Archive for May 12th, 2013

Outside your Dojo

Sunday, May 12th, 2013

Fudoshi“There is no safer place than the dojo. Therefore , the students should have to go outside the training hall to discover things for themselves, rather than always relying on being taught. I can only teach that approach, that feeling, that special sense. That’s all I can teach, ultimately. So it could be said that I can perjaps teach you to be your own teacher.  – Soke Masaaki Hatsumi

 

When I look back in my life I have often been pushed by my various teachers to go “outside of the dojo” and to learn from others. This often led me to explore new arts, develop new skills, and little did I know grow my underground network of contacts and information sources. This website was put into place for this reason, to give others more or different information than they might be receiving at their home dojo. We have people from all over the world reaching out and asking questions, reading the lessons or blog posts, even joining the membership side for even more information, and that is driving me with a passion to add even more for my fellow ninjutsu practitioners.

So where is this leading? Well as many of you know, I consider myself an “Information Vampire!” Now this is not to be confused with a “collector of information”. I suck in the material and PRACTICE, everything I learn. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is when I meet   “the collector” who can spout off terms and ideas but cannot put the rubber to the road and apply anything they are talking about. Crap I have met and worked with several highly ranked individuals who were no more than collectors of drills and information but could never truly impart the knowledge in a real world application.

So, your lesson today is to get outside your dojo and apply the lessons you have gained here where ever you train. Get outside your comfort zone and “DO IT NOW.”

More to come this week! But now it is time for some Ninja Conditioning roadwork.

 

Bufu Ikkan

(Happy Mother’s Day to all you Moms who support us each day!)