Japanton – Chronicles of Anton in Japan!

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.

Yes I know that’s not how Sir Winston Churchill said it.  But that’s the goal for the next three months.  A true understanding of material leading up to 5th kyu.

The first month will be spent against different styles of punches and kicks.  We don’t want to get caught in our own little world.  In the techniques of the Bujinkan, it does not say what type of punch.  So we need to work against retracting punches, hooks, uppercuts etc.  We need to work against kicks, snap kicks, roundhouse kicks, knees etc.

Second month throws, how do you deal with people trying to throw you?  What if they are using wrist locks?  If you are at the point where you need to take ukemi, you are in a bad place.  How can you position yourself so it doesn’t happen?

Third month ground, dealing with ukemi, taihen jutsu, kihon happo etc.  Can you do everything you can standing up on the ground?  Do you know how your movement works on the ground or are you going to just do what you see on PPV events?

So that’s basically what is going on February through April.  In May we look forward to doing considerable work on the top few kyus leading to Shodan.

It’s madness I know but I did it.  You see the problem that I found with other martial arts where a weapon is added as an afterthought is you have to learn more than one method of moving.  No so in the Bujinkan.

Anyhow here is how the exercise works, do one of the hanbo movements against a punch.  Do it again changing the distance so that you can hit without the hanbo.  Simple right?  Well the movement should be if you learnt how to use that habo properly.  But check your distance, can you be hit?  When your strike is landing can you go into hitcho without changing your weight?  If not then you are not correctly anchored.  When you are working the tsuki are you practising striking up, down and strait through?

It is a lot harder than it seems but give it a try and if you have some success or discover anything let me know in the comments please.

Confronting cruelty,
Strengthens the mind and spirit,
Vanquishing discord.

I will start out by saying this is a philosophy that I have come to myself.  It is not representative of the opinions of the TenChiJin dojo as a whole.

After one has passed 5th kyu, I assume that they are serious enough about their training that they can endure.  The training we do is not the best for physical fitness or even discipline.  These are not things that you can be given through a martial art, especially not this one.  The only thing we are good for is survival in a dangerous situation.  This said we have to train in such a way that gets us ready for a real situation.

What will it be like when you are in a fight?  No go ahead take some time, I’ll wait.  It is my responsibility to give that answer, or as close as I can to it.  Your practise must escalate to a point where you know what it will feel like when someone is trying to hurt or kill you.  That’s what you are training for right?  The world can be a dangerous place and that’s why we take the martial arts.  Regardless if it is falling off a bike, or protecting yourself or loved ones (or complete strangers Shidoshi O.) from danger there is not time to hesitate.  Your mind must be clear, your spirit determined and your body free to act as it should.

At 5th kyu, you should have the skills to defend yourself against an untrained opponent at the very least (see more about this at the end of the post).  But if you have all the skills in the world but hesitate it is meaningless.  If you don’t have the courage to act when you need to then your martial arts will in the end mean nothing.

The only way to gain this skill is through training in a way that pushes you outside of your comfort zone so that you are accustomed to how it feels when you are in a confrontation.  You must train in a way that will develop fudo shin (the immovable heart).  But more on the Immovable heart later, your life is on the line so practise well.

Yes untrained fighters, I promised I would talk about them..  I have heard countless times, “well if you meet a bar fighter then he will be way better than a martial artist anyhow” or “fighting experience is all that matters anyway so when you get on the street your martial arts means nothing”.  If people could just naturally win then there would be no reason for the martial arts.  If practise did not improve your skills then why would every other physical endeavour do it.  I admit the reason why I have posted information on training is because we as martial arts teachers are not taking advantage of the advances in sports learning.

For you to assert that an untrained fighter who gets into a scrap a week at the bar is going to be better than a properly trained martial artist is like putting a basketball player who practices on a team against someone who just was handed a ball told the rules and playing pickup basketball (one on one) one day a week.  That assumption is madness at best.  It does not apply in any other activity, why in regards to fighting?

Well there are two more, that means that training will get serious.  But I will have to add to this post later.

It’s later.

I would like to congratulate Mark and Eric for passing 5th kyu.  In fact I should probably apologize for this point not occurring sooner.

When students are unable to pass the test for their ranks, it’s often failure on my part.  Obviously I have not supplied them with the requisite knowledge which they need for their level.  This is not always the case but it was in the case of a few students whom have been training for some time at the dojo.  If there are skills which students need to have, I must give them a way to gain those skills, that is the bottom line.

I don’t have a time requisite for grading, only skill.  If you have been at the club for a week and have the skills it is time for you to move to the next stage of your training.  Time requirements drive me nuts.  I had that opinion in school, so I will do things different in a martial arts school.

For all the newly graded green belts, training only gets harder from here.  I will expect much more out of you as you aproach your shodan so be prepared.