Archive for October, 2013

Ninja Warrior Conditioning Tips

Sunday, October 20th, 2013

A ninja is alway in the peak of their physical performance level. This not an easy thing to acheive and or maintain. Too many indindividuals over or under train and rarely if ever functional train and condition themselves. Here are a few tips on Ninja Warrior Training!

1) Train Outdoors when ever possible.

2) Cardiovascular endurance: Trail run, swim, power walk  etc! are a must!

3) Strength training with body weight and or outside weight exercises

4) Obstacle courses and targets to work off of are a great way to FUNCTIONALLY train!

5) Mobility/Flexibilty, do not neglect remaining flexible and agile!

6) Push your limits often, see what you can endure!

7) Hydrate

8) Nutrition

9) Crosstrain in other sports

10) Recovery and recuperation!

Alright, 10 quick tips to help you acheive the Ninja Warrior Lifestyle.

More to come and have an excellent day.

Bufu Ikkan

Wisdom from Soke Hatsumi

Wednesday, October 16th, 2013

936235_578812075486602_1901750327_n

Are you Oblivious?

Monday, October 14th, 2013

A Ninja is and always must be aware and in tune with their surroundings. We train ourselves to be in constant “yellow condition” of mental alertness (if you are not familiar with this term it is from Jeff Cooper’s Combat Mindset), relaxed but alert, knowing you may have to defend yourself this day. Always scanning the crowd and your surroundings for a potential threat, not to be paranoid but to be aware and prepared to do whatever is necessary to protect oneself or loved ones.

Yet, with the onslaught of distractions today, phones, ipads, Kindles, ipods, sounds, lights etc it is easy to miss what is going on around you. How many times have you witnessed someone texting as they are walking down the street, while people around them are trying to avoid them as they are in their own world. Just do a quick search on you tube or google for various videos of individuals falling into an open manhole, or falling into a fountain all while they were texting on a phone. I love watching people as they pull up to a stop light and pick up the phone and start texting, as if calling isn’t bad enough as a distraction, lets text to!

So why am I, on such a rant about awareness and distractions, well read the following article from the Associated Press:

“SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man drew the gun several times on the crowded San Francisco commuter train, with surveillance video showing him pointing it across the aisle without anyone noticing and then putting it back against his side, according to authorities.

The other passengers were so absorbed in their phones and tablets they didn’t notice the gunman until he randomly shot and killed a university student, authorities said.

Before that moment, footage showed the man pull out the .45-caliber pistol and once wipe his nose with the hand holding the weapon, authorities told the San Francisco Chronicle in a story on Monday.

“These weren’t concealed movements – the gun is very clear,” District Attorney George Gascon said. “These people are in very close proximity with him, and nobody sees this. They’re just so engrossed, texting and reading and whatnot. They’re completely oblivious of their surroundings.”

So what does this say my friends? To me it is just another sad occurrence that demonstrates who oblivious people are or can be. I have seen a lot in my times, drug raids, muggings, DUI or OUI, accidents etc, but in almost every case I was aware that something was wrong or at the least not right and took actions to prevent myself or others from being another victim, living Zanshin(relaxed alertness). In the ancient days of the Samurai and Ninja, this was a means of survival, but in the modern day it seems to be almost non-existent. 

Cultivate Awareness, Live in Zanshin

Bufu Ikkan

Learning to see the Grey Man

Sunday, October 6th, 2013

gray manWithin ninjutsu’s information gathering skills is the art of Hensojutsu, the art of disguise. To make oneself invisible to the enemy is the highest skill a ninjutsu practitioner can achieve, being able to blend in with his surroundings wherever he may be at he at this point has become the Grey Man!

But what is the Grey man? A Grey Man is that person or person’s whom you may see when you scan a crowd but they blend into the crowd so well, your perception of them becomes that they just belong there, and your eyes just pass them by. This Grey man-ness is difficult to cultivate and you need to work at first being able to SEE the Grey Man around you, and then to mimic them. Just the other night I was watching World War Z with the family and the key for the Zombies to pass you over was to become Grey, or invisible to their senses, not unlike the topic we are covering here. In order to learn more about this subject you should read the following links to previous posts:

http://ninjutsutrainingonline.com/5-tips-for-anonymous-living/

http://ninjutsutrainingonline.com/anonymous-living-tips-2/

http://ninjutsutrainingonline.com/anonymous-living-breaking-your-habits-ninja-style/

 

Alright now that you have gained a bit of knowledge on the Grey Man concept, your first lesson for the Month of October is multifaceted so pay attention

1)      Read the above links

2)      Observe the crowd drill: find a crowded area ( I like a mall or food court), watch people as they enter your visual sense and see who stands out to you, who tends to blend into the background, but most importantly why do they(either stand out or blend in)

3)      Blending in drill: Find a partner or class mates that will work with you on this one, once you have gained knowledge as to what makes a person stand out or blend in, try it out by letting your training partners know you are going to be somewhere and see how long it actually takes them to locate you as you put your skill in real world practice. I have done this several times, even so much as exchanging articles of clothing to appear to be someone completely different as I passed through their zone several times.

Part two to the Observation drill:

                If you have attempted the observation practice drill, go back and now focus on these topics: Size of the person, dress (what are they wearing), mannerisms(what do they say by what they do), gait or route of the individual, hair or head covering, color schemes, pace or rout or gait, any abnormality that catches your eye. Now that you have gone through the basic observation drill and a glorified Hide and Seek now you have a better feel for how to become a Grey Man.

 

                Some people may call you crazy but  a ninja in the ancient times did not stick out like a nail waiting to be hammered down. Instead he blended into his environment both in a rural or urban manner. Becoming a grey Man in the modern world is becoming more difficult each day, but stay tuned here for additional information on how to continue to develop your Grey Man skills!

 

Bufu Ikkan