Japanton – Chronicles of Anton in Japan!

The Mayor and some of city council of Edmonton came up with a great idea.  To reduce knife violence we should ban the sale of knives in the city.

I will have to comment on some problems with this.

1.  The knives are already here.

People in Edmonton have knives.  If someone wants to get a poket knife they can get one.

2.  Kitchen knives are sharp.  So are box cutters.

People will just start using other blades in their stead.

3.  Edmonton is not an island nation.

Leduc, Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain… you will still be able to get knives from any of these places, how will they stop the sale of knives?  Demanding proof of address at time of purchase in those cities as well?

I understand that there is a problem with violent crimes in Edmonton right now, but there must be better solutions to this problem than trying to ban the sale of knives.  I mean that’s the stupidest thing I have ever heard.  I am glad to see that our politicians are not above stupidity, I was starting to feel inferior to US politics (a la intertubes).

It has finally happened.  I have students who are asking me for the information.  What do I need to know, what do I have to work on at home.  If my tear glands had not atrophied years ago I would be crying with joy.

There is something to be said about self motivation.  I have said before that I need to provide the information, but it must also be retained.  Ask me what you want to know, I will tell you.  If you need something before that to grasp the concept, I will let you know.  If you want the one concept that you need to work on (as far as I am concerned) I will give it to you.  I want to make you better than I am faster than I got there.

Nothing would make me happier than attending classes taught by a former student.

That’s right, I am guilty.  My admission to the charges however allows a certain leniency from my peers.  Let me explain how this all came about.

Because I have been teaching classes consistently over the past few years, I have been in my comfort zone.  When you teach something you know, you make new discoveries but you are not learning anything new.  You may be improving your current skills but you are not expanding your skills.

I am lucky in that I have a chance to travel to Japan and attend seminars which push my current understanding.  But at home when I am teaching I refine current knowledge while those attending the classes make real improvement.  That is until now.

He goes be a few names, “The Booj”, “The Shidoshi Killer”, “one who knows”.  He has taken up Thursday night classes.  This allows me to train, not to think about how to improve other people, but to ingrain movements in myself.  To go through repetitive practise, these are the things which improve taijutsu.

If I fall into the trap of only training when I teach, I am a coach not a practitioner.  The Bujinkan does not need coaches.  The Bujinkan does not need teachers, we have Hatsumi Sensei.  Budo is not an academic exercise like teaching a subject in school.  If I go over some problems in Math I will improve as I show you how to do the math.  If I am teaching you to play the piano, I can show you a scale, you practising the scale does not make me a better pianist, it makes you a better pianist.  Disciplines that take physical skills do not improve but through training.

I invite all of my friends and students (which are usually one in the same) to engage me on Thrusdays as a fellow student and equal.  I’ll say it again, the Bujinkan does not need teachers it needs us to train.

When someone gets you in their mighty Judo Grip, which I hear is the most powerful grip (kung-fu grip comes a close second), what should you do?  Well if you are in the Bujinkan, I can tell you what your most likely response is.  Matching the grip right?

This should not be necessarily the case.  If someone wants to grapple with you so why should you follow their lead?  You fight how you want, not how they want right?

So here is my first Bujinkan Training drill in a long time, san shin from Kumi uchi.  On person grabs in kumi uchi, the tori goes through the sanshin  (left and right) from Kumi Uchi.  This is done with both people with a right lead, left lead, one with right one with left, hand positions for the uke reversed, both hands collar grab, double wrist grabs…

I could go on for ever, but I won’t, just give it a try if you run a class and let me know how it goes.

Your life is on the line, train well.

As there is a video of this seminar as far as I know, I can’t put too much details in my review.  I can do a high level review.

The material covered started at what Carlyle feels the foundation of the art is.  It progressed from there each step building on the last…

This is harder than I thought, trying to write about a seminar without giving away details.  I guess you will just have to visit www.ninjutsuedmonton.com and find out what they have to say about the seminar.  From there you can also purchase a DVD.  Until I get the go ahead I won’t write more on this.

–Post Continued–

So I got the go ahead.

Much of the material was reminiscent of techniques which I was taught when I started training at Carlyle’s Jihi no Kokoro Dojo.  The focus was on breathing and movement.

We spent much time working at connecting one movement to the another rather than on the differences.  Movement was the focus for this seminar putting aside other concepts (for the time being) to pass on what Carlyle found/finds most important.

A review can not give you a good indication of what went on during the seminar.  As Carlyle is a technical writer, the value is in the articulation.  If you are interested in those words (words, words) then I suggest grabbing a copy of the DVD.

OK, this is one of the hardest concepts which I have encountered to explain in words.

The more powerful the attacks the less of them you can string together without reseting yourself.  Take a side kick vs wing chung chain punches for example.  The same person doing the techniques, obviously one side kick is much stronger than any one of those punches.

This creates an interesting situation when fighting, you might argue that through experience wait for your opponent to reset then respond.  But this is not true.  If you were analyzing an opponent that you were fighting in a sport then you might have that time.  If you had hours of tape to review might be able to scope him out and know  what his skills are.  In a self defence situation you don’t have a lot of time to do this.

So how does this knowledge help then if you can’t use it against your opponent?  But you can, it’s just you must do some self examination.  Know your attacks, know how they can be put together.  Understand how you can switch from attack to defence.

When you are outside fighting, it’s not like a kung fu film and it’s not like a UFC event there is no time.  No long fights where you finally overcome your opponent by personal growth while you are fighting.  No rounds and referees which guarantee you will be fighting one opponent at a time with no surprises.

You need to know what your limits are, if you bring out your game breaker punch realize it will take you a while to recover from it, that attack better land.  If someone is throwing jabs and you are doing a huge uke nagashi, your timing better be good.

I am still thinking about this so I will leave you at that.  Next post will probably be on facing jabs, a fitting end to the month of striking.  This is also a question which Bujinkan members ask far too much because we train it far too infrequently.

A friend and sempai of mine in Japan had been studying this concept recently.  He mentioned it in passing and was kind enough to offer me an explanation.  Sei chu sen translates as True Centre Line.  It is the centre line of the body or in the case of a kamae the line from the lead hand (weapon) to the centre of the spine.

I mention this just as a concept to research, I really have nothing much to say regarding this.  I won’t repeat the explanation I received without permission, especially seeing as how my sempai is new to this concept (at least in words) himself.  I am just happy that I have friends in Japan to pass this information to me while I am away.  So if he is reading, thanks.

If anyone has more information let me know.

Personal thefts are up as high as 31 percent this year.

First off let me be clear I have no idea of what that stat means.  As high as 31 percent?  What are we breaking it down into regions.

Aside from that I would like to say that I do not teach the idea of safety enough.  It’s one thing to learn how to fight, another thing entirely to avoid danger in the first place.  Not wearing headsets in isolated places.  Not keeping lots of money or valuables in site.  Being aware of what’s going on around you.  Things like that, simple things which make you a harder target.

I think I will have to start teaching classes about avoiding danger, not just kicking ass and taking names.

This was a phrase told to me by a friend and teacher of Budo.

He said that those with no control are dangerous nobodies.  This is a true statement.  When you are training with a beginner, they are unaware of how techniques work.  Because of that you help them by not resisting which may just put you in a dangerous position.  This is when the problems start.  If the beginner (or person without control) feels that they have the technique, then put on the speed and power.  If you do not have good ukemi you can get seriously hurt.

Even when you are training with a beginner don’t let your guard down.  This is training for you as well.

Thanks for reminding me.  Ghetto Budo.

OK, first make all of Hatsumi Sensei’s jokes about thrusts.  Let’s move on.

Recently it has been driving me nuts how people were surrendering their power doing punches.  When your fist makes contact with the opponent/punching bag, your arm should be in the final punching position with only your legs and hip left to do the work.

My club has a method to hold the arm i.e. what angle the elbow should be and what angle the fist should be at.  This varies often from person to person.  But regardless your arm should be in that final position.  If it is not you are using your triceps to punch.  This is OK but it is not the Bujinkan tsuki.

I just had to get it out of my system.  If there are any questions/rebuttles let me know.