perform proper techniques.  After working on a tuski method for half an hour, Seno sensei had me translate that ‘Once you can do this basic movement, you can start to relearn the techniques while eliminating your bad habits’.

It’s hard to translate that and not sound like a jerk.  Seno sensei let us know that our bodies were in no condition to be chasing after advanced techniques.  To move freely we need to have control over our bodies, a control that we as budo-ka should have.  In the bujinkan we always talk about the importance of self training, but we always seem at a loss as to how to do this.

If your ichimonji can not be held with your rear knee at 90 degrees (pi over 2 radians Jason) moving forward to extend a tsuki over the width of a tatami then you don’t have a body flexible enough for Seno Sensei’s kihon.  Oh and this is with your back erect up and down.

If you can’t start from shizen and squat all the way down without going onto your toes or bending your back from the erect position, you don’t have the calf flexibility to perform Oguri Sensei’s kihon.

This is fair, I don’t expect that everyone should be able to do this.  That said, if you can’t, perhaps it’s time that you do some personal body training to get ready for the waza of the Bujinkan.

Training with Soke of course had a theme last night.  It was move like the air.  This as per usual is quite ambiguous until you actually feel the techniques.

I had a chance to feel Hatsumi Sensei’s technique and it was recorded.  That means that I will be on the densho video 2 years from now.  Take that Scotty Chambers.

When Hatsumi Sensei is doing a technique on you, there is no point of reference.  He sets up the situation such that you will move into a technique without him applying it.  Anyhow, I can only bring the feeling back to Edmonton and try and transmit it as best I can.