2022 Control the Tiger

When talking of the Chinese zodiac it is often easy to think of the various animals as inspirational characters giving us power, I myself was born a fire dragon and so for years I quite liked the idea of this. I am reminded though of lessons from my teacher, and his teacher, about the limitations of animals. It is said that when Hatsumi Sensei once visited America in the early days he was asked what “animal style” he preferred, referring of course to kung fu and other animal based arts. His answer was that he liked “human style”. 

This is genius on so many levels, but mostly because humans are indeed the pinnacle of evolution. We have devised specialized tools and concepts to kill and control even the most dangerous animals. Ever see a tiger at the zoo? Takamatsu Sensei reputedly remarked that it is not good to be like a powerful and dangerous animal because human societies tend to control and eradicate them. So what then are we to make of the year of the Tiger?

Well before getting into that let me bring up the topic of Ikigai! This is a wonderful term that represents finding a meaningful purpose to ones life, one which balances out various internal and external needs and sources of joy. To me this concept although not articulated as such is on the minds of many, especially in the Bujinkan. Many of us are getting older, the grandmaster and source of drive and inspiration has retired, the societies we live in are divided and many things we took for granted in this world are now restricted or eradicated. It is definitely a time for soul searching, new ideas, reconciliations, and personal development.

Of course one of the most wonderful things about being a human is the ability to be compassionate, benevolent, and possessing a strong desire to protect all life, even our perceived enemies.

So back to the Tiger, you see in martial arts there is often this energy between the dragon and the tiger. The tiger being very physical, emotional, and territorial. The dragon is calculating, mythical and detached. When I think about the world right now I see millions of people being controlled just like the tiger in the cage. Except instead of bars the tiger is addicted to dopamine, its senses are misled, and it no longer knows it is a tiger.

Is this all possible with humans too? Well perhaps if one was to pervert that intrinsic protector mindset, subvert the consciousness enough, and exploit corruptible weaknesses it would be possible. We know it is.

How can we ever find Ikigai if this is the state of modern human existence? We can’t. And so we can’t be tigers, we can’t be animals, we can’t run on desires and hormones, and we can’t trust our conscious senses either. These allow us to be controlled. We must instead tame the tigers inside ourselves and tap into our subconscious abilities. This is the godan test, every second of every day, connecting with our higher potential and mutating into new strains of ourselves.

It is only through developing this immunity and experiencing evolution that we can cause these cages to fall apart and open up new avenues of progress and prosperity for our societies and our world. So in 2022, instead of being a Tiger, and risk being caged, perhaps cage the Tiger within, and be freed. 

2017 A year in review with Jack Hoban

On Sat November 11th (Veteran's Day) I attended the Year in Review Seminar with Jack Hoban. This seminar began a little earlier than usual and was well attended. Aside from Jack there were teachers from at least 7 different dojo in the north-east attending.

Jack opened up the class by verbally explaining some of the themes for the year. We had focused on a lot of Kotō Ryu, Mutō Dori, and controlling the balance point.

On the subject of Kotō Ryu, Jack said that he wasn't really teaching Kotō Ryu as a standalone art, nor did he feel particularly qualified to do so. His point was that in all the years he has seen Soke work on the different schools, he stills sees the same overall Bujinkan Taijutsu. He said that a better way to describe what we were doing was Bujinkan Taijutsu using the Kotō Ryu kata as a reference point. We weren't doing a historical reenactment but rather finding a modern relevance in the form.

With that in mind, training began. We began with the Shoden Gata of Kotō Ryu, in the first two techniques the attacker is attempting a throw. Jack pointed out the important difference between trying to resist the throw by stiffening, which gave the attacker a better "sense" of how to throw you, versus moving to a better position where the attacker was temporarily unbalanced.

In Yokutō for example, the basic evasion is done using yoko-aruki, but where and when is this movement done? We were instructed to find the place where our movement captured the opponents balance and allowed us to freely strike the opponent. With trial and error, and watching the instructor's example we could start to find a good tactical position. Having good feedback from the Uke was critical in this regard. The tricky part was the timing, that was something that just had to be felt and hopefully one day understood. Once the initial move started to work, it was much easier to capitalize on the Uke's response with a koppō, keri, and shako.

The next kata Ōgyaku was a good example of this; after breaking their kamae by pressing on the back of the hip and extending their spine the Uke attempted to straighten up. This allowed us to drive into their butsumetsu with a shitō fist quite easily, felling them with mostly their own movement.

In Koyoku the attack was a punch, and rather than waiting we covered the attacking arm and intercepted the attack by striking the Kimon with a Niōken, followed by a Ganseki Nage. The key part here, again, was finding the correct position and having the correct timing to intercept the attackers center, breaking their kamae from the very beginning. Now the key became space management, and creating a lever in their arm such that when the Uke fights and resists they progress themselves to the ground. As Jack demonstrated it, it almost looked fake watching the Uke fall down. As Uke though, you felt how it worked and realized that appearances are very deceiving.

For Shitō, Hosoku, and Hōteki we used similar principles, creating Gyaku, striking with Kikaku, or performing Taki-otoshi. Leverage, Juppō Sessho, Kukan, and Kaname. Jack mentioned that we keep reviewing ideas and concepts from previous years but always from a new perspective or deeper level of understanding.

After a lunch break we returned and changed gears to practice dealing with multiple attackers.

Here the principle was the same as with a single attacker, except we had to utilize the one Uke against the other. Pinning them together and seeing the balance point to control two individuals together. This was no easy task, but a good puzzle. Jack gave us pointers, trying to coax us to move in the right direction. In this way we began to at least get an idea of what we should be doing. Finally we had a demo of using the same principle against three attackers, so much to learn.

Next we moved on to Mutō-dori, which Jack explained as much deeper than just "unarmed against a sword", perhaps more in the line of dealing with opponents that have an advantage of any kind. We began though with the traditional sword, and a Shomen strike. At first we moved in a way similar to shown at Buyū Camp, where we moved just enough to avoid the outside of the cut and at a distance which exceed the sword's reach. Then once we started to feel the timing of this movement we looked at a new space, which involved us moving into and beside the cut. We were instructed not to "dodge" the sword and instead improve our timing, physically moving as little as possible. It was OK to be hit a few times with the padded training weapon while we tested our distance and timing. We were experimenting (playing one might say).

The attack then changed to a horizontal cut, and then a tsuki. In all cases we had to focus on the timing of the space and avoid staring at the sword. Here more than ever we could see and work on the positioning with our partners, but getting that good sense of timing would take practice.

Finally we switched to a Tantō, a weapon with reduced range but increased maneuverability.  From a slash, a hold up, even pinned against a wall, we had to focus on the same principles. Balance, timing, space. Not easy in such a confined and would-be dangerous situation. There was definitely something to be said for the concepts, even if we could not yet fully grasp and execute them. "Don't mess around with the knife!", Jack pointed out. It was better to injure and disable the attacker rather than try to wrestle their weapon away.

After we thanked our training partners we took a moment to discuss another talking point from the year. How different parts of the brain work, and how under stress we often rely on our cerebral cortex to make very non-tactical and reactive decisions. Jack talked about how humans have beaten any animal on earth using intelligence, but we could never beat a dangerous animal using only instinct. In fact much of the Taijutsu we use requires some rational awareness to recognize and execute in the moment. At the same time, if we are too intellectual we might lack the innate skills to recognize and react to danger in the first place. So part of training is the ability to toggle the consciousness according to the situation. As an example; he talked about highly trained members of SWAT teams practice their methods over and over again, often under stress, so that in the real world they do not panic. Correct methodology, frequent repetition.

Of course, this led me to a realization, the Kotō Ryu, the Mutō Dori, the Mindset....these were not the true themes of the year at all. It was the same theme as every year...Bujinkan Budō Taijutsu!

Coming down from the mountain

As many of you might know, in addition to my regular interstate commute to train with Jack Hoban in New Jersey, I also teach every week at Bujin Philly in Pennsylvania. We wrapped up 2016 training there on Dec 18th and at the end of class I provided my own tie-in (click here for a great book on tie-ins) that reflected my thoughts on my own training. It was met with a lot of positive feedback so I decided to write it publicly in my blog so that perhaps others may gain from it.

It all started after my teacher made his most recent return from Japan. Now, I'm not saying that my classes usually go very well, there are always gaps and weaknesses in my training, but that first night when he got back I was for the most part utterly lost. This left me feeling somewhat disturbed, what was I doing, or not doing that caused me to "not get it"? Had I finally lost grasp of the fine thread of training? Did I need to train more, or less, or change my training altogether? My mind was whizzing all the way home and for several days and classes afterwards.

As I thought about it more, my perspective broadened from where I was then, to where I had been. I thought about my entire experience of training. 10 years ago I started training with my teacher, at that time I had already been training for 15 years. As well as training at my then local dojo, I had been to Japan, I had been to seminars and classes with high ranking Shihan, attended a few Taikai, and had cross trained in other martial arts, but I had stopped growing as a martial artist for a while. In terms of training, I had reached the top of my little mountain, I had peaked.

When I first started training at Spring Lake I could see that Jack and several of his students were at a higher level. I couldn't quite understand why, or how, but in some way I could just sense the level of my teacher, he was on this big mountain which towered over mine. Now I knew that I really wanted to get to the top of that mountain too, I imagined the glorious view from up there, and I was all set to climb. There was just one problem, I couldn't simply fly upwards from where I was. There was no cable car express to the top.

For months, maybe even a year or more, I tried to figure out why I wasn't really progressing. Why couldn't I just go up! Finally it occurred to me. If I want to climb that big mountain, then the first thing I have to do is come down from my own. Go all the way back to the ground, seemingly giving up all the ground I had gained and starting from scratch. Ugh! But, what choice did I have. And so I did. I just shut up and listened and went from the ground up.

Then, years later I was still climbing that mountain with my heart set on the top, when I looked back I saw that old mountain, which now looks like an ant-hill. Yeah, I felt pretty good. Suddenly a voice comes from far away in my subconscious and asks me, "what are you doing?". 

"Climbing the mountain", I reply. Silence for a while.

"Well we aren't climbing that mountain any more Tony, we are on this new mountain now.....".

I turn and look up where the voice comes from, and there, previously shrouded by the mist is a taller and steeper and more impressive mountain than the one I am on.

"But.........", I look down. I look across, I look up "..I'm still climbing this one....", my voice trails off.

I already know that I have reached that point. The point where I have to decide, shall I keep fixated on the peak of this mountain? Or shall I embark on a new course now that it has been revealed to me, one that requires me first to descend from where I am.

I have learned that sometimes in order to reach new levels we have to throw away a good portion of what we think we know, what we think we want, and in the process even a part of ourselves. Not just once, but many times over. Sometimes we have to come down the mountain.

Buyu Camp 2016

It is almost December. Just over two months ago I was at the Buyū Camp East in Wickatunk, NJ. A younger version of myself would still have the techniques and conversations floating through my head, but that is not how it is for me now. 2016 has been a whirlwind, in my paid vocation several large projects were completed, in my private life milestones were reached and difficulties survived. I traveled, competed, organized, studied, supported, laughed, cried, trained, lived and loved. Buyū Camp was indeed fantastic, many there said it was quote "The best one yet!". I agree, but even the best moments can be swamped by a hectic modern world. My teacher Jack Hoban said to me recently "When I was one years old, a year was my whole life. When I was two, a year was half my life. Now....". Well, you do your own math on that one and see for yourself how you fare.

Jack teaching Ura Shutō

Nevertheless, the feeling of Buyū Camp still remains, and what a wonderful feeling it was. Tucked away in the woods of New Jersey, dozens of martial artists from all over the continental USA are joined by visitors from Europe and sometimes further afield. Sharing training experiences and ideas, working together to cultivate an environment which is particularly hard to define in words.

Sabine Fröhlich of Germany

A feeling of welcome is present for certain. Jack talked about his early days training with his teacher Sōke Hatsumi Masaaki in Japan. At that time there was no Honbu dōjō, there was no internet, signage was almost exclusively in Japanese, there was limited translation, and a limited number of members training at the dōjō, most of whom had been training many years already. Jack reminisced how he must have been back then, from a different culture, a different background, and looking to learn from this tight group of hardcore students. It would have been quite easy to be excluded, certainly in my own experience budōka can be very resentful of their own training being slowed down by dealing with an "outsider". But that is not what happened to Jack. Efforts were made to on-board him into their training methodology. Jack made it quite clear that to this day he appreciates that hospitality and intended to do unto others as had been done unto him.

Ed Martin of Pennsylvania

Of course there were some technical themes during the camp. On Friday night a solid grounding in the Sanshin forms as well as the Kihon Happō. On Saturday morning the day began with kata and variations from the Gyokko Ryū Joryaku no Maki. In the breakout session the themes varied; Mutō Dori, Sanshin, Rokushakubō, Taihenjutsu, Shinken Gata, Newaza, Kihon Happō and Tantō. On Sunday afternoon Kenjutsu. A mighty showcase for a diverse set of teachers, tools and concepts. The feeling however was studious, everyone wanted to learn and take the opportunity to explore what others were thinking or doing, using this opportunity to refine or experiment with their own training. We trained hard as a group, but we had fun with it and made light of our mistakes and kept going.

Steffen Fröhlich of Germany

There was indeed a sense of continuity. It might be that many of those at camp only get a chance to meet this one time of the year, yet the friendships keep growing and the purpose of training slowly becomes clearer to all. This was probably my tenth Buyū Camp since moving to the USA, and although some of the original inspirational Buyū are no longer training with us in the physical world, their vision continues through others. Life is change, at the end of the last day Jack revealed that the venue would have to change for 2017 as the owners were selling the facility. Referring back to Hatsumi Sensei, Jack said "Tsugi!" which means "Next!". Always looking forwards to the next iteration, the next step.

Murray Taylor from Great Britain

Perhaps in the end there was a sense of "Wow I was here for this!", and I thoroughly look forward to enjoying that same feeling in 2017. In the meantime here are more photos of Buyū Camp East 2016 : Facebook Album (no account needed)

Craig Gray from Michigan

Please also look check out the BuyuKai in Germany for 2017 : http://www.buyukai.de/

The Sunday Group

Ethics, Tactics, Technique revisited

About 6 years ago I wrote a blog essay about ethics. It was overly wordy but managed to get a modest number of views. Eventually I decided I was no longer happy with it and took it down, besides, there is much better sources in the form of books. It was really just a desire to share what was for me a major observation from training in a class with Jack Hoban, in case others found it useful.

I still remember that class. It had been a class much like any other, Jack would say one thing, and I would do another. I was not being a bad student deliberately, I was actually training very hard and paying attention. It was just that something key was missing in my training. For years Jack had tried to impart upon all of us the importance of having the right ethic, of controlling the space effectively, and how to apply a technique efficiently. It made sense in words, I could see and feel the application in action, but when I went to do it my habit was to fight for a winning technique, or finishing move. Sacrificing all else in the process.

In this particular class we studied Sanshin no Kata, some of the most "basic" movements in the Bujinkan system. Jack was explaining how the ethic drives the tactic which drives the technique in this controlled scenario. Somewhere around the second form I suddenly saw something and internalized it, "from that space there, he is safe, if he is unethical and goes in this way he will break his tactical advantage and get hit, if the opponent moves in however he can stay safe and can defend himself very well". Not very exciting in words I know, but my mind started to buzz with new possibility. My first realization was....you can consistently be ethical, and tactical and do a technique!?

Not impressed? Well of course, in words many things are easy. But in reality, my own life experience and years of martial arts training had not led me to hold much confidence in being ethical when it came to violence. And even when it came to tactics, the most common tactic that seemed to work was to be stronger, faster and more ruthless than the opponent. Being unexceptional at all of those, I'd barely managed to fight or run my way out of trouble on several occasions in the past. Being ethical, while also surviving, seemed like a lofty ideal. But suddenly that night, it was demonstrably possible, even in basic form, even for me.

The next observation was that, actually, being ethical was not just possible but better! That was the main realization. It was absolutely clear, if I lose the ethic of protecting self and others, my mind would cloud, I would perhaps get angry or panic, I would freeze or rush into something, and it would be little more than luck if my forced technique worked. On the contrary, keeping ethical kept me thinking tactically, and eventually allowed me to find the right form for the technique. True, it would require me to change the way I trained, it would take time to develop any level of proficiency, but if I was not prepared to evolve and put the work in, I had essentially reached the end of my training anyway.

There is often a joke on the internet about "what has been seen cannot be unseen". What I saw was a better approach to my martial arts training than what I had been doing up to that point. 6 years later I certainly have not mastered it, but I am happy with the progress and look forward to many more years of growth and development. In that regard too, it is a better life.

Riding the wave into 2016

One particular lesson from 2015 still stands out for me. I was struggling with a larger and tight muscled opponent, and every time I felt resistance, I also tried to get stronger, and my technique became unsafer and less effective as a result. This did not escape the attention of our teacher.

After stepping in to demonstrate without issue, Jack asked me to focus on being in the right position to deal with the opponent's force, and to go with the opponent rather than fight him. I followed this advice as best I could, the result was not perfect but much improved on what I had been doing. Jack asked my partner "what was the feeling?", and my partner replied that he "Didn't really feel that much" comparing to my earlier attempts. Then Jack said something funny, he said when you do it right your partner should say to you "Wow! I never DIDN'T feel anything like that before!".

Although it had me smiling on my commute home from the Dōjō, this statement certainly made me more aware of what I felt, or didn't feel, as techniques were applied to me during the rest of the year. Which gradually became less and less feeling towards the end, especially in Japan, training with so many high level members of the Bujinkan and in such a Budō rich environment.

It seemed in stark contrast to how the training had started in January and for much or the year. Working on the Sanshin, Kihon Happō and basic Kata of Kukishinden Ryu Dakentaijutsu, we often communicated with our training partners regarding specifically the feeling, trying to coax each other to achieve more efficient Taijutsu. Now the forms were often flowing and adjusting according to the Uke, becoming less and less like specific recognizable techniques.

This kind of training was hard to maintain though, because...how can I put this? I was not quite able to employ the required level of Taijutsu consistently. My foundational skills were not quite up to scratch, my experience was not quite there, my understanding had not yet fully developed. I often looked for insight as to what specifically I was doing wrong, but after demonstrating something I could not comprehend, Jack would simply say "I can't teach you this, this can't be taught...you just have to keep training". That actually made me happy in a way, that there are levels of this art which are out of reach to those that do not study diligently.

Soon enough though, January 2016 arrived, and we spent our first class of the year again working on Sanshin and Kihon Happō. This time however there were new details for me to observe, refinements to take into consideration. As a fellow student quipped "advanced basics".

The 52 week cycle of learning has begun anew for us. Not quite as impressive as the current 42 year cycle of the Bujinkan, but a cycle within a cycle. Who knows where 2016 will take the training for us, but just like a surfer, one must ride the wave, and go with the flow.

Nami Nin - Wave man
by Hatsumi Sensei Bujinkan Sōke

Japan Trip Review - The Skipping Stone

When I first arrived at the new Honbu, I was incredibly impressed by its fresh character. A lot of thought had gone into layout and facilities, while a bright and well decorated interior provided a clean backdrop for Budo training. As much as I miss the old training hall, it definitely felt like an upgrade. The famous chalk board schedule still hung upon the wall, and I was excited to see that I would have the chance to train with many Shihan during my stay.

The first class was with Nagato Sensei, and immediately my attention was drawn to his movement. It seemed that as he demonstrated the initial grab, punch, or kick attack would be the same, and he might even travel in the same initial direction, but from there it would change each time. As the attacker fought back or readjusted balance, the defenders flow would just continue, circumventing the opponents strength and patiently letting a technique unfold naturally.

Nothing was really completed, one moment it appeared that an Omote Gyaku was going to be applied, but then it would suddenly transform into Ganseki Nage, in this way I saw a full flow of Kihon Happo techniques demonstrated, I felt this significant and so it stuck in my mind.

Grandmaster Hatsumi Sensei was of course the heart center of inspiration. I actually had the opportunity to see him teaching five times during my trip and all my observations have since overlapped. He mentioned that this year he had been focusing on Muto Dori, but it felt like he was trying to explain that this represented more than just empty handed defenses against a sword wielding attacker. There was a feeling to it, which was always there, regardless of whether he was armed or not.

Often he repeated the importance of not 'evading' the attack quickly, but to find the right rhythm and space. He also demonstrated the use of very light touch, sometimes using just a finger to control a cover point on the attacker. On a few occasions he didn't even need to touch the opponent, simply covering the important spaces was enough to alter the opponents next move. In fact, he even said not to see the opponent as an opponent to be beaten or defended against, but rather as a collaborator.

He often used his elbows to control, leaving his hands free to strike, or take other points, all in a natural flow. He likened this to the concept of the skipping stone, bouncing across the water. I felt that much like the skipping stone, the outcome is predetermined by the conditions, but any slight variation in those conditions appear to cause vastly deviating visual results. He said the important thing to do was to keep going along with the flow, and to have faith that one will survive.

Another notable concept was his usage of fulcrums and levers, especially when employing a sword or staff. He often found a way to set himself up, so that a simple soft movement of his body exerted incredible natural force against his opponent. Sometimes he even asked for multiple opponents to attack, and he was able to leverage them against each other. He did warn us not to take his Muto Dori too seriously though, and went on to show us how as a swordsman he could easily cut by utilizing the same flow and feeling as if he had no sword.

Hatsumi Sensei actually had an extra class for his Birthday. He talked about how he had spent the last 42 years working on what he had learned in 15 years with his teacher Takamatsu Sensei. He finally feels that he can do justice to the titles he received, and later mentioned that it is sometimes necessary to grow into a title or award, which has been received in advance of reaching the required ability.

He said that he has had a good time during those 42 years, he did a lot of travelling around the world teaching and spreading his art during less turbulent decades. Now however, it might be that as Budoka we have to step up to become examples for future generations as the world itself is changing. This change, and need to evolve was referenced often. Next, next, next....what is going to happen in the next cycle, it felt like a lot of that is really up to all of us now.

I studied with all of the Shihan that made themselves available, my cup was full and emptied several times. I realized I could not take back home their techniques or form, but their advice and training methodologies were certainly something I could work from. Apart from which, their skill and ability are all an inspiration to keep going, reference points to what is possible if I just keep pushing.

Hatsumi Sensei also talked about this, he said that when one hits a wall, one should not give up, but keep trying to find a way through. He said even if the wall is really strong, you can broadcast through it, and that way still reach the other side. That we should not let these walls be such a determination of who we are. With such motivational words, it was really a powerful training environment.

There certainly was a great deal of energy at the Dojo, I was awestruck not just by Hatsumi Sensei and his skills but also at the entire atmosphere he has created. It was very hard not to be distracted and I was reminded about Jack's teaching on the combat mindset during the year. I began to wonder in the skipping stone analogy whether we are supposed to be the skipping stone, or the water.

Buyu Camp Review 2015

September 2015, already a fading memory, was the setting for another excellent Buyu Camp. Martial friends from far and wide trained together, learned together, networked, and grew.

Friday night began with us training Sanshin no Kata and Kihon Happo. Jack Hoban took us through the basics, highlighting many of the key points: Alignment, distance, timing.

Boshiken

There was a wide range of participants there, from those who have been training several decades, to those who were experiencing Bujinkan Taijutsu for the first time. It felt like everyone had something to learn from this review, and it primed us all us all up well for the weekend ahead.

On Friday night some of us staying at the camp enjoyed a warm campfire. It was a pleasant evening for weary travelers who had spend many hours on the road, and added to the feeling of the camp.

On Saturday morning, after a warm up by Ed Martin, the group assembled to practice some Kukishinden Ryu Dakentaijutsu along with some variations. Jack explained how we could use the concept of Shu-Ha-Ri (守破離) to first study and learn the form, and then to break the form, and finally to lose the form. He also demonstrated the concept of capturing the Ukes balance, and using this balance point to topple the opponent. Either sending the uke flying, or taking them down to the ground and submitting them.

Uke Nagashi

After breaking for lunch there were several breakout sessions, where we could choose which instructor we wanted to train with. This was also repeated on Sunday morning.

Mark Guest taught a class on Bojutsu

Ed Figueroa demonstrated how good Taijutsu could be used in everyday life

Ed Martin explained the principles of escaping a knife attack and protecting others

Murray Taylor and Phil Bradshaw talked about the Hokken Juroppo (16 Striking Treasures)

Miki Fujitsubo showed some Taijutsu concepts

Craig Gray worked on ground fighting tactics

Josh Reis taught pistol and knife work

Josh Sager and myself also held a class for Kihon (basics)

It was a very busy time of sharing and learning. With teachers from the east coast, the west coast, and Europe, there was more than enough knowledge and information available for the participants.

On Saturday night, many of us attended a no host dinner at the local Colts Neck Inn. A great chance to unwind and compare notes, as well as getting to know each other a bit better.

On Sunday afternoon Jack brought forward some 'what if?' scenarios, including multiple attackers. Connecting the opponents to each other was key, so as to capture the balance point together. 

We also practiced Hanbojutsu, using kyo-jitsu to draw out the attack and using the Hanbo tactically to control the kukan. 

By the end of the weekend my cup was completely full, mission accomplished.

Looking forward to seeing everyone again next year!

STRIKE! Learning to maintain the combat mindset.

On July 11th I attended Jack Hoban's seminar in Spring Lake, NJ. The month of July is linked to the passing of one of Jack's life mentors, Robert Humphrey. As many people may know, Robert Humphrey was a rifle platoon commander on Iwo Jima, and also an honorary Bujinkan 10th Dan.

If you do not know about his work, I would like to recommend this benign looking but powerfully eye opening book:
http://www.amazon.com/Values-New-Millennium-Robert-Humphrey/dp/0915761041

The seminar itself began with 90 minutes of STRIKE training. This training methodology originated from Robert Humphrey's own experience in military combat in WWII. During this time of intense conflict, he became aware that during firefights, only a small percentage of his unit were returning fire and shooting at the enemy. He surmised that most of his men were suffering from shock and fear, yet, for some reason, he himself was able to overcome these emotions.

He speculated that maybe his experiences as a boxer had helped him to override much of the physiological responses to danger, and was keen to instill the same capability in his men. He took his platoon to the beach, and one by one engaged them in taunting and slap fighting, pushing his men to the point of losing their cool and fighting back. Once in this heightened state, he instructed them to go through the mechanical action of shooting their rifles into the ocean.

Although rudimentary, this strategy appeared to work. He had essentially taught his men to experience the emotions brought on by a threat to their well-being, and yet maintain enough control to perform measured life protecting responses. This methodology was taken back to the marine training facilities, with the idea of having recruits box each other and develop confidence. Except the concept backfired! What happened under normal boxing conditions was the skilled fighters often bullied the weaker ones, and the less confident became even more "gun-shy".

The solution was STRIKE as it remains today. A designated "catcher" will face off against the person undertaking the exercise. The catcher will encourage the participant to attack, and when opportunity arises deliver a measured STRIKE of their own, usually limiting themselves to lead hand attacks. At this point the participant must be encouraged to overcome the physiological shock and get back into the fight with a counter attack. Again however, this situation relies on both the catcher and the participant remaining cool enough to not overreact. For this purpose a rope is suspended between the two participants, neither boxer is allowed to cross the rope, and at any time either party can back away from the rope to create the necessary breathing space to re-organize mentally. Using the rope as cover is a key component in making strike work, and truly "develop" confidence no matter the starting level of the participant.

So why is this STRIKE training so important? As Rober Humphrey wrote in his book. "Experienced truly professional fighters do not let anything make them uncontrollably mad. Anger is usually self-defeating;physiologically, it shuts down the thinking processes". Yet at the same time, a fighter can not be paralyzed by fear. It is a balance, and STRIKE helps develop that balance.

After lunch, we continued the recent theme of Kukishinden Ryu, starting with a traditional form (in this case Iwa Kudaki), and employing different methods of pinning the opponent after the take-down. As always the underlying concepts of the Taijutsu were fairly complex and non-intuitive in nature. Three dimensional and leveraging actions from a changing safe space while maintaining good kamae. This kind of training takes time as well as mental, physical and spiritual effort to master. However, on the occasion that these elements start to fall into place, the difference in ease of application, and vulnerability of the opponent can be astounding.

Jack finished the day by pointing out that good Taijutsu requires use of the frontal areas of the brain, whereas fear causes thoughts to retreat to the brain stem, where our actions become more basic and less capable of perspective based problem solving. This understanding of brain function is not theory but scientifically known with modern technology. As Jack pointed out, before technology allowed it, warriors already were aware of methods to maintain conscious awareness, such as the use of Zen meditation. Could it be that these ancient warriors were tapping into their own form of STRIKE.

March Seminar Review - The take down

At the latest seminar we continued to focus on Kukishinden Ryu Dakentaijutsu. This followed on from a seminar the previous month, during which Jack discussed the usefulness of being able to successfully take down an opponent in combat, be the situation military, law enforcement, or simply personal defense. And how, according to the environment, one or both parties may be wearing armor, weapons, or even bulky winter clothes that impact the Taijutsu employed. With this thought in mind we started to look at the nuances of the techniques in this particular school.

The techniques of Kukishinden Ryu Dakentaijutsu are overtly brutal, with many patterns designed to maim or incapacitate the armored opponent, heaping them onto the ground awkwardly, leaving them wide open and helpless for an accurate finishing counter attack. Of course, as Jack pointed out, for most of us this might simply be an opportunity to escape and seek the assistance of law enforcement. The important question was, as always, what can we learn from the basic forms in terms of developing better Taijutsu.

There are many recurring themes in terms of bad habits in my experience. Not bending the knees, curving the spine, reaching with the arms, pulling with just the arms, looking down at the floor, stopping the feet....the list seems endless. It wasn't a newsflash to notice these 'bugs in my system' creeping out, however, something did catch my attention. I noticed that when I physically have hold of someone with both hands, trying to execute a technique, it was much more tempting to try and use strength. As a result all the aforementioned Taijutsu flaws were dragged out into plain view much earlier, and much more clearly than usual.

As Jack deftly guided us through several variations, we started to see that these were all methods of causing the Uke to unbalance themselves, and then exploit that opening by controlling their attempts to regain their position. Of course the trick is, being able to 'see' and 'feel' what is happening spatially, and adjust accordingly, rather than have a fixated intention on what is going to happen. This takes practice to even develop basic competency, and so the day was hard but rewarding work.

During the seminar Jack "re-introduced" the importance of Katate-Hicho no Kamae. This kamae is not simply a Gyokko Ryu Hicho in armor, but was demonstrably used to great effect as a stepping stone while moving from one tactical position to the next in Kukishinden Gata. This gave us some much needed help, bridging some gaps in our Taijutsu.

Jack had opened the day by raising an important point from his mentor Robert Humphrey. I paraphrase here due to lack of phonographic memory, but it was along the lines of:
In order for society to truly work, everyone had to be able to fight. That is to say, in a place where people are not afraid to stand up for what is right, there will be far fewer problems.

I would say by the end of the seminar, everyone had worked hard to try and make this a reality.

Robert Humphrey's speech at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville April 10-12, 1997

Commitment IS easier

During a few of our recent classes, Jack has been talking about how "Commitment is easier". At first this does not seem to make sense, surely if you commit to doing something, then you must now go through with the effort of making it happen. That doesn't sound easy. You might also lose the ability to fill your life with others things. Again, not easy.

The point was though, that it was 'easier' than indecisiveness. For example, we could explore a persons commitment to martial arts training. If they are not really committed, then on a class night they must decide "should I go to class or...." followed by an almost infinite number of alternatives. A truly committed student will not need to make this decision, they already know it is a class night and what they must do. The student will not be concerned with the 'what' to do, but the 'how' to do it. Goal based decision making rather than constantly changing the goals themselves.

This also applies in relationships. What if a man were to constantly concern himself with whether his partner is attractive enough, smart enough, kind enough and supportive enough. Out of the billions of women on earth "which" woman is the best for him? Rather than finding a good and worthwhile partner with which to make things work long term, he must wake up every morning and reassure himself that he has not made a mistake. This kind of life must surely become a torment.

Similarly, a martial art student may be torn between different expressions of martial art. Different styles, different teachers, different perspectives. They may even try to create a collage or hodgepodge of various different forms they are dabbling in, because they are constantly fearful that their 'system' does not have everything. Instead of finding a good teacher in a bonafide martial art and committing to a lifetime of study, they must constantly evaluate their inventory and decide what they will study next. Again, this can become a torment.

Commitment IS easier.

Buyu Camp Review

In the middle of September, I took the opportunity of attending Buyū Camp East. I have been taking part in these camps since 2006, and in those years, I can only say that they keep getting better. The welcoming and inclusive atmosphere, the co-operation and strong desire to learn, the level of training and instruction, it keeps pushing the boundaries and evolving from the year before.

Friday Night

Sui no Kata

On Friday night, Jack Hoban took us through some of the Sanshin no Kata. The focus was on how the 5 basic patterns can be mapped into to 3 different perspectives during an attack:

The ethical goal creating context of the situation
The tactical strategy for achieving the objective
The physical method (taijutsu) required to deliver the execution of the tactic.




 I could spend a great deal of time discussing the role of ethics in martial arts, and how it is a framework for long term sustainable success. However, you could also just get one or both of the two in depth books which are already published on the subject:

http://www.amazon.com/Ethical-Warrior-Values-Morals-Service-ebook/dp/B00AEU157I/
http://www.amazon.com/Ethical-Protector-Police-Tactics-Techniques-ebook/dp/B00N7S16OG/

Regarding the strategy, the 5 basic forms were broken down into the way one might recognize, obtain and control a particular tactical space. From there we can gain an understanding of suitable timing, distance, and kamae that would allow us to obtain the strategic objective without violating our ethical objective.

Finally, the movements had to be executed in an efficient, integrated, and smooth manner. Jack explained the importance of body alignment, skeletal organization, and muscle activity, while executing any movement. Using the ground surface, and gravity, to isometrically activate the body, transferring energy through the hip girdle and along the spine to create more effortless, but incredibly powerful and stable, movements.

The Sanshin no Kata came to life through this process, and soon different, more modern looking, attacks were introduced. We saw that the tactic might change slightly, but that the ethic can remain constant, and even the taijutsu need only be mildly refined. Ed Martin also demonstrated that even if the movements become smaller, the principle of the Sanshin no Kata can still be there, although less clearly noticeable to the untrained eye.

Saturday Morning

On Saturday morning, after Ed Martin warmed us up through his breathing routine, Jack walked us through the Kihon Happo.

Ura Shutō from Hichō no Kata

The Kihon Happō are often referred to as the basic building blocks of the Bujinkan system, and even the root of Budō. However,  as we all saw, even the basics are not basic.

Onikudaki 

Following on from the Sanshin no Kata the night before, the Saturday morning session taught us the importance of capturing the opponent in a trap. By correctly taking the space, it is possible to guide the resisting opponent into the exact technique we were looking to create, with minimal effort. The important aspects being soft hands and good footwork, not strong hands and no footwork.

Saturday Afternoon

Fighting from the ground

After a lunch break I attended one of the optional breakout sessions. There were two excellent teachers, Craig Gray teaching ground fighting principles and Phil Bradshaw with modern interpretations of Gyokko Ryū. I ended up in Phil's group on this occasion, but I have trained with Craig before and his classes are extremely helpful.

Ura Gyaku leading to Omote Gyaku - Renyo

Phil focused on progressing us from one basic move into a modern practical application. From here, he then incrementally introduced us into a series of logical next steps. Within a short time we were all executing an entire sequence of flowing forms. He then pointed out that we were doing a sequence that closely resembled the full kata of Renyo from Gyokko Ryū - Jō Ryaku no Maki. At the start of the process we were all focused on a specific technique, but soon we learned to flow from one technique to the next, not fighting for a specific outcome.

Using Kōdachi to close the Kukan

In the next session we could choose between Steffen Fröhlich on the grass or Ed Martin indoors. I found myself in Steffen's class on Gyokko Ryū Kata with Kōdachi. It began to rain a little, but this made the training feel exposed in a good way. Slippery grass challenged our footwork as we tried to play with the concepts Steffen offered us. Opening and closing the space to confuse the attacker, while at the same time maintaining a steadfast and serious feeling.




After training I attended the no-host dinner. It really was nice to eat and drink with old friends and new. Enjoying the company of many Buyū.

Sunday Morning

Controlling an attacker with multiple points of the body

On Sunday morning, Ed Martin again led us through his breathing routine. He then taught a class on defending against knife attacks. He started off with up-close scenarios, and then progressed to how we might protect someone else in a similar situation. Next he progressed to a more ranged attack, and then again focused on how we might use the same principles to protect another person in the same situation.

Controlling with Kuzushi before attempting a Gyaku

 Steffen once again took us through Gyokko Ryū kata, this time very much focusing on the importance of having the correct thought process for dealing with an attack. A good thought will generate a good and powerful feeling, connecting with the Uke and bringing a serious realism to the encounter. Some of the kata we worked on were Danshu, Danshi and Gyaku Nagare of Gyokko Ryū - Jō Ryaku no Maki.

Using the stick like a paintbrush

Next we had a session from Mark Guest focusing on 'the stick'. Mark relayed the importance of training with a variety of styles, shapes and sizes of stick. He also showed the importance of finding the balance point of a weapon as well as developing the ability to quickly familiarize ourselves with any that we should pick up. He also talked a lot about the feeling of the stick, it's blunt edge being very primitive, and the need to defend and control a center line with seriousness.

Sunday Afternoon

The rest of the day was broken into two sections both led by Jack Hoban. First of all, learning to find the balance point of the opponent, so that no matter how much they resist, they only make the technique more effective. Second, defending others, and ensuring we do not get caught up in the techniques and forget our mission to protect another.

Protecting others with Muso Dori

Summary

Overall I had a wonderful time. The teaching was excellent with high level teachers from near and far. The atmosphere was very co-operative and friendly. I made new friends and had a chance to catch up with old ones. I really am grateful to be a part of something so positive.

If you are interested in training at Buyū Camp next year there is already a webpage and a facebook event with more information:
http://www.winjutsu.com/seminars/buyucampeast/index.htm
https://www.facebook.com/events/1231270993566555/

A beginner class, for 15th Dans

For the last several weeks Jack has been honing in on our ability to feel and guide the balance and energy of the opponent, exposing our desire to apply a specific technique using inefficient movement.

Performing different drills we have had to work very closely in the Uke/Tori relationship. The feedback of the Uke is critical to understand the next movement in terms of leading the Uke to a bad space rather than forcing them. Even students of many years are reduced to slow movement and constant feedback. Jack had been joking often "Sorry! This isn't a beginners class anymore."

During a recent class, perhaps Jack sensed the frustrations, as we students seemed completely unable to do, just once, what he repeatedly did to all of us. Eventually my partner and I managed to do some very rough imitations. With a lot of stopping and guiding by Uke we established a zigzagging trajectory which looked like 4 distinct movements rather than 1 smooth one. We knew we were still a long way off and didn't yet feel encouraged.

Jack told us not to worry, we aren't yet used to this way of doing Taijutsu. We were just beginning to learn and it's hard. I observed and quipped "So this IS a beginners class!".

Jack smiled and immediately said "Maybe it is a beginner class for 15th Dans."

We didn't feel quite so bad now. We all have a long road ahead of us. It won't be the first time I had to give my perspective on Taijutsu an overhaul on this journey.

Tetsuzan - Iron Mountain

Recently I was in Japan, and during a training break one of the teachers wanted to know if anyone had any questions. When nobody volunteered anything he said that it doesn't always matter if you have questions or not, because the answers don't always make sense, you will understand when you are ready.

This is a little bit how I feel about the book Tetsuzan which was recently re-released. I originally bought it about ten years ago, I skimmed through it searching for answers to my questions, put it down with good intentions of studying it later, and then after circumnavigating the globe on my travels, I realized I could no longer find it. I soon forgot about it altogether, it was just a book after all, I had many.

Now in 2014 I just read through it again, and the whole experience was different. Instead of looking for what I wanted, I just read through it diligently and let whatever attracted my attention simply 'be'. I got a lot out of it, but the most shocking revelation of all was that.....nothing has changed.

Let me explain via one simple example why I say this. One of the many recurring messages of the book was how important it is to gain good basics before trying to do all the advanced movements. Something I have been told before. Something said at the same Daikomyosai where I bought the previous book in 2004. Something said in Hombu dojo just last month by Soke himself to the entire class.

So why? Why is this message repeated over and over again? My only logical explanation is that generally people are not doing it. They were not doing it 25 years ago, 10 years ago, or last month. And for me this is almost good news. It seems that human beings have a tendency, a tendency towards impatience, and lack of commitment. Why is this in any way good news? Well, because it turns out I am only human after all. Prone to weaknesses, shared by people all over the world. That hearing or reading something is not the same as really understanding or knowing something, but that is OK because it is still the first step. So often I hear that 'acceptance is the first step'.

Furthermore the book reveals that only those who really improve themselves as people can get the most out of this Budo. Tetsuzan is chock full of warning for those that underestimate the need for a good heart, and the importance of defending others or living a good life. That is a relief for me, improving oneself continuously is no easy task, but we are all in the same boat in that respect.

I think the only way I could not have found benefit in revisiting this book, is if I truly believed I had learned all the lessons it provided already. Instead I found the book very revealing, about how little has changed in the pitfalls of studying an ancient martial art. This art is hundreds of years old, and stems from transmissions beyond that. Yes, the book was written many years ago, but the techniques of the Bujinkan are even older, we still practice them.

Tetsuzan available here

Couldn't have put it better myself

At a recent class I was training with a very good Buyu friend of mine, who also happens to be in great physical shape. It was a real opportunity to stress-test my kamae and see if I could get the right positioning and application of a technique. I knew that if I did not have a tactical advantage I would unlikely overpower him. I had one advantage though, he had missed a few classes lately.

We took our time and coached each other through the motions, constantly trying to smooth out the rough edges of our form. We joked that every time we started to improve in one area, we might lose it in another. Our distancing improved, and that threw our timing out, then we improved our timing and we started using the wrong muscles to apply the technique, we started using the right ones and our distance was impacted. Jack told us that this was the whole purpose of training versus fighting, that training was the time to learn and get better. So we had better utilize the opportunity.

At one point my partner got impatient and muscled through the form, this resulted in an incomplete technique that did not quite work. If done quickly it may have caused some damage, but it just didn't feel right to either of us. Of course, this was the one that our instructor observed...

"You muscled it!" exclaimed Jack, smiling.

"I know, I know..." said my partner. And then suddenly he said "I'm supposed to get in to a good position so that I can control him easily, and he finds it very hard to control me, that way a weaker person can take on a stronger opponent and win. Right?"

A few of us stopped. Although nobody, not even Jack, had said it quite so succinctly and directly, that was exactly what I felt we had been focusing on for a while. At least I hoped that was right...

"Exactly!" confirmed Jack, "I couldn't have put it better myself."

It seemed we all knew what we were supposed to be doing, we just had to keep doing it until it became integral to our training.

2d vs 3d Waza

"You are trying to do a technique!" said Jack. I knew I was, old habits truly die hard. Such a statement would have sounded like madness to me years ago, but not these days. We had been practicing some concepts from Ichimonji no Kata, and at first I had been in a fairly comfortable zone. I had been watching the tactical space I was familiar with, I knew the terrain. As we moved on to different shaped attacks, and different directions to maneuver, started including Gyaku and other forms, I started to struggle.

Jack mentioned that we students were mostly doing two dimensional techniques. In other words, we were trying to 'push' our opponents down (one direction) and in order to do this we were trying to unbalance them with a lateral movement (second direction). He pointed out that such techniques might not work because the opponent must simply resist sufficiently in two dimensions to prevent them. If the opponent is stronger than you, or has fast reactions, they have a good chance of beating/escaping your technique. Instead we were told to use three dimensional movements, adding an extra direction of movement to the form. This makes it much harder for the opponent to resist and converts their resistance into further imbalance. This is much more efficient.

I knew this, I should have known this. I even teach this. So what was wrong?

I was in the wrong place. A three dimensional technique uses Kaname (a spiraling action), which requires you to be in the Kukan no Kyusho (correct point in space), and you can only find that point if you are paying attention to the changing tactical environment.

I have been taught many times the precedence of Ethics first, then Tactics, and finally Technique. It is a natural law of nature. If you are focused too much on doing a specific technique you might lose focus on the tactical space. If you lose the tactical space your technique will become two dimensional. It might work, it might not, depending on your opponent. By focusing on being in the correct tactical position as a priority, the technique can become much more efficient. You don't have to 'try' so much.

So when I hear my teacher say "You are trying to do a technique!", perhaps I should try to be more tactically positioned instead. I already know how to try and 'force' a technique if I am in the wrong place. If I want to learn and improve I need to start focusing on the higher priorities.