Ninjutsu Training Online

“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!)

How many of us have heard, read about or watched on TV the escape of three young girls that had been held captive for over a decade? Well, I have been following this case as it highlights how dangerous a world we live in each day. As a ninjutsu practioner, Hajutsu(escaping skills), intonjutsu(escape and concealment) and Shinobi iri(entering skills) are an almost daily practice with me. There are many drills I teach my students and family members regarding awareness building and avoidance, and escaping skill development.

So my question to each of you is, “what escaping skills are you practicing?”

Here are a few for you to add to your practice sessions:

Escaping from common holds and grabs

Escaping from the ground

Escaping from a seated position

Enhancing your skills on room or area entrance and exit strategies

Escaping ropes (this will involve learning knots and ties)

Escaping the most common handcuffs

Lock picking with traditional picks

Lock picking with improvised implements

So this is just scratching the surface and as you can see the skills necessary for a modern practitioner to learn and hone to help themselves and others in case of an emergency. So what should you take away from this short piece? As you may notice I didn’t lay out any instruction on any of what I outlined, this is a part of your lesson! Search and dig up information on some of this material, utilize your choho skill set to help you develop more knowledge, then teach it to others, like I do here to reinforce the skills and pay it forward. Now my last bit here is just an announcement, over the next several weeks my team and I are revamping the Online Ninjutsu Lessons, and will be launching several EBooks for a very short time at a reduced price. Then a massive re-launch of all of the online material will be completed, but here is the kicker, there will be an opportunity for 50 individuals to get in on the re-launched lessons at a reduced rate so stay tuned for the details and all of the exciting changes coming soon!!!

Now go out and practice, this damn lock I am trying to open is giving me a headache!!

Bufu Ikkan!

I had a lot of questions on my last post on Emergency medical preparations, especially in regards to what would you do if you had to treat basic wounds and you were living off the land or behind enemy lines. Well, the ancient(and modern) ninjutsu practitioners were(and should be) very familiar with herbal or traditional medicine. From the Shindenfudu ryu we learn to be and train in nature, so why would one not learn to utilize all that is around them as part of the personal protection training?  I am not going to give you a list of herbs and cures(more on this is coming in the updates next month in the Online Training Center) , but here are a few simple and common plants that you should learn to identify and use in treating superficial cuts and scratches:

Comfrey: Comfrey salves, ointments and teas are best known for the topical treatment of burns and just about any skin irritation.

Goldenseal: Goldenseal is a folk medicine staple widely used in many herbal salves and ointments as a contact disinfectant.

Plantain: The macerated fresh plantain leaves are put on bee stings and used for skin irritations, malignant ulcers,and burns, and to stop bleeding in minor cuts.

I have only listed three basic plants here that are quite common and each can be utilized to help clean and treat minor cuts, burns and scratches. For your homework research 2 additional plants native to your area that you can use to help treat minor wounds or burns.

Bufu Ikkan!

In ancient times, the ninja had to understand and be able to treat common injuries from training and or from warfare, as well as be able to treat themselves or others for diseases. Today, we have the luxury of driving to the doctor’s or calling 911 for an emergency, but what if you couldn’t call or get to where medical treatment could be applied? As one of the 13 skills I chose to improve upon this year, Emergency medical treatment was one of them. Over the years I have been involved as a first responder for hazardous emergencies through the various jobs that I have held, but much earlier in my life I began gaining a basic understanding of traditional methods for healing soft tissue injuries, acupressure, and medicinal herbs. More recently I have continued on by attending various first aid, and tactical medical courses. I also have several first aid kits that I carry on backpacking trips, in my vehicle, work, dojo etc. All with the underlying belief that it is better to be prepared than not to be when the time comes. Has this paid off? Yes, I have assisted at car accidents, seizures, lacerations, broken bones and CPR events.

As a part of your training, I would like you to do the following:

1)      Take a basic CPR/First aid course

2)      Prepare a travel and a home emergency first aid kit (Notes will be up in the Online training section on what your kits should contain.)

3)      Gain knowledge on soft tissue recuperative techniques

These three points will help lead you down a path of Ninja preparedness that could save you or your loved ones life someday. Not to mention that basic healing techniques after training go a long way in a speedy recovery!

Alright now go out and train!

Bufu Ikkan

PS: A new revamping of our Online training sections is underway and more information on Ninja Medical remedies will be available soon!

Hello Ninjutsu Fans,

Stories of my untimely death at the hands of a rogue Ninja clan are sadly untrue! Actually, I took some time off for family and training reasons but now I am back with a lot of new material coming your way! I receive a lot of emails from practitioners around the world and the following is a great topic for us all to think about.

“Sensei, you write that Bajutsu (Horsemanship) was a part of the Ninja Juhakkei, how would you interpret this in a modern application.” (Mark K. Utah)

Let’s start first that Bajutsu  (horsemanship) was a “mandatory” discipline for the bushi warriors especially starting from the Edo period, bajutsu is the art of fighting while riding, being able to both lead the horse and make a proper use of the kyu (archery), naginata, yari or sword. Now although you can still get around on a horse, it is clearly not efficient or the mode of transportation that you will most encounter. So, let’s take a big picture first ; most likely you will be utilizing a vehicle such as a car, truck, or even a motorcycle in your daily commute, so on a first level you should be aware and knowledgeable about how to drive the two types of vehicles standard and automatic transmission, as well as how this is adapted to a motorcycle. Next, have you familiarized yourself with 2 wheel, 4 wheel, rear wheel and front wheel driven vehicles? There is still a lot of material just with this gross level understanding of transportation and then what about learning how to fix and maintain the vehicles, and how to utilize it as a weapon? Then of course can you utilize a modern weapon from a moving platform? No this isn’t your gang banger drive by, but serious thought and practice should be place on deploying your everyday carry weapons from a seated, seat belted and moving position. Hey have you even thought about the defensive applications and strong and weak points of your vehicles structure? Not to make light of this subject matter but can you ride a horse, bicycle, do you know the local train schedule, start and or move an 18 wheeler? Bajutsu may have been about horses in the past but the modern application of this strategy would be to encompass all modes of transportation. Hey don’t even get me started on airplanes or helicopters!!(LOL)

Bufu Ikkan

Hidden Weapon Skills/Concealed Weapon Skills

One thing that drew me to ninjutsu was the variety of hand held and often deceptive looking items that were actually deadly weapons. Weapons such as: Shuko/Ashiko, Tetsubishi/Makibushi, Kakute, Tegiribo, Kakushibo, Konpi/Konpei, Shuriken, Fukiya, Nekode, have fascinated me since I was a young boy. But, how do we utilize these ancient weapons in today’s modern world?

Well of course we interpret and adapt! By this I mean utilizing the principles of concealed weapons in a modern “legal” manner. Here is an example for you, metsubishi (sight remover) was a common tactic of the Togakure ryu ninja. They would hollow out an egg and then replace the contents with a combination of ash, nettles, and various items that when thrown into an opponent’s eyes would remove or hinder their sight. In today’s world it is easy to get your hands on a container of “tear gas” that you can carry in most states legally. They come in a variety of forms, from simple hand held containers to crowd and room clearing agents. But, let’s say you are traveling to Canada, or on a plane, you cannot legally carry an item such as this on your person, but what about that small container of cayenne pepper that you “love” to put on your food…J well of course it is legal, although strange to see someone carrying this but thrown into someone’s eyes it is as effective as most store bought tear gas.

So my ninja’s in training that is just one method to take an ancient strategy and apply it in the modern world.

Bufu Ikkan

Over the last 2 years there has been a resurgence of a “prepping mentality”. Whether it is for a Doomsday scenario or just to get by safely with a major natural disaster, or severe weather event, the word is out and some people are preparing. With the Nat Geo Show “Doomsday Preppers” , the movie 2012, as well as Bear Grylls, Cody Lundin hitting the media, I thought it might be interesting to note that the ancient(and modern to) Ninja Clans were Japan’s answer to our modern prepping communities.

Located in mostly remote areas a ninja clan became less dependent on assistance from the centralized government and more dependent on self-sufficiency than was common in most areas in Japan. They were farmers, fisherman and craftsman, they understood and practiced medicine, military strategy, and of course could protect themselves or fade away into the mountains or surrounding countryside. With the Ninja Juhappan as a core curriculum of knowledge, and the mental philosophy of “enduring heart”’ the ninja had most “preppers” beat hands down in a systematic method of readiness.

With all the great comments on my post about Ninja Finances, I will continue to post a bit more or this analogy of the Ninjutsu mindset and knowledge as it applies to some preparations in your life. As I have always said a Ninja is Prepared for all eventualities, why would today be any different than in days gone by? Just some thoughts to think about for your training!

Bufu Ikkan

“You have to go all the way, be totally immersed in order to know the full truth or power of a thing. It is like the drunk’s experience of being delightfully intoxicated. There is something so pleasant, so thoroughly wonderful in a complete and fully total experience of the thing” – Soke Hatsumi

Can you remember some of the best moments of your life and or training? I can , and I am sure can as well. What is truly fascinating is that these best or most memorable moments are when we have let go and are living totally immersed in the moment. Now this is not an easy thing to achieve and can be a core tenant in most Buddhist teachings, so go about your next training session being totally Immersed in the moment, feel, breath, taste, touch, visually and hearing all that is going on around you. It can be intoxicating and somewhat overwhelming so be ready to deal with the emotional content you will be taking in.

So go out and try to live in the moment!

Bufu Ikkan

Now I bet you didn’t expect this for a topic! But it does fit very well with our ninjutsu philosophy of survining all things, so here we go. Over the last week my students and I have been carefully watching the situation in Cyprus and how the loss of finances could happen to anyone in a moment’s notice. As we were discussing the grab of people’s money I also brought up the fact that there is almost always a run on the banks when a major storm is going to hit and people move toward cash to purchase items or to have on hand if and or when the power goes down.

As we sat and talked they asked me what a type of Ninja like preparations they might consider doing. So here are a few things to add to your “Ninja Finance Preparations”!

1)      Have stored cash on hand, both at your residence and a small stash on you at all times.

2)      Think about purchase a “prepaid” cash/credit card. Set it up with whatever denomination that you feel comfortable with. (This is a great way to save a bit of cash anonymously on the side as well)

3)      Ensure you have your bills paid on time or early especially if you sense or know something is heading your way (storm etc.)

4)      When you don’t have any money, think bartering!

Alright, as Soke Hatsumi says “Ok, Play”.

Bufu Ikkan

“Another thing you must leave to the side is thinking that you are better then you are and that there is nothing more for you to learn.” Soke Hatsumi

Each day I try to reflect on how I can simplify and improve my martial arts practices. Actually I try to live this philosophy in all areas of my life.

How many of us have throughout the years met individuals who thought they knew everything there was about their chosen art? Most find out later that they had barely scratched the surface, and drift off to oblivion. Just a few weeks ago, I was invited to a Martial Arts Symposium where many Instructors and students came to teach, learn and share friendship. Between my sessions, I was everywhere trying to learn new techniques or strategies. I was so pumped up when I returned home I did a brain dump into my notebook, and started planning on how I could incorporate all the new ideas spinning in my mind. In all of my time practicing the arts I have always considered myself a “Perpetual Student” always striving and craving to learn more. To this day I cannot resist the temptation to pick up a new martial arts(or skill) book, magazine, video, I dive in take notes and then start to practice.

So now how can you apply this strategy to your training? Jump in and learn something new today, whatever it is sit down and write it down then add it to your practice so that it sticks. This Jump In with Both Feet approach is the way to go, and just the beginning of your adventure in the arts, Hopefully you to will be the “Perpetual Student.”

Bufu Ikkan