Brain Tricks From My First Use of Traditional Budo
The first time I ever used the martial arts skills I had learned from the initial approach to kobudo that I started studying in high school, an interesting thing happened.
Of course, over the years there are details I don’t remember – this was high school. And, now that I’ve learned enough about the likely results of what must have included some adrenaline in my blood at the time, I recognize that it’s entirely likely that most of the “actual” details that I might remember would be at least partially wrong.
With that in mind, I’m not so interested in recounting what skills got used or what worked and what didn’t work – I only remember a very little bit. What would be useful, though, is to discuss an odd thing that happened, that I actually DO remember … one that I have recently learned happens a lot to people doing something stressful and “new”.
Read MoreThanksgiving Weekend Camp
Get your fix of camp fun during a different season!
Alright, ask and you shall receive! Apparently Summer Camp mayhem is so missed that we have had a few people request more. Well, it can’t be “summer camp” but we will be doing a little weekend camp for Thanksgiving weekend! Saturday and Sunday, November 27 & 28, from 4-10pm, we will be doing an evening training camp like we did during the last weekend of summer!
Camp is an great opportunity to work on those ancient and modern ninja skills. We only have a limited amount of time in class to cover material that would have once taken an individual’s lifetime to procure. At least with these extra-curriculars, like camp, we have the opportunity to take a glance at what it truly meant and means to have that ‘nin’ 忍 perseverance of the ninja. Much was encompassed in becoming a well rounded individual in a variety of skills, that would come in handy for missions and life in general. With the future being a little less secure than it might have been a few years back, being fully knowledgeable or at least familiar with a variety of skills might be what makes the difference between having ‘good luck’ or an ‘ill fate’. Though we will be looking at some heavy topics, we’ll definitely be having a great time while increasing our knowledge base!
Current Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jujutsu Training in Los Angeles
History of this Jujutsu School
According to the newsletter from Manaka Unsui Sensei, a Buddhist monk named Unryu devised training for taijutsu, bojutsu and shurikenjutsu (unarmed fighting, staff fighting, throwing stars) around 1570, which eventually became Takagi Yoshin Ryu Jutaijutsu or Jujutsu.
In 1645, Takagi Oriemon Shigetoshi added more grappling, and in 1671 Takagi Umonosuke spread the training widely and included Naginata skills. Much later, around 1841, three top students branched off to make their own “seito-ha” or student-breakoffs of training: Fujita Takagi Yoshin Ryu, Ishibashi Takagi Ryu, and Ishitani Takagi Yoshin Ryu. Our training is derived from the first and last of those named above, giving us a total of 94 unarmed jujutsu techniques from the Takagi martial arts lineage.
Read MoreImperfect Self Defense & You
We spend a lot of time at the Dojo working on effective self defense. We also spend time discussing acceptable self defense: when morality and legality are taken into consideration, there are a lot of important things to consider.
Our training covers a range from pinching a little skin, to cutting our adversaries in half from nine feet away. That’s a pretty big range for this “use of force continuum” in our training. The selection process of appropriate response is a little more difficult than you might think.
For example, you might pick the perfect response to a situation, but then realize that your judgment about the situation itself was not so perfect. There are huge moral implications to that. And, there are legal implications to that, too.
Imperfect Self Defense
“Imperfect self defense” (which only applies if there is actual but unreasonable belief in the need for self defense) reduces a murder to a manslaughter.
Read MoreKata vs Kamae: Brutal and Subtle Martial Arts Training
In our summer special training, we spent a lot of time studying the embodiment of the feelings of the kamae of Jinen Ryu. This was very inspirational, and in Los Angeles, I’ve made an effort to bring that idea to the attention of the members of our Dojo.
This past Saturday, training was approached in a more “advanced” way than usual, and the intensity was taken up a notch at the same time.
In case you’re interested in trying to look at the same concepts, here’s what we were doing:
The Meaning of a Kata
Let’s start off by recognizing that martial arts “kata” or “forms” can exist to teach a specific lesson relevant to immediate application as-is for self-protection/fighting and/or to teach a concept/idea that serves a more general approach to learning.
Read MoreBisento (War Halberd) Seminar – Taming a Beast!
BAM!
That will definitely leave a mark! The Bisento techniques that we will be going through on Sunday, August 29th during the seminar comes from the Kukishin family (a well-known Samurai lineage). However, in order be considered a ‘true’ ninja, one would have to be well versed in a variety of disciplines. From Gunryaku-heiho (war strategy) to the ten Kontou (hiding techniques), you would also be required to be practiced in a myriad of weapons, one of them being the giant Bisento. If you could wield that, then your coordination, strength, taijutsu, and so on were probably right on point.
When handling the Bisento you must have a reasonable understanding of Sutemi (sacrifice or putting yourself at risk). Due to the heft of this weapon your recovery time is slower, thus you must invite your opponent in appropriately and give everything in every attack. This makes training with the Bisento good for your taijutsu and your kakehiki (strategy/ give & take).
Contrary to what most might believe, the Bisento can be wielded quite effectively by any with a decent amount of skill, not just the big folks. When I first trained in Bisento with Manaka Sensei and Peter Sensei in Japan, Dante Park, one of the LA Dojo’s students who was a mere 13 years old and not the largest for his age, handled it with such grace that even Manaka Sensei commented on his technique.
seminar the last Sunday of August – 29th, from 9am-4pm.
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