Japanton – Chronicles of Anton in Japan!

As promised I will do a short book review.  I have hardly any time for reading, especially with the seminar that I just hosted.  Now that it is finished I have had a chance to collect my thoughts and re-read the book, I am ready to give my exalted opinion.

The Book is setup in such a way that it presents the attribute, gives the definition and the proceeds with advice and exercises to improve the attribute.  There for example is a section on mechanics.  It starts with a dictionary definition of mechanics, then explains the budo concept of mechanics and it’s importance.  Finally you are treated to what training you need to do to improve your mechanics.

This is so simple a concept but it was missing from the Bujinkan in book form.  Too often we as Bujinkan members hide behind the way things are done in Japan to realize that the training in Japan is to pass on as much information as possible.  It is our responsibility to actually find ways to train what we are shown.  This is a book that allows us to take proper responsibility for our actions and training.

A skill list, training drills and some of the old conditioning exercises as an added bonus.  I highly recommend this book, it is a short read and well worth the yen.

Despite the personal signed copy I can assure you my review was objective.

Yes Lubos is here.  With him he brought monstrous taijutsu.  Let me explain if I could by compareing Lubos to a certain Bearded shihan that I know.  When you are attacking this Bearded Shihan, it’s like you are attacking a Battleship with a slingshot (See top 10 giant movie monsters).  When you are attacking Lubos, it is like you are fighting a war of attrition and he is not.  You loose every weapon that you attack him with and never get it back.  There is an understanding of controlling the Kukan which is just unreal.

Let me put it another way.  Looking at Lubos do techniques is just like looking at Hatsumi Sensei without experiencing his feeling.  You would swear what he is doing is garbage.  It can’t be seen, only felt.  It is unfortnate that he is not better known around the world.  It is a real loss to Bujinkan budo taijutsu not having a teacher/practitioner of his caliber spreading this information.

Anyhow more on this seminar after I write that book review.  Which means this weekend I will read through the Kevin Book again and give you my opinion.

Thanks for coming out for that everyone.  As far as I know everyone who attended had a good time.  Look forward to an actual weekend seminar next year.  It will be held one week before the Edmonton Blues festival 2009.

The Lubos Pokorny seminar will soon be upon us.  So this is just a friendly reminder, let me know if you are planning on attending and if you need a place to stay.  I will look for some of his videos online and post them so you can see some of his stuff.  Suffice to say, I like the cut of his jib.

Anton

Just a little history, Kevin Millis is the first Bujinkan Shihan I had ever met.  That was back in early 1999.  Had I not met him, I would not know that Bujinkan Techniques worked.  As such I would not have stayed in this art.  9 years later it was interesting to see how far we have both come.

We did a lot of weapons basics.  That was great, I enjoyed the details.  Rather than going over the kata (which we can all find in a book released by sensei), Kevin went through the way of using your hands and feet, the methods of drawing the sword, how to handle rope.  This was probably my favorite Kevin seminar to date.

Lastly I got a book I had been waiting for since 2001 at a Fort McMurray seminar.  A book by Kevin, “Attributes of a Budoka”.  I will do my best to write a review on that as well when I am done reading it.

Some rumors have been going around about who is the most awesome Bujinkan instructor in Alberta.  Well I am here to tell you it’s Jim.  Now if you don’t know Jim, you better ask somebody cause you’ve got problems if you don’t.  Jim teaches, goes to Japan and is a cool guy.  Now I am talking Brock Samson cool.  The type of cool that you just have to take time to recognize on your training blog.

I summary, Jim is the most awesome.  Sorry Brian, Russ, Nick, John, Pierre and Natasha.  Maybe next time.

So, no class on Sunday due to a Kevin Millis seminar.  I recommend that anyone who can attend.  It will start at 2 PM on Saturday at Millennium place in Sherwood Park.  I believe it is 10 AM to start on Sunday.  Kevin will be bringing with him a book, which I have been waiting for since 2001.  It is on the qualities that you need to be an effective martial artist.  He has told me the reason it took so long is that he changed it from basically a list with details to a book with exercises that help build these qualities.

Anyhow make sure to attend the cost is $125 for two days $90 for one.

In a fight you may get hit.  I view that as a failure on my part if I do get hit.  I don’t give myself excuses like oh in a fight you are going to get hit.  If you get hit you have done something wrong.  That said it’s always best to go with the philosophy ‘hope for the best, prepare for the worst’.

This drill is one that I shamelessly stole from Rob Renner (Zero Point Bujinkan Dojo).  It is called the progressive impact training drill.  This is a drill to get your body accustomed to taking a hit while keeping kamae and remaining relaxed.

Start with the attacker using their palms.  You slowly and lightly strike your opponent (to start) and the receiver takes the force and moves back in kamae.  As the receiver becomes more accustomed to it pick up the speed (but do not add weight yet).  This will make it more difficult to remain relaxed while receiving the hit.  When the reciever is hit he must remember to breath out when the attacks are aimed at his torso.  As the receiver becomes more accustomed to the fast pace, slow it down this time adding weight to the strikes.  Afterwards speed up the exercise with weight behind the attacks.  When you are able to do this the exercise must be repeated with fudo ken and all the other weapons.  Remember the Hiken ju roppo are what give the techniques of the bujinkan unique strength.

This will allow attackers to get accustomed to attacking with their full strength.  The receivers will gain confidence in their abilities to take a punch so that fear does not set in if they do come under attack by a real opponent.

If you need me to clarify this drill let me know.

Just letting everyone know, there will be no seminar for Japan material. Why you may ask, there are more than enough people whom were in Japan. The reason I had the previous seminars was, because it was just me. It is important for the information to be passed on, if I was the only one who went to Japan, I wanted to share the feeling. Since there were so many people there this trip, just train with one of us and take the feeling from them.

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.