Japanton – Chronicles of Anton in Japan!

First if you guys could let me know what a good date for a Doug Wilson seminar would be. So far as far as seminars go there is Rob Renner in Calgary (April), Lubos P. in Edmonton (September) and Doug Wilson in Edmonton (?).

Also an update on Tickets to Japan, so far the best price that I have found is $985. I hope to do better so I will keep everyone informed.

Lastly I have the new domain www.edmonton-bujinkan.com to which I will move the club site. I am still trying to sort out the hosting details but I will let you know when the transfer happens. I would like to attract a few more people to the club. I don’t see any harm in having a large club filled with like minded people who are interested in Martial arts as opposed to sports.

Just hammering out the final details of the May Japan trip. As you all know (well not all of you but I will say it anyhow), every year since 2004 I have gone to Japan to train the martial arts. Last year I managed to make it twice. This said, I am trying to organize a group trip. This will involve group rates for travel (I hope) and co-ordinates places to stay. If you are interested let me know and I will put you on the list. Usually you would plan to travel from 17-19 days and spend $4000 (as a safe estimate). It is difficult training that much and getting used to the culture for some. If you are coming and are trying to practice your Japanese, I do have resources to help. Let me know and I will get you what you need. From now until May I don’t expect anyone to be able to master the Japanese language, but ordering food and asking for directions are very important skills to have.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and a Safe and Happy New year. I look forward to training with everyone in 2008.

There is a problem in Honbu, it is far to crowded. I have come up with a solution to this problem. The Honbu admission test. Before everyone gets up in arms about how physical strength is not required for taijutsu hear me out. The test is quite simple. Can you bend over touch your toes and get back up? If so come on in. If not you do not have a body ready to properly do the techniques so don’t waste the instructor’s time.

Is it that unreasonable that if you are going to spend the money to go to Japan you should spend a bit of time training your body. You don’t have to be superman but you have to be able to move your body, bend your knees and take ukemi. Taijutsu does not take a lot of strength but it does take leg strength. If you let yourself slide into the North American fitness standard (which is quite a sad state of affairs) you will not be able to do kihon never mind learn the kata.

I will add that this fitness thing is the opinion of a few Japanese Shihan with which I have spoke not my own. I just created a test for those readers to consider.

You’re training is unrealistic, it is crap.  This is the basic message that Hatsumi Sensei was telling us on Friday night.

It started with you don’t know how to punch.  If you are taking a kamae to punch then you are fighting like you don’t want to win.  Followed up by your punch is too slow and taking that long kamae is throwing you off balance.  Punch directly just step in and hit them.

While trying to preform a technique that was demonstrated Hatsumi sensei mentioned you must be weak.  If you are strong they will respond to you.  You can not take the opponent strongly.  He told a story about a cat sleeping on a roof (ruff for you Americans) and a hawk flying overhead which thought it had an easy meal.  When it dove down to get the cat, the cat rolled over so that the hawk missed.  If you show strength your opponent will know and be aware of what is going on.  If you are weak then the opponent does not know how to counter.

Finally we got a dose of “I am teaching the connection between the schools”.  Do not get caught up in the differences and the kata.  Even with the kata if you don’t have my feeling it means nothing.  There will be books and videos to show techniques but without the essence they are useless.

As per usual though many people assumed that making something real means that you just have to speed up what you are doing rather than do what sensei was showing.  It takes a lot before Hatsumi sensei feels the need to say something.  If you are not doing something right he will show the right way over and over again.  If finally months go by and you have learned nothing then he will lose his patience and say “you suck, do it this way”.  Hopefully a few people learned something from this cause I would hate to go through a harsh class like that again.

I managed to make it to Oguri Sensei’s training at his own dojo.  It takes about 2 hours on train (each way) with 3 train transfers.  It was a very small class but the training was fantastic.  We worked on the kihon (not kihon happo).  There are certain points in techniques, ways of taking moving to capture kazushi, or to control the weapons of your opponent which Oguri sensei views as the kihon.  He explained his views of the qualities of a shodan, godan, judan and beyond.  Remind me to let you know when I get back if you are interested.  I do not want to put it on the site because I may have understood incorrectly and do not want my foolishness in writing.

I will try to convey the feeling that Alice got from Hatsumi sensei. “Hatsumi is a strange man but it kind of fits the job discription. He was mean, I saw him and was like no he is ripping that guys eye out”.

The funny part about all this is that Hatsumi sensei was watching Alice do a technique on me and then stopped the class to show how a women could protect herself from someone grabbing at her chest. That’s right Alice got a technique taught for her sake. Kind of pisses me off. Ah well I just have to live with it.

I will write more on Osaka and our impromptu trip to Sendai.

I am too tired to do a proper post so I will leave it at this.

    You know that moment in honbu when you get your picture taken and it doesn’t turn out well because you didn’t have the flash on, then the person who was nice enough to take that shakey handed picture asks you to take one but doesn’t turn off his flash.  The best is when you have that stupid look on your face trying to convey the message that this is not my camera.  Ya well that was the end to a great Noguchi sensei class.  Here’s my blurry picture.

I got to feel a technique preformed by the grandmaster.  The level of control that he has is unbelievable.  I like to think that I have trained with some of the best practitioners this art has to offer but I will tell you without a doubt that the techniques of Hatsumi Sensei are on a completely different level.  I don’t know what else to say.

    Just a quick mention on the three classes I attended today.

First up was Nagato Sensei’s class.  There was much emphasis on distance for safety.  How to move at the correct distance to keep safe.  Three Kukishin Katas were done but I can only remember that tatsumaki was one of them.  You  know punch, punch, kick punch.  Anyhow I will show you what we did because Taijutsu can not be explained in words right?

Next up was Sensei’s class.  I was told that my technique was good.  For those of you who have trained with sensei, you know that comment is not necessarily good.  I think next time I am told that by a Japanese instructor I will apologize.  There was lots to be said about the way that you are to attack while doing kata.  I have to be careful in my training, not enough time is spent on attacking to win.  A uke’s we often go through the motions of throwing out a punch and not offering any type of realism when attacking.  The other side of this is not helping your partner at all.  You must start compliant and move to a point of resistance by building on success slowly.  For the most part I have noticed as Uke’s we know only resitance or compliance not the broad middle.

Rob’s training was last.  If you have questions ask those who have seen him.

Visiting Kyoto tomorrow with Alice.  Then Tuesday back to training 3 times that day, I hope.