Suggestions for Approaching Your Ninjutsu Training the Right Way

Bujinkan Shidoshi Jeffrey M. Miller

In this post I will be discussing some very important areas of study. These areas should form the foundation of your training. That way, your progress and the skills you develop will be strong, balanced, and ready for the ultimate test – having to defend yourself against a real-world attacker!

Aside from the lists of “ninja” techniques, tactics, and strategies contained in the scrolls or curriculum that you will be introduced to long the way, a true practitioner of ninjutsu must also be proficient with the common skills learned by those studying the more conventional martial arts like karate, tae kwon do, aikido, kung-fu, etc. As you can see, if you're going to master the self-defense system of the Ninja, you have a little more to work on than most students of the martial arts.

Regardless of whether your a beginner or advanced student, the Advanced Sanshin / Kihon Happo Home Study Course - a 12 dvd video training program - will teach you more about these important training models than most black belts have ever learned! Ninjutsu Training

But, if you're serious about your training, you won't let this scare you. Because, one of the unique things about real ninjutsu training – the kind of training that goes beyond mere body movement and unarmed self-defense training – is that you learn both viewpoints – the conventional and the Ninja's unconventional approach – at the same time!

To ultimately master something, especially something as complex and all-encompassing as the art of ninjutsu, you must lay a proper foundation. Just like building a house, if the foundation is weak, or you just throw a bunch of sticks and other parts together...

… you will find that, when a good wind comes along, that your house comes tumbling down.

And, in the context of self-protection, that wind will be in the form of a real attack – an attack coming from someone who wants to harm you or your loved ones. And, unless you want to just get by with a false sense of confidence, or you only care about how cool you look to others when you're training, the last thing you want to happen is for all of your knowledge, training, and skills to fail you because they were wrong.

If you want to master the art of ninjutsu, also known as Ninpo in it's higher, philosophical and life mastery form, then you must focus on getting your training regimen structured so that you can progress and grow in the right direction. Here are a few of the beginning steps toward mastery in Ninjutsu:

First, you need to understand the make-up of the art and the principles and concepts upon which it is based. After all, there are only so many things that you can do with, and to, a human body. And, you can find all of those things throughout the martial arts and fighting world. But, you must be able to answer the question:

“What is it that makes Ninjutsu different from all the rest?"

Next, you need to have a mentor, or several of them – people who really understand the art and it's practice – so that you don't fall into the trap of just throwing a bunch of things together and calling it Ninjutsu. Your teacher will show you how to apply the many techniques, tactics, strategies, and skills contained within the system.

He or she will also introduce you to the weapons and tools that will allow you to be more effective than you could be with unarmed skills alone.

And, finally, you must be clear about where you are, and what you should be focusing on at each level as you progress. The idea with Ninjutsu training is that you should be living and training “intentionally” rather than just being 'spoon-fed' by your teacher.

Ultimately, you and you alone are responsible for your own training and progress. Your teacher and fellow senior students can only guide you and provide you with pieces of the puzzle.

If this article was helpful and you want to learn more about what it takes to progress toward warrior mastery in the martial, self-defense, and life mastery system of ninjutsu, then I suggest that you check out this ebook that I'm giving away: http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/becoming-the-master-subsc.html

Or if you are looking for a home study program to help you with your ninjutsu training, then check out this ninjutsu home study course: Sanshin Kihon Happo

I look forward to training with you very soon.

NINPO-IKKAN!

Shidoshi Jeffrey M. Miller SPS, DTI
Founder and Director Warrior Concepts Int'l, Inc.
Bujinkan Moki no Tora Dojo
362 Market Street
Sunbury, Pa. 17801  USA

Master-teacher
Bujinkan Dojo Internationa
http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com

Real Street Fighting and Modern Street Self Defense Tips From the Art of Ninjutsu


It's true. There was a time when I was discouraged with what was being offered as traditional martial arts masquerading as effective systems of self defense for today's world. I saw a huge difference between what we practiced in class and used in the tournament ring, and what was really needed for surviving a street fighting self defense situation.

Do you know what I mean?

But, here's something that I found out. Not all martial arts were created equal. More to the point, most of the conventional systems of martial arts training that we see today, were modified and radically changed from their original combat forms. Fortunately for us, the art of Ninjutsu, a counter-culture to the ruling Samurai, never made the change.

What that means for those of us looking for effective and, more importantly - proven - self defense tips, is that what is being taught today is the same thing that was being used by people who had to save their lives from attacks practically every day. It means that what we're learning and putting to use in our modern street self defense situations worked again and again. And...

Anything that was tried by an ancient warrior that didn't work - we don't know about. Why? Because it died with him!

Here are 3 powerful self defense tips right from the Ninja's art of Ninjutsu that I seriously recommend adding to your self defense skills. They are not step-by-step techniques but rather concepts that will make any technique better, and they will make techniques that are already good - more powerful and effective than you can imagine!

1. Nagare - "Flow": This is the relaxed natural transition of one movement into another without the jerky, start-stop, robotic action of karate-kata. You naturally slip your attacker's attempted punch, grab, or kick, and then, without stopping, respond with a counter attack of your own.

2. Ritsudo - "Rhythm" or "Timing": The ability to move, defend, or attack at just the right moment that makes both your attack a surprise and impossible for your assailant to defend against!

3. Kotsu - "Essence": The technique behind the physical movements. The idea or strategy that we're applying. Instead of "counter-striking his attacking arm," the Ninja sees this as "neutralizing the force of his attack." This way, it's not "how" we're doing what we're doing, but "what" we're doing to him - and "why."

If you're looking for powerful self defense tips that are effective, time-tested, and proven, then I recommend that you explore the world of Ninjutsu and the Ninja's ability to adapt to, and deal with, modern street fighting self defense attacks.

Do you want to know how I do it? You can learn more about defending yourself using the principles of Ninjutsu in this powerful course called, "Foundations of Self-Defense Mastery."

Self Defense Tips

And don't forget to get your free Ninja training dvd: "Ninja Camp 2004". Get your free course and ninja camp dvd and learn how to really protect yourself - Ninja-style! http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com

"3 Lessons of the Ninja's Kamae"

by Shidoshi Jeffrey M. Miller



In the Ninja's art of unarmed combat known as ninpo-taijutsu, or budo-taijutsu, there is the core lesson of kamae - the use of effective body positioning. While other martial arts might refer to this strategic positioning of the body as dachi or "stances," the Ninja sees his or her kamae as an outward manifestation of the inner workings of his or her heart, rather than a fixed position dictated by one's style.

Progress through any educational endeavor is often seen as merely learning the lessons that the teacher gives us. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Rarely does a student question the relevance of any given skill or its relationship to other skills and lessons being taught at the same time. And this is no different in the martial art world.

This is especially true when it comes to the skills commonly referred to as "the basics."

In fact, it's these "basics" that often go overlooked by students and teachers alike as being anything more than merely base elements of a particular style. In fact, they're often seen as nothing more than...

...the stuff to learn so we can move onto "the cool stuff."

I know that I, myself, used to believe that. That is, until I went from conventional, sport-oriented, martial arts, to the art of ninjutsu.

Of course, in the beginning of my training, kamae were just that...kamae. I really didn't see them as any different from the "stances" of my earlier training in karate, tae-kwon-do, and other arts. Even though my teacher spoke of "taking up" the kamae and repeating the "idea" of kamae as meaning "mind-body-spirit attitudes" - being the physical manifestations by our bodies of how we felt and what we thought we could do in any given moment.

It wasn't until I had years of training under my belt, so-to-speak, and found myself hitting a wall in my progress and growth that I finally decided to take another look at the obvious - at these things called kamae.

I began by looking at all of the positions that I had been taught. Each had a name and came from a particular lineage, or school of combat that had been passed down to my teacher.

I pulled out my notes and reread passages in books by my teacher and others who had written about the Ninja's art of ninjutsu, or ninpo, as it's known in its higher, life-centered, order.

But, it wasn't until I took a step back from my role as a student trying to get rank - trying to learn the next kata or "fight-example" - that everything started to become clear. It wasn't until I switched my brain from "learning" to "experience" mode that things started to make sense.

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You can't beat experience when it comes to something as vitally important as self-protection. In my book "The Karate-Myth" and the bonus materials that come with it, I share over 30 years of study, research, and practical experience garnered from my experience as a police officer, undercover investigator, and body guard. Get more info about the Karate-Myth here
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When I looked at my experience as a police officer and body guard and the lessons that I had picked up in "the school of hard-knocks" I suddenly realized that, regardless of form...

...regardless of whether a kamae came from the Gyokko-ryu, Kukishinden-ryu, or Koto school, they all were teaching the same lessons.

And then something else hit me.

Even the basics, the things we think of as obvious lessons, are themselves teaching us lessons.

I realized that buried within each lesson - within each skill - whether it be rolling, walking, cutting, shooting, or kamae...

...were lessons that were universal in nature and yet invisible unless you either knew what to look for or had a teacher with real-life experience who could help you to see them for what they are.

It was then that I realized that each and every kamae was teaching the same lessons. Some of these lessons were at deeper levels and required more understanding, but there were three that stood out for the beginner.

These three basic lessons of kamae are:

1. Cover - the ability to effectively shield oneself and make it difficult for an attacker to get at you
   
   
2. Stability/Balance - the ability to properly position and align the parts of your body for maximum effectiveness and minimum effort, and...
   
   
3. Attitude - the ability to communicate your intention to your opponent with your body

Once I uncovered these three jewels, everything changed in my training. I was no longer trapped by the ignorant eyes of the beginner who, years before saw what he thought his teacher was doing. I was then able to correct my kamae and take up positions that had strength, power, and the ability to control an attacker's perceptions, decisions, and actions, without even touching him.

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Are you trying to learn as much as you can about the lineages that make up the Bujinkan Dojo?

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It was shot live during one of my training seminars and includes the techniques, strategies, and foundational lessons of the Takagi-Yoshin school, one of the 9 lineages contained within the Bujinkan Dojo.

A note of warning though, if you're looking for motion picture quality sound and video, you'll be disappointed. But, if you;re like most and are looking for the information, then this DVD will provide you with enough to keep you busy for months! It breaks through the myth that the jutaijutsu is a grappling art, and sheds light on the skills you'll need to bring this centuries old art to life in the 21st century!

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Ninpo-Ikkan!

Shidoshi Miller