Ninjutsu Training Online

A Modern E and E kit

The ancient Ninja were always prepared to escape and evade as if they were caught on a mission it would most likely end in torture and or death. Depending on the type of mission they would carry typical ningu(tools) to help them accomplish their mission as well as to escape the scene if and when necessary. Items such as kaginawa, kunai, metsubishi, tetsubishi, shuriken, fire making tools, cloth and first aid supplies were all utilized and carried by our ancient practitioners. Now recently I read an article on a Solicitation by SOCOM for a new personal Escape and Evasion kit for the Navy SEAL teams, and thought it very applicable to our own training and preparedness for an emergency, so I am presenting that material here for you to add to your training.

SEAL E & E Kit

The soft case, measuring 3.5 by 2.25 inches, will feature a U.S. flag patch (so much for keeping your nationality secret, although one has to believe it’s removable), be “subdued desert in color” and feature a “hook fastener (i.e. hard side of velcro) sewed to back with a slit in order to store and retrieve contents below yet hold contents down while worn.”

The SEAL’s hard-storage case will contain (quoting directly from the solicitation):

1. Mini-Multi Tool with:

a. Stainless Steel

b. Pliers

c. Wire cutter

d. File

e. Awl

f. Packaged so as to not rattle in case

2. Button Compass

a. Quality AA

b. 14mm

c. Liquid dampened

d. Minimum 8 hour luminous

3. LED Squeeze Light

a. Red

b. Continuous or Momentary Switch

4. Fire Starting Kit

a. Ferro cerium rod not to exceed 3”L x 8mm W

b. Tinder tabs (4) packaged in reclosing bag.

5. Water Storage Device

a. 2L capacity

b. Able to hold all contents of the kit

c. Must be sealable and reuseable

d. Must be odor proof

6. Water Purification Tablets

a. 40 tablets

b. Packaged in amber, medical grade borosilicate

7. Electrolyte Tablets

a. 2 tablets

8. Signal Mirror

a. 2”x 3”

b. Non-mirrored side covered with an IR reflective material

c. Mirror side must be protected to prevent scratches. Protective cover must be able to be removed with one hand.

d. Must have an aiming hole

9. Thermal Blanket

a. 21” x 56” x .05mil

b. Polyester, aluminized

c. 1 side silver, other side orange

d. Packaged in plastic with easy tear pre-cuts

10. Kevlar Line

a. Yellow or green in color

b. 188lb test

c. 15 feet in length

d. Packaged in plastic with easy tear pre-cuts

11. Safety Pins

a. Two #2 (1.5” steel)

b. Two #00 (.75” brass)

c. Packaged in plastic with easy tear pre-cuts.

12. P-38 can opener

a. Packaged so as to not rattle while in case.

13. Stainless Steel Wire

a. 2’ of 20ga

14. Duct Tape

a. Brown or Green in color

b. 26” x 2”

15. Fresnel Magnifying Lens

a. 4x power

b. 3.25” x 2”

16. Waterproof Note Paper

a. 4 sheets

b. Desert tan color

c. 3.5” x 2”

17. Ink Pen

a. Pressurized ink cartridge

b. Black in color

18. Broad Spectrum Antibiotic Ointment

a. 1/32oz foil pack

19. Cotton Pad

a. 100% Cotton

b. 2” x 2.5”

c. Packaged in plastic with easy tear pre-cuts.

The contents of the soft storage case will include:

1. Hacksaw Blade

a. Carbon Steel

b. 24tpi

c. 2.75” L

d. Hole in one end for a lanyard

e. Opposite hole end, sharpen down reverse tanto-style end.

2. Ceramic Razor Blade

a. 1 or 2 sides sharpened

b. Packaged so as to not accidentally cut anything or dull

3. Moleskin Adhesive Patch

a. Heavy duty

b. 1.75” x 2.5”

4. Kevlar Thread

a. Green or yellow

b. 100-200lb test

c. 24” in length

d. Packaged in plastic with easy tear pre-cuts.

5. Fishing Leader/Downrigger Cable

a. Multi-strand

b. Stainless steel

c. 50lb test

d. 24” in length

6. Suspended Navigation Magnet

a. Identifiable north painting feature

b. Magnet suspended from thread/string

c. Packaged in plastic with easy tear pre-cuts.

7. Ferro Cerium Rod

a. 1.75” L x .125”W

8. Cotton Ball

a. Impregnated with wax.

b. Packaged in a reclosing bag.

9. Bobby Pins

a. Spring steel

b. 2 small

c. 1 large

d. Black in color

The final two items are worth singling out, because they highlight the optimism bred into every SEAL (and trump the safety and bobby pins):

10. Handcuff Shim (Pick)

11. Universal Handcuff Key

a. Non-metallic resin material

How to pack survival kits for stranded special-operations forces has been a subject the U.S. military has dealt with for at least the past half-century, according to this Army contracting guidance from back then:

An individual engaged in unconventional warfare and counter-guerrilla operations is frequently exposed to possible capture. In counter-guerrilla operations, indigenous elements with which a US soldier is working may be dispersed, causing complete separation of the soldier from the unit. While in an operational area, he must be continuously prepared to initiate evasive action and conceivably to continue evading for an extended period of time. His possession and proper use of a suitable survival kit may be the critical factor in effecting a successful juncture with friendly personnel. Therefore, there is a requirement for an individual aid and survival kit for issue to personnel participating in special warfare operations.

 

                       

In a future post I will go into a few more details about creating a Tier 1 kit for your own use.

 

Bufu Ikkan

Alright, I do receive a pretty healthy number of emails each week with questions related to the material I post as well as other training and or martial arts related items. So, instead of just answering one off, I will be posting the answers up so everyone can see them.

“Sensei how often do you train, and what do you recommend for a new student? “

Great question my friend and fellow practitioner! Well, my schedule may not work for you but here is what I do over an average week.

Strength/Cardio/Mobility work ~4 – 5hrs minimum/week,

Regular martial arts practice ~4-6 hrs/week,

Research – including reading, video review, note taking ~3-4hrs/week,

Now this is just an average and can “up” fluctuate when I am in a heavy training cycle, as I am in now, or when I add various minimalist camping trips, rock climbing, rappelling, or shooting practice.

Also, I did not include time that I practice various skills together. (hint, hint training tip here) I often pair items up so that say while I am stretching I might be reading or lock picking etc. Kill two birds with one stone if possible. For any beginner I recommend no less than 4- 6 hrs of training each week to firmly establish the basic techniques and tactics into your physical skills.

I hope this helps you a bit,

Bufu Ikkan

ps: stay tuned for Ninja Warrior Conditioning workouts coming soon!

Here we are coming into spring and a new podcast for all of you listeners!

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Ninjutsu practitioners throughout the ages have learned that through difficult, hard and sometimes dangerous training an interesting mindset begins to emerge, Endurance! Not endurance in the sense of physical fitness but that of a mental state, being able to “last longer” or “go further” than their opponent or a challenge placed in front of them. This is the endurance that cannot be broken even under the most impossible or dire of circumstances. It is a passion to strive to overcome any obstacle laid out in your path. Chipping away each day at small portions of whatever it is you are being challenged with. There are many stories of famous athletes who were not very talented when they first began their careers, but they persisted criticism, harassment, put downs etc. Yet each day they would hit the gym, throw the ball, shoot baskets chipping away until their non-existent talent became their casual skill. Remember, talent is over rated. Effort can overcome genius, through shear will to perform at a higher level. Again it will come down to persistent practice, training the body and mind to go through more than it seems it can take. Not too long ago I was speaking with several of my students and friends, several of whom had succeeded in completing Hell Week and graduated to become a US Navy SEAL. Our conversation pivoted around the mind and the mental ability to endure. They all had seen several individuals that they thought would make it through the training but yet got up to ring the bell and left before graduation. Why? There mental endurance cracked, a weakness budded in the mind and it bloomed into a belief that they could not push through the training.

Your lesson here is to not let those seeds of doubt bloom in your mind! Recognize them as everyone has them, but do not let them take hold and grow. Each day I fight the same demons as you, I challenge myself physically and mentally, often pushing myself “accidentally” past preconceived limiting beliefs. That is the mindset of a ninja! Do you have what it takes? Then do the following right now:

1)      Write down three limiting beliefs you have regarding your physical state, or training.

2)      Stare at them and think “what would happen if I did not possess these beliefs”?

3)      Tear them up and now going forward deeply believe they do not exist in your life, each time they arise you will beat them down and take small consistent steps to improving your training and life.

Bufu Ikkan

Conform – a) To comply with rules, standards or laws, b) Behave according to socially accepted conventions or standards. (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

One principle that I believe many historians and martial artists in general miss as to why the Ninja were so powerful an adversary or ally is/was the Art of Non Conformity. The early ninja clans did not want to comply with the standards and rules being set by their samurai overlords. They wanted to live as they and their families wanted. As such they tended to move to or originate in fairly remote areas such as the Iga and Koga regions, isolated and dependent on themselves for survival, it would seem very clear that they would have adopted and developed a “non-conformist” mentality. Whether it was in the daily living or their martial art practices, a ninja developed a very different sort of guiding principles in their lives.

How interesting that they utilized the strategy of “kyojitsu tenkan ho” (truth and falsehood as one) as a method in which to approach an attack, a mission, even the design of their weaponry I would say very non-conforming to the standards of the day.

As this Website is all about how to train in ninjutsu, I would be remiss in not giving you a lesson to work on or to incorporate into your training. So, let’s take a look at becoming a “non-conformist” in your training and life.

Being a non-conformist doesn’t mean to just break the rules just to break the rules or standards. What you need to do is start a general effort to see where you are just “conforming” to a standard and  moving and understanding  just why are you doing this or that to conform to the rule. Can you break the rule, or common practice and still learn and grow from the lesson?  Sounds interesting now doesn’t it? As an example on a basic level of non-conforming, conforming to a kata is a part of the learning process but breaking away from the kata is another method to learn how our art expresses through you as an individual. But what about your life, are you just conforming to a set standard? Living in that suburb, two bedroom house with like-minded neighbors or have you struck out to the rural areas and are working hard at being independent?(I took this on a few years ago and love every minute of it!) This is such a big topic, you will be seeing a couple of other posts on this topic so stay tuned!

Bufu Ikkan

 

Great Day For training ninjutsu fans!

A warrior of any tradition is required to maintain physically at the top of their game. Being called to a mission, could require enduring long stretches of motionless observation, with a quick burst of speed and power to bring an opponent down quickly. So of course with my students I train hard and push them to achieve high levels of physical and mental conditioning. Now after being repeatedly asked as to what and how we train I decided to start throwing out some of the components to our workouts. Now remember, these are only a portion of what is actually in the full workout session but this will start you with new material for your training sessions .

Workout: 5 Sets total. Between each exercise 30 seconds rest with a 2 minute rest period between cycles.

Burpee to Chin Up – 10 reps

Sit ups – 30 reps

Sprint 50 yards (walk back to start)

15 push ups

15 Squats (Hindu squat)

 

Bufu Ikkan

Ps: no puking! (LOL)

My First TaiKai,

The other day I was looking through an old photo album and I came across pictures I took at my first TaiKai from 1989.My best student and I saw the full page ad in Black Belt magazine and we had been practicing for several years together, but had not had the opportunity to meet and or train with Soke at that point yet.  So we saved up the money, jumped into the car and my student and I made the 6 hour road trip to meet and train with Soke Hatsumi and the Shihan he brought with him from Japan first hand.

What an event, that first morning in the gym, going through various ukemi drills, then the hanbo and bo tactics! I remember meeting so many great practitioners that weekend, and being able to train with Soke and his students the whole time. My student and I were off to the right of Soke and he or the Shihan would come over and correct us, or use us as a demonstration for others, oh yes the bruises and sore muscles. I have to say that this event opened my eyes to the wealth of information that was available (if you looked) from various students who were over in Japan and came back with a wealth of knowledge. One of the treasures I got was a copy/translation of the Kukishinden ryu and Togakure ryu kata that was, let’s say borrowed from a teachers dojo (I love these ninjas!) copied and then returned without him the wiser!

After the several days of training, knowledge gathering and amazing training stories, we had made many new friends and contacts, which in the coming years become training brothers and sisters as well as teachers and friends. Well, a few were I would say, not so much friends, probably rivals that in time lead to the “Ninja Dojo Wars”, but that is a long story for a different day.

So, take a moment and wander down memory lane, and see what you will find!

Bufu Ikkan

Hey Ninjutsu Fans,

How many of you remember the release of this video by Soke Hatsumi!

Bufu Ikkan

It doesn’t matter what the weather is like, training should take place in all weather types. The other day we here in the North East has a small Blizzard roll in, and my first thought was “what a great opportunity to train!” So, out I went into the raging snow storm, with my extended survival pack with me, I hiked into the forest behind my home and started training.

So what did I do you might ask? Well here you go,

1) Fire starting (kajutsu) during the storm it was hard to locate dry tinder, but from under a series of hemlock trees I found some dry needles, small branches and a few leaves. Although starting the fire proved to be difficult with my flint and steel, but I managed to get a nice small fire going pretty quickly.

2) Before I got my fire going I bilt a small debris shelter that allowed me to do step 1 in a fairly sheltered manner. Shelter is crucial in a survival situation or even a primitive camping event. Learn how to build several types of shelters, so that you will not be panicing when you need to put this skill into use.

3) Meditation. With the wind whipping and the snow blowing, I slowed my breathing down, focusing on the alpha wave generating fire, and began to expand my awareness around me, allowing the everyday thoughts to drift away and instead counting my breaths, and allowing my peripheral vison to expand.(more on meditation in an up coming post.)

4) As I made my way back home, I focused on Chimon and utilized my orienteering skills to keep me on the right path to my door. To many people focus on GPS and technology today, but during the storm I could not get a solid signal from the satellites, so I broke out the tried and true compass and map and off I went.

Some of you may listen to the Podcast where I state “Where we take the powerful ancient ninja strategies and techniques and utilize them in real world modern applications.” So here is a perfect example of doing just that. Now I hope you learn from this and take it back to your training, and utilize these ancient skills in a modern application.

Bufu Ikkan

 

ps: with over 24 inches of snow that night it made for another great training day SNOWBOARDING!

“The Way of the Samurai is found in death. When it comes to either/or, there is only the quick choice of death. It is not particularly difficult. Be determined and advance. To say that dying without reaching one’s aim is to die a dog’s death is the frivolous way of sophisticates. When pressed with the choice of life or death, it is not necessary to gain one’s aim.”  Yamamoto Tsunetomo  taken from Chapter 1, Hagakure

“The way of the Ninja is the way of enduring, surviving, and prevailing over all that would destroy one. More than merely delivering strikes and slashes, and deeper in significance than the simple out-witting of an enemy; Ninjutsu is the way off attaining that which we need while making the world a better place.” Soke Takamatsu taken from Ninjutsu Hiketsu Bun

As you can see from the heiho written from the perspective of a Samurai and a Ninja, there are some striking differences in the strategies in approaching a conflict. Both have their merits and can be incorporated into you training and approach to living. What I find interesting is that the path of a Samurai was found in death, and the complete acceptance of that fact allowed them, if not freed them from hesitation to act in a moment’s notice. Often this was at the decision of their superiors and may or may not bring a “betterment” to the surrounding society, or without the preservation of their own life. Now a ninjutsu practitioner had a very different outlook, “enduring”, no matter what the circumstances a ninja must endure and survive to fight and live another day, what I am fond of is the last sentence “Ninjutsu is the way off attaining that which we need while making the world a better place.” Whether that world was the small village or family around them, the strategy to better those around them was always a part of the underlying strategy for a ninja to endure or survive for.

As you read and study this difference in approaches, understand there are opportunities when you should dive in with no fear and worry about the outcome (death), but wrapping yourself in the philosophy or “enduring” , thinking out the approach and strategy to utilize and the possible outcomes or impacts to those around (note: this can happen in seconds for a trained practitioner) you is also a vital method for you to study and learn on your journey in Ninjutsu.