Ninjutsu Training Online

 With so many people going to see “American Sniper” and becoming interested in the skills and  tactics of a professional sniper, I have drawn these eleven rules from Rob Maylor’s book “Sniper Elite”. It is the story of the training and missions of an SAS sniper, and at the end of the  book there are these Eleven Rules broken down in more depth. When you read these think how  you can apply these to your training and or daily life today.

• Keep all movements slow, and always look before moving.
• Use the shadows.
• Never enter and exit a hide by the same route.
• Use natural camouflage.
• Only fire 1 -2 shots from the same location, if possible move after the first shot.
• Whenever possible have a deception plan, false hides, false trails etc.
• Marksmanship principles.
• Eye on the crosshairs, target slightly blurred.
• Shoot past a solid object.
• Always have an escape route
• Never sacrifice security.

Bufu Ikkan

Airyu –“Living the Ninja Lifestyle”

“Going out on your own and being self-reliant is not risky. Being reliant on (a broken) government, now that’s risky.” – Simon Black

I love the above quote!

It reflects so much from our deep ninjutsu heritage, which is completely apropos for the modern day we live in. How many of us are too reliant on our Government, food supply chain, work, etc? I would have to venture that most of us fit that bill, wouldn’t you say?

Well, “What would a Ninja Do?” (WWND)

My best guess would be to learn the skills necessary to be more self-reliant  so that he or she or their loved one were more protected than the rest of the masses. Several years ago, my family and I moved to a rural community in the foothills of a small mountain range, with a small amount of acreage that contained a pond, running stream, and many, many open acres of forest around us, not too much different than the early founders of the Togakure clan in Iga! But is this for everyone? No, maybe, I can’t answer that for you—but each year we grow more and more of our own food, we can hunt or raise farm animals, hell I can’t sit on my back deck and practice with my firearms if I like at any time! (sometimes I do!!) But what I am getting at here is how you, not me can become self reliant like our ancient forebears in ninjutsu. How you might ask? Well here are a few tips:

• Plant a garden – Do you know how many ninjutsu stories and lore stem from them being just a humble farmer or gardener?
• Start a second career – I have multiple sources of income for my family, so if my primary income source goes away(yes I do more than teach martial arts or run this site), it may hurt, but I can get by.(more on this in another post)
• Learn skills that will aid you in being self-reliant. Yes, this mean work! Things like first aid, small engine repair, gardening, martial arts….start now and you will be glad you did.

Alright here are 3 tips, to live a more “ninja like” lifestyle, so what are you going to do, just sit there or live the ninja lifestyle? So, if you have been on this site for a while you will know that there is a ton of information here to start your ninjutsu journey or to point you to new avenues of learning, and this year there is a big push to put out some awesome material for you all to learn and assimilate into your training, be ready, and enjoy!

Bufu Ikkan

Airyu – “Living the Ninja Lifestyle!”

Hey there Ninja Fans!!

I hope you are keeping up with the facebook posts??? If not what the hell are you doing? Anyway, I would like to challenge each and every one of you to like our Facebook page and build our Ninja clan into a strong and vibrant group that can share information and training tips on an on going basis. Now this isn’t without a bribe( I’m a Ninja for cripes sakes!) anyway if we hit 500 likes, I will send out a few surprise to all of our fans!

No I won’t tell you what it is, so get involved and pump up our clan!

Bufu Ikkan

Airyu – “Living the Ninja Lifestyle!”

(even if it is under 4 feet of snow!)

Hey Ninjas!
    I happened to be strolling down the aisles of Walmart the other day and  picked up a great addition to my first aid kit gear, it’s a small package called  Quick Seal Wound Care Kit.

As you can see the kit contains 2 packages of Celox Granules, which for    those of you who don’t know Celox granules(chitosan) have a very high    surface area and when in the presence of blood, gel up and stick together forming a clot that stops the wound from bleeding.

This technology has been used by the military for several years with great success in treating major wounds on the battlefield, allowing them to be evacuated for further treatment.
  Each kit contains

2 Celox packages

2 sterile gauze pads

4 adhesive bandages

2 Ibuprofen tablets

2 antiseptic wipes

This is a great addition to your personal first aid kit, for those rough training sessions or just when you or a loved one is injured. I am picking up a couple of more to add to my range bag first aid kit and one for my smaller lightweight outdoor camping kit.

Have you guessed the first Ninja Skill building theme yet? Yep, you guessed it —First Aid!

Bufu Ikkan

Airyu – “Living the Ninja Lifestyle!”

ps: Don’t forget to stay in tune with our Facebook page, more information is up on the page each week! Building the Ninja Clan, 1 Genin at a time!

Hello Ninja fans!

One skill that attracted me to ninjutsu was the ninja’s ability to move silently through many areas. So, while I was practicing today I thought it would be a good to review a few tips on silent movement for you to incorporate into your practice.

1. Take slow, measured breaths from the nose. In through the nose and out through the mouth, similar to the method utilized when you are practicing meditation.
2. Look at where you will step next and be mindful of what you are stepping on!
3. When you are outside, attempt to walk on bare dirt or live grass. Dead foliage creates a perceptible “crunch” even when lightly stepped on. If you encounter an area where forced to walk through foliage, then pick the clearest path and proceed slowly, possibly bending over and removing obstructions from the location of the next step.
4. Place the heel or toes of your foot down first and roll your foot slowly and gently onto the ground. If moving swiftly, run/leap from location to location. Avoid landing flatfooted. For moving backwards, this is reversed, so that the ball of the foot is placed down first, and then the heel lowered to the ground.
5. Move when there are sounds around you. The wind blowing, a plane overhead or even a car in the distance, utilize what you can to help camouflage the sounds of your movement.
6. Practice stalking animals outside, this tip has helped me get very, very close to wildlife, and if you can do this you will be achieving a high level of movement.
7. If you are getting really close to a target, walk on the outer edge of your feet, rolling your foot from heel to pinky toe. Though very silent, this technique is also uncomfortable and should only be used for short distances. The hips can be rotated slightly to make this technique easier.
8. If you are trying to walk silently on gravel: Bend low at the knees. The first part of your foot to hit the ground should be the heel. “Roll” forward on that foot until you’re on the ball of your foot (the padded part just behind the toes). Just before you’ve rolled all the way onto the ball of your foot, put your other foot down, heel first, directly in front of the first foot, almost touching it. You should be able to smoothly roll from the first foot to the second. Continue by rolling on the second foot, until you’re almost at the ball, and repeat by putting the first foot in front of the second. This should all be done fluidly.

Bufu Ikkan

Airyu – “Living the Ninja Lifestyle”

ps: Battening down the hatches as the next serious snow storm is heading this way. It might be a great opportunity for some winter survival training with 2 feet of snow expected!

The other day I was speaking to a friend about training and he asked me “what was so special about my training or ninjutsu training than other arts.”

Well here comes my answer—-

All martial arts are good in some way, shape or form. It depends on the individual to choose what they want to gain from an art before they jump in and start training as the martial arts can be used for purely health related purposes all the way out to sport combative or real world combative applications. It all depends on who you are and what you want to gain, so before I start offending others here get ready as this is my opinion and it has served me well for many, many years of training and real world application of my training.

It isn’t what you train in, specifically, but how you train and how you apply what you train in. In ninjutsu it is about surviving another day by any means possible, from the direct application of a technique or the direct application of a principle or tactic. But, even deeper is the “How you train”, is your practice safe and non threatening? Then don’t be blowing smoke at me and tell me you are practicing for a street encounter. Ever been hit by a kick, punch or stick? It hurts, and it throws you into the whole adrenal fight or flight mechanism, and if you haven’t trained to prepare for it, I wish you a lot of luck. Again, take ninjutsu, it is one of my favorite systems to practice but I also practice many others and continue to push my learning outside of the boundaries, preconceived by some, yes like a ninja did ages ago. Braving new technology or tools to accomplish a mission or to protect one’s family. So, is your training for real? Do you push yourself in a physical manner to help you develop your mental endurance? When you are trail running do you stop to catch your breath, or do you push further until you physically have to stop because you don’t have it left in you to go further…this is what I mean when I say it is how you train. There are keys along the way that will help you in learning, core basics that make up an arts curriculum, but Soke Hatsumi has often said that we need to “Break” , (Ri) from the basic and let it become our own. But, let me step back here and say without a physical background you will never achieve the deeper parts of an art, or true understanding in how to operate in the real world. The mind is a key, training it to be stronger, more flexible in problem solving, analysis of situations, enduring, etc. Without these skills you will always be at best an intermediate practitioner of anything or any art. So, I am throwing a lot out here about my core beliefs in training, what can you take away here, well at the very least a few questions to ask yourself when training:

• Is it functional? Is what I am practicing or using to improve my physical self a core function that will help enhance my other physical skills? Ex: What does a barbell curl do for your punching ability?
• Am I exceeding my limitations? Most limitations are self-limitations. Do you self – limit your training by telling yourself you can’t do this or that because you are too old, not flexible, not strong enough etc. Throw it out and do it anyway, train the brain to push through it’s self-imposed limits.
• Does it sync with what else you practice, know or do? “Absorb what is useful, disregard the useless, and add to it specifically what is your own.” – Bruce Lee I think you know what I am aiming to here, if it does sync with what you are doing it will not be something you do in a real situation, so why waste the short time you have practicing it?

Ok, I have laid out 3 principles for you to absorb, a ninja of any age was and is at the cutting edge of learning, physical conditioning and preparedness to help or protect himself of loved ones, can you look deep inside yourself and say that you are there yet? Then why aren’t you training like a ninja? Fast furious, hard and difficult, these are tried and true principles for you to make serious improvements in your skill levels and real world application of what you practice.

Bufu Ikkan

Airyu – “Living the Ninja Lifestyle.”

Ps: Time to head to the dungeon and do some training once again!

South Korean Soldiers Training Old School

All right Ninja practitioners, it is winter here in the Northeast! Cold weather is part of what we live with and are very much accustomed to, but increasing our ability to endure the weather around us can lead us into some hairy situations, and even at moderate temperatures hypothermia is one of them.

Hypothermia is defined as a body temperature (core, or internal body temperature) of less than about 95 F (35 C). Usually, hypothermia occurs when the body’s temperature regulation is overwhelmed by a cold environment.

Mild hypothermia symptoms (core temperature 32 C to 35 C (90 F to 95 F) are:

• Shivering
• Fatigue
• Increased respiratory rate
• Hunger
• Mild confusion
• Some difficulty with speech and coordination

Moderate hypothermia (core temperature 28 C to 32 C (82 F to 90 F) are:

• Increasing difficulty with all the moderate symptoms (for example, inability to do simple tasks, slurred speech)

Severe hypothermia (core temperature below 28 C (82 F) are:

• Shivering stops
• Extreme confusion (for example, removing clothing or extreme risk-taking behavior)
• A decline in consciousness
• A weak and/or irregular pulse
• Slow and shallow breathing
• Coma that can result in death

I have had to treat several individuals that were in a moderate hypothermic state, and with that said, here is how you should be treating the patient.

• Prevention and recognition are the first steps. Dress appropriately for the environment and be aware of what a quick drop in temperature can do.
• Warm slowly by drinking warm liquids, or food
• Warm dry clothing and or blankets
• Hot water bottles placed under arms and between legs.
• If not available climb into a sleeping bag or under blankets to share additional warmth with the patient.

I train, camp and sleep outside in deep winter and so far have prevented my own cold weather emergency situation through proper layering of clothing, heating pads(hand or foot warmers) change of dry clothing, fire making ability, and even a space blanket, as the Boy Scout motto states “ Be Prepared”, so do not go into the cold without understanding or knowledge on how to treat this dangerous situation, it can sneak up on you or those of your party!

Knowledge is not power, application of knowledge is power, so start training with reality in mind!

Bufu Ikkan

Airyu – “Living the Ninja Lifestyle”

Happy New Year Ninjutsu practitioners!

I hope you all are recovering from a great night of fun with friends and family!!

So, 2015 is finally here, and what are we going to do now? Well, plan some new goals and have a hell of a lot of fun along the way. So, I have been working on my 2015 goals for the past few days now, and just a few more things to plan out with some check points to ensure I continually make progress on them as well, but I am sure you are all doing the same to make 2015 a rocking year!

Now, what about Ninjutsu Training Online, you might be wondering, well there are plans….Top Secret of course, but there are plans to do some really great things here. With all the emails I got last year about the Podcasts, yes I will be releasing new podcasts for you! Of course new posts and free lessons, but many people have been asking me about videos, and physical training and historical material and the list goes on and on, so I am prioritizing! There will be a new Ninja Warrior Conditioning training program coming up soon, and how about a newsletter??

Well of course!

And yes I took all the advice regarding the current lessons to heart and there will be a complete revamp and release of some awesome material late springtime or so! Hey, there is even going to be some insight to my personal training areas!

I hope you enjoy what is coming, and stay involved in the evolution of this site, because it is a labor of love for the arts and skills of ninjutsu, both ancient and modern day.

Bufu Ikkan

Airyu – “Living the Ninja Lifestyle!”

ps: Let’s grow our Modern Ninja Clan this year, so spread the word and stay in touch here and don’t forget to like our Facebook page as well!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ninjutsu-Training/132382973477757?ref=bookmarks

Hello Ninja fans!

Well, well, with just a few days remaining for 2014, have you thought about what you have accomplished in your personal training this year? The year has flown by, and sometimes we need to take a moment to reflect on what we have done to appreciate our progress, or lack of progress in our training. I journal so I can keep a real record of what I do at various times during the year so later I can review and or report on things that I have done, hey everyone’s memory is sometimes a bit off, but if you journal you experiences as soon after the fact as possible you will be able to go back and possibly glean new meaning from a lesson, and or just reflect back on an adventure you had with the family. Anyway, here are some suggestions for you to implement during your year end “reflection time”

1) Be 100% honest in your evaluation! If you suck at something, write it down, who cares other than you, if you are not good at something yet or haven’t achieved a particular goal? Let your ego go and be honest, it will go a long way in developing you for next year’s plan.

2) If possible start with where you were and where you are today. If your flexibility was X and today it is Y, log it! Yes, this means you (in the future) will have to establish and record measurable achievements.

3) Be vivid and descriptive whenever possible, it will help you remember the situation more. (neat memory trick)

4) Lastly, have fun! Enjoy the reviewing process, it is not meant as a punishment but a time to look back upon what you have done and accomplished.

So, why reflect? Well, don’t expect me not to throw out a challenge in 2015 to accomplish even more in your training and life than you did in 2014! Oh yes I will be throwing that gauntlet down soon, and I hope that you will pick it up and throw it back to me as well. I am already starting to list new things to work and train on. It takes me several days to go through this process so I normally start a few days before the end of the year and then put a plan together and work it each and every month in the New Year. Revising as I go and things change or items become accomplished or not important any more (yes life changes!!)

Alright, I hope you enjoy the reflection time and feel free to post or email me any of your accomplishments for 2014!

Bufu Ikkan!

Airyu – “Living the Ninja Lifestyle!”

Ps: I’ll share a few of my accomplishments here soon!

 “Intuition is a function by which human see around corners. It is useful for persons who live exposed to dangerous natural conditions. – Erasmus” (Dune: Butlerian Jihad)

Intuition, is that sense of knowing what is coming, or that feeling that  something is about to occur, but without prior knowledge or information?  Ever felt it and better yet did you act on it? Now, we all know we have 5  senses, and we rely on these each and every day, almost taking them for  granted most of the time or until something catastrophic happens and you  are unable to utilize one of them. Yet, there is something else there, intangible, but just out of reach for most of us on a daily basis.

I had my first big “intuitive” moment, many years ago, when I was driving without my seatbelt on coming down into an intersection, as I had the green light. I had the strangest sense that something was going to happen, and I locked my seat belt into place just before entering the intersection, when from my left another vehicle goes through the red light and hits me in the front end, spinning me so fast that I hit the rear end of his vehicle forcing him off the road. I was lucky, or was it my intuition that saved me? After that moment I began a long study of intuition and it’s potential in martial or combative situations, and it has served me well these years.

Within ninjutsu, intuition is developed through constant vigorous martial arts practice, usually in a somewhat dangerous situations. But, further exercises can help you enhance your intuitive abilities, so let’s look at 1.

Meditation:

Most of us practice some type of meditation to help us keep our minds focused, and that is where intuition comes in. A basic meditation primer here:

• Sit on the floor and begin to rhythmically breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Each in and out cycle is counted as 1. When you reach nine cycles, begin again at 1.
• As you begin to gain control over your wandering mind, start to focus on an alpha wave generating tool. I like fire, a candle or a small fire where you can focus on the blaze while continuing your breathing exercise.
• As you complete your meditation practice write down new thoughts and ideas that have been stimulated during this practice. Journal them as this is the beginning of the intuitive process.

Just a note here that this is just a cursory look at the meditative process and how it applies to developing intuition as an ongoing tool and skill for your life and martial practice, but it is a place to start.

Let me know if you have examples of an intuitive situation that you would like to share with our fellow ninjutsu practitioners!

Bufu Ikkan

Airyu – “Living the Ninja Lifestyle!”