bushido_man96

Mine, too, Bob. But, the holidays do cause that. Next week, I should be back into it. My training, especially as of late, is like having a quiet conversation because Dai-Soke is no longer with us, especially on the floor. I feel his unexpected death has left me as an uncompleted puzzle; one that'll never be finished by his hands. I miss him so very much!! I understand how you feel, Bob. Just remember that when its really quiet, you just have to listen more closely.

I think Zaine has a good point. Modern espionage is different than when the Ninja were in demand. Training has changed, and the tools have changed mainly because they technology has gotten better. Nowadays you would be looking at circumventing electronic security systems including sensors and cameras, and things like that. So, the game has changed, and the old Ninja schools, although I'm sure they still have some valuable skills to teach, aren't as necessary as they once were. And, like JZ mentioned, the lineage thing. It basically makes it "official" that there will be no more of the traditional Ninja. You might be able to refer to some spys as "modern day Ninja," but they won't be what many would call the "real thing."

You could look at hiring an independent photographer for a day, have them come to the Hombu and other dojos, and do some picture taking while in classes, or seminars, or what not. You could also do a photo album of your school. Whenever someone signs up for classes, take a photo, put it a book. Then take a photo after every grading. Kind of a recording of their journey. Kind of like a photo record of your students.

How old are you? If you are a high school student, Wrestling would be a good option, and more affordable for the time being, and it will give you a good base to work from, as well.

I agree with your sentiments, MasterPain. In Combat Hapkido, there is almost always a strike of some kind performed before a lock or manipulation goes into play. Its called a "distraction" technique, but I prefer to refer to it as a destruction technique, as to me, it doesn't make sense to just barely tap someone in order to facilitate another technique. Hit them hard, then facilitate the technique. In CH, we also work a trapping system that does that "feeding" you mentioned. We don't trap for the sake of trapping, and they system is not complex; its another tool to get the job done. With Bob's Shindokan Tuite, I found myself attempting to defend strikes, at which point I would find myself getting wrapped up and tossed aside.

I know it would be that way for me, because I have so little experience with it as it is. I think it has to do mainly with comfort zones and past reps in that help retain most information. Since I've been punching and kicking for so long, knocking the rust off will be no big deal. I can't wait to see how rusty I'll be when I start Combat Hapkido back up.

All are good traits. Being a good representative of your style, an ambassador to it, in a sense, goes a long way. Knowledge, wisdom, experience, and the ability to apply these things along with the physical aspects of the style all lead to a great Martial Artist.

This is a great analogy. Thanks for sharing it. Dead on, in my opinion. Wise words, to be sure. Don't discount yourself because you are a 4th kyu. You have a great attitude and outlook here, much broader than mine was at that time in my training. Its true that high ranks can learn from lower ranks.

Ah, man. But I can understand. Maybe next time we get together, I can give you some help there, if you like.

Yeah, its so frustrating, Bob. I was watching a lot of K-State Wildcats football this year, too, and I was frustrated with that Baylor game. But either way, I think they can still make just as good an argument as any other one-loss team to get to the BCS Championship game. I'll say this, though. I don't think the Chiefs are as bad as the Jets played on Thanksgiving. That was so many kinds of ugly...I felt bad for them.

Yes, Happies all around. I'm still full from the meals...

Congrats to you and your students, Dobbersky!

Good words, Bob. Rank is only earned through hard work and dedication. Have the students negotiate that!

Nice. I use the dining chair to cover my abs, with more of the calories I take in at the table....

Laughed a little to hard in a public place at that one. That comment is awesome. Hehehe....thanks. Unfortunately, its too true. That really, really sucked. The worse part of it was cleaning it off afterwards. Its like lighting your face on fire, and then standing into the wind to try to put it out. Never again.

You're welcome, Bob. I'm glad you enjoyed it. His hook kick struck me as a 99 mph fastball, with a full windup.

Kind of. Our instructor has posted up the names of all the forms we do, and what the names mean. Its a little blurb of each form name and meaning, move number, etc. I imagine its a cut-and-paste job from somewhere. Most of that information I've found on my own, reading or what not. Our instructor isn't so big on what the name means, but more so on proper performance of the forms in regards to how we do them. I'm not sure if he was ever really told what the meanings of the names were from his instructor, or if he just had to look them up. I'm guessing the latter.

I can relate to him. When I test for my next rank, 4th dan, in our organization, it is the Jr. Master rank. I'm excited to test for it, but don't really know that I would be worthy to be called Jr. Master.Good luck to your instructor, as well!

We do the same basics set in every class. It does get monotonous, but most of the basics we do is how they end up being done in forms. Its a great way to get that muscle memory set up, and it makes teaching the forms much easier.

Thanks for clarifying this, everyone. I was waaaaay off.

Hehe, I'm at a point now that it seems all I have is patience. I can't train as much as I used to, so I just have to accept that patience is going to be a built-in part of my training now. And I've never been a terribly patient person... At any rate, this is a good post. When we are young practitioners, in both senses of age and experience, it is easy to see progress, because we really only think about the physical progress. Its easy as white belts to see how much better our side kick looks when we become yellow belts. But, as we become higher dan ranks, and get older as a result, we don't see those steps we are making as readily, and that is when many don't see improvement. At this stage, its important to actively seek improvement through very minute nuances, breaking down every little thing, over-evaluating at times, just to simplify something. That's when improvement comes at those high ranks. At least, I think so, anyway. I'll let you know for sure when I get there.

Mine, too, Bob. But, the holidays do cause that. Next week, I should be back into it. I have the same concerns as you. 3 kids, wife, 2 dogs, and a job with a rotating schedule make it tough to get to class at times. That's why KF is so great; its my supplemental mind training.

No, no, Bob! That's not what I was thinking at all! Its just something I always keep in the back of my mind when discussions of this nature arise. Its like reading Funakoshi's The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate, and then deciding that you have take everything Funakoshi said and adhere to it word for word in order to do Shotokan Karate. They are great principles, and each deserves its own amount of study and attention. But, I also think its important to not delve into the hero worship of every old master and feel it necessary to live as they did. I just don't think they are all that much better at life than I am. So, after reading and evaluating such precepts or ideologies, its important for everyone to compare and contrast each ideal or precept along with how they live and what they believe, and decide which fit their way of thinking, which don't, and which are worth considering in making one better. Hope that helps. I would never accuse you of forcing anything like that on any, Bob. But tuite, you did force that on me, rather abruptly, I might add..... (what a great time!)

I think the main issue is that there are already some out there that claim to have learned the Ninjitsu art, and are somewhat suspect in their attitudes, claims, challenges, etc, and those are the things that stick out in many people's minds. But, I will say, if someone can't be designated and heir, doesn't mean that they can't attempt to keep the art alive, or at least what they do know of the art, alive in some way of their own, and still keep Ninjitsu in the MA realm in that way. I agree with you, tg. Its these guys that you don't hear much about that could really keep the illegitimacy that others spout clear for the rest of us.

I think that probably came from not really knowing if they had a side they stood on or not. It sounds to me like their skills may have been for hire in some cases, like a mercenary. Some people hold viewpoints of what an "honorable warrior" is, and if the ideals or methods of the Ninja didn't fit that ideal, then I can see where the "eviiil" connotation comes from. For the record, I don't agree with it, either.