Ninjutsu

[RiverRun]

Are there any others here who are training in Ninjutsu? I have been training for about 1 1/2 years. Ninjutsu is a combined sytle that draws from Aikido, Karate, Ju Jutsu, Judo, and other disciplines.

I have been an avid weight trainer for over 10 years. But got bored with the same old routines. I pretty much plateaued at my genetic level and wanted to explore a more aerobic and spiritiual discipline.

Now I life weights about 3-4 days a week, and train in Ninjutsu also 3-4 days each week.

The biggest troubles I have are:
(1) Keeping the weight ON
(2) coordinating my weight and martial arts schedules so that I am not sore/tired from eityher one.
(3) Training my legs so that they are not tight, sore or wobbly.

What about you guys and gals?

-- Why this icon? I can't believe how ridiculous it is. I love it.

 

[Thaibox]

I recently discovered that not to far from where I live is the dojo of Ken Lux(7th Dan). They emphasize the Budo Taijutsu training method of Masaaki Hatsumi, including, interpretation of classical waza for contemporary situations. They are a Bujinkan Buyu Dojo under Jack Hoban. Unfortunately I'm moving to Phoenix in about a week. I have always wanted to study Ninjutsu. Its concepts and philosphies intrigue me greatly. I know a few practitioners who are very good people, very spiritually uplifting.

With respect to finding a training equilibrium. Its a highly individual thing. I reached my genetic weight limit at 215lbs(6'2"). That was doing a ton of training in the dojo and the gym. I wanted to go pro up against much bigger guys, and had to up my training considerably as well as pursue my bodybulding/lifting interests, all the while facing crappy genetics. I did a few moderate steroid cycles and got my training weight up to 250. I had to eat about 6000 good calories a day to maintain it though. Now I'm injured, so I'm just lifting and seeing how strong I can get until I have surgery and get back to training. Hopefully I wont lose all my weight. In contrast, I know some guys that do hours of cardio each day and still maitain weight/strength easily.

By the way, welcome to the board. I'm always pleased to see new Martial artists join us.

 

[RiverRun]

Thaibox and All....

One of the main goals I was hoping to achieve when I began my martial arts training was to improve the "body-mind connection." With Ninjutusu, I found a group of people who have a very positive attitude about health/fitness, as well as being very "good" people... everything from helping little old ladies across the street to being friendly and supportive of each other.

There is a strong undercurrent of spiritual attainment in Ninjutsu that I find very rewarding. I always considered myself a spiritual person, but had limited avenues to express it. I'm not sure if Ninjutsu is the discipline for me, but I will continue to train within it for a long time. I am also intrigued by aikido and BJJ.

Martial arts training is described by Ninjutsu disciples as a mountain, where the student climbs the mountain to a level of competence and then stands on the mountain as a master. Ninjustsu is explained as a "martial artist's art" that is the cloud above the mountain. The implication is that once you have learned and mastered the techiques of various martial arts, there are deeper lessons to be learned.

My school has its roots directly from Japan. My teachers take lessons variously from Soke Tanemura, Steven Segal, and Anthony Robbins, the motivational speaker. Our techniques draw from ju-jutsu, taijutsu, grappling, sparring, self-defense, aikido, various weapons, etc.

I am located on Long Island in New York...

By the way... I am not one of those people who is a fanatic about a particular school of thought (even if I speak glowingly of Ninjutsu)... I love to draw from various ideologies and techniques, not just in training, but also in everyday work and life.

 

[Kwai-Chang Caine]

Welcome to the board Riverrun!

I have recently started training with a Bujutsu instructor. The style is based on the techniques of Toshitsuga Takamatsu. Takamatsu was a master of MANY martial arts including Ninjutsu. Because of this, I guess you could say that training in Bujutsu has given me some good insights in Ninjutsu.

Before getting involved with Bujutsu, I had about 4 total years of martial arts experience, the two most recent years being a dedicated practitioner of Shootfighting. Because of a temporary move I was forced to seek out other means of instruction, so I choose Bujutsu. Although I can honestly say that my hand to hand combat skills far exceed those of any other student in the dojo (as a result of MMA/NHB style training in Shootfighting), the Bujutsu instructor would tear me a new one. His VAST knowledge of combat far exceeds my very one dimensional expertise in hand-to-hand fighting. Bujutsu/Ninjutsu has opened my eyes to some things that I previously didn't consider important; these things being weapons training, redirection, environmental warfare, soft tissue striking, small joint manipulation, pressure points, mental and spiritual cohesion, lethal tactics and strategy and a variety of other useful facets of martial training.

The people I have met, as a result of training at this Bujutsu school, have been truly wonderful. They are upstanding, incredibly ethical people who are truly dedicated to more than just becoming "killers" or "fighters". Although I will always be a practitioner of MMA, I have found my time in Bujutsu well spent as it has taught me some things that I have found to be incredibly important spiritually, strategically, and even technically.

Here's something that was given to me. I hope you enjoy it.


Ninja Seishin:

The essence of Ninniku Seishin is the spirit of the ninja who has the power to endure, survive, and prevail over all that would destroy one. In order to attain this, one must use patience, together with hard training of the body, mind and subconscious. One must ignore all insults and have no traces of resentment to keep a peaceful heart.

Nin is endurance & perseverance in both the physical and mental realms. One's heart must be kept like the edge of a blade; sharp and free of impurities. The heart and will is more effective than the blade as a tool for accomplishment.

It is also very important to acquire a good knowledge of diversionary tactics using both the heart and the body in tune with natural order to disappear. This is using the power of Earth, water, fire, wind, and air to overcome evil. One must nurture a heart like a flower with the spirit of bamboo in the wind.

 

[Thaibox]

Ninja Seishin:

The essence of Ninniku Seishin is the spirit of the ninja who has the power to endure, survive, and prevail over all that would destroy one. In order to attain this, one must use patience, together with hard training of the body, mind and subconscious. One must ignore all insults and have no traces of resentment to keep a peaceful heart.

Nin is endurance & perseverance in both the physical and mental realms. One's heart must be kept like the edge of a blade; sharp and free of impurities. The heart and will is more effective than the blade as a tool for accomplishment.

It is also very important to acquire a good knowledge of diversionary tactics using both the heart and the body in tune with natural order to disappear. This is using the power of Earth, water, fire, wind, and air to overcome evil. One must nurture a heart like a flower with the spirit of bamboo in the wind.

I like that a lot

Have you ever read the brief poem by a Taoist monk at the beginning of Bruce Lee's Tao of JKD? I'm getting my Masters degree in Philosophy, so I'm all about this stuff