Perfect one’s character:

Do not harbor hatred and bitterness. Negativity breeds negativity. Love one another. Enough cannot be said on this.

Dedicate oneself to others:

And not just to oneself. Selfishness leads to hate, which leads to anger. Anger consumes all in its path and is never quenched, except by effort, which rebuilds. This may be one’s own effort, or the effort of another, changing your nature and your life from the inside out. This will influence those around you.

Uphold honor, bravery, and justice:

In these you will find right paths. Selfishness corrupts. Patience instructs. Only time will tell.

Never stop learning:

Always consider following right paths. Think not on the way of life or death. Life’s sorrows in disguise will always surprise you. Do not settle for less than truth, or you will be deceived. Letting go of life too quickly is not always honorable. Let go of concern for your life or death; seek only honor and truth. Focus only on these, then pain and deception turn into lessons, or blessings. You must always seek greater understanding, so you may seek greater truth.

“Obstacles are what you see when you lose sight of your goal.” - Anonymous

Obtain victory without conflict:
The paramount of skill is victory without conflict. Preserve the whole using your empty hand. You must practice preserving the whole in every thing.

In summary:
Meditate on all of this continually.

Righteousness is The Divine Truth.
Righteousness is the goal of all existence.
Righteousness is the only path to Nirvana, or Heaven.

The author, Owen Johnston, lives and teaches Wado ryu Karate in Lake City, South Carolina. He also enjoys training, reading, attending church, and spending time with his fiance. For more information, please visit Johnston Wado ryu Karate - Online Community

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The Myth perpetuated by Self Defense Oriented Martial Arts

I just received the following Email. I felt it needed to be shared because I feel a lot of people feel the same way…

“Hello Damian,

I ran across your website searching for what was out there for self defense information and have found myself researching your and Mr. Cestari’s methods ever since. I’ve trained in Martial Arts since 1984 and have studied primarily Tae Kwon Do but also have trained in Hapkido and Judo. I received my black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 15 and at that time thought I was more or less Superman capable of defending myself against anyone. 2 years later at a party my skills were put to the test by the “tough guy” in town who wanted to see how good I was. It probably comes as no shock to you that skill had nothing to do with it. He approached me from behind threw me to the ground and had me in a pretty secure choke when the other people that were there pulled us apart and took us our separate ways. I wasn’t hurt and it wasn’t a life or death situation but what bothered me was that not only were my 5 years of training useless in that situation, they never even entered my mind…I froze. After that I dropped out of the martial arts for a while thinking either they didn’t work or I wasn’t mentally strong enough to execute them in a realistic situation. Later I started to research other martial arts with a different perspective especially when it came to self defense and in every case I found students that were basically being lied to and given a false sense of confidence that they would be able to defend themselves using these various tricks and techniques for situations that aren’t likely to happen anyway. As you referred to on your website I can break out of a wrist grab no matter who the attacker is, but in my entire life I’ve never had anyone grab my wrist with the intent of harming me.

–Mike, 2nd Dan Tae Kwon Do”

Unfortunately, Mike’s story is far too common. Anyone who has spent time in the vast majority of martial arts schools will see the instructor demonstrate and technique and then hear them claim, with 100% conviction, that this will work against anyone, any time. The majority of the time it’s not the instructor’s fault. It’s a common misconception that was taught by his instructor.

The following are a list of generally dangerous misconception perpetuated by Martial Artists and Self Defense Experts:

1. You should be able to do any technique, against anybody, all of the time.

2. You should be prepared to fight with in the blink of an eye.

3. You should a specific response for each and every situation

a. That specific response should be deployed without hesitation.

4. The criminal or street thug is uneducated and untrained and does not stand a chance against someone who is trained.

5. You should remain calm.

6. Combative sport contest is what a street fight will be like.

7. The technique should look smooth and pretty.

Anyone who teaches these ideas should have their heads examined. First of all, these are impossible goals that have been perpetuated by the mystique of martial arts. All martial artists like the idea of being able to act like this and more importantly, like the idea of YOU thinking that one day YOU will be able to be like that. But, like Mike you may receive a rude awakening. I am sure there are “stories” of people acting in this way. But I will site the Gichin Funakoshi passage from his book Karate-Do. When he had to defend his life against a real attacker, what did do? Reverse punch? High block? No he grabbed the guy by his balls and squeezed until the guy passed out. Does this make him any less of a great man or martial artist? On the contrary, I think it shows his insight into the realities of a street fight- end it as fast and by whatever means necessary.

Don’t set your self up for a fall. Understand the reality that the guy teaching has either never had a street fight in his adult life or learned from someone who never had any real world experience. Even then, I know guys who have experienced a street fight but have no idea or insight as to what they did or how they survived it. The problem is when you start to IMAGINE what MIGHT happen. Listen, your best bet is to understand general reactions. If you poke his eye, it will close. You will have no idea what this guy is thinking or feeling, nor will you care.

Below is a list of responses to the myths perpetrated by my fellow martial artists.

1. Not everything thing works for everybody. That’s why you study a variety of techniques and strategies. You want to find something that fits you. You will naturally gravitate to what “feels” good. That doesn’t mean try something a few times and dismiss it. It will mean that if presented with 5 techniques, some will come easier than others. Plus you will not be able to do the same things to a 250 pound person that you can do with a 110 pound person.

2. There is no way you will be at a 100% complete state of readiness. You wouldn’t be able to function. Imagine being good to go every second of the day. The stress alone would kill you.

3. We talked about situation-specific self defense on the www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com. It’s ludicrous and it doesn’t work. However, you should train for different positions. This is a must, but getting bogged down in details is a gross waste of time.

4. Criminals put “food on the table” by taking advantage of people like you. Psychos are predators that select easy marks. Both need to succeed. Do not underestimate their animal instinct. Also, don’t confuse intelligence and cunning.

5. You will be emotionally juiced. If you’re not you are either real crazy or real stupid.

6. The point of sport or contest is to win. The point of a street fight is not to lose or survive.

Also, when you enter a contest you know the when, where, how and sometimes who. And as rough as it is, you know the guy is not trying to kill you (I know sometimes it feels like that) but your life is not in danger. There are time limits, safety equipment and referees. That’s why the Japanese have the two words bujutsu and budo. Bujutsu is the literal technique or method. Budo is the way of or symbolic of the actual method. I am going to stop there, I could write another article on that alone.

Does this mean that people who compete are push-overs? No. I’m one of them. What it does mean is that you should plan for what will happen and what you’re expectations should be.

7. Personally, I’ve never seen a real fight look “good”, even when the guys knew what they were doing. A street fight is brutal and ugly.

So why study martial arts? Training in martial arts is important and extremely beneficial. Elements of what you practice can be applied to a real fight. You will find you will only need a handful of techniques that suit you. Depending on the techniques or method will effect you time in study.

The benefits of studying the martial arts:

1. Self improvement. To improve your self it begins from the exterior. You can see this illustrated in many martial arts. Kano (the founder of Judo) believed the purpose of judo was to make better people. For example, if you quit smoking or you don’t drink heavily before a work out, this a sign of self improvement and a benefit of training.

2. Physical fitness.

3. Self confidence

4. Self Awareness.

5. Understanding pain and sacrifice.

Anyone who would subject themselves to real martial arts training understands what these points mean. The more you put in, the more you get out. It’s that simple.

The bottom line: put it all in perspective and use your common sense. It’s funny to see well educated people follow some idiot around because he preys on their lack of self confidence. It’s also sad to see that the majority of the martial arts are a con-game.

Lastly, don’t believe anyone who has all the answers and nothing is guaranteed. It’s a fight, its life.

Regards,

Damian
www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com

Damian Ross is the owner of Zenshin and instructor of Tekkenryu jujutsu and Kodokan Judo. He started competing in the combative sport of wrestling in 1975 at the age of 7 and began his study of Asian martial arts with Moo Duk Kwan Tae Kwon Do at the age of 16 in 1984. In 1989, Shinan Cestari gave a seminar at Sensei Ross’s dojo. Sensei Ross has trained under Shinan Cestari’s direction ever since. In addition to Tekkenryu Jujutsu, Judo and Tae Kwon Do, Sensei Ross has also studied Bando. Sensei Ross continues his study of Judo under the direction of 8th degree black belt Yoshisada Yonezuka and Tekkenryu Jujutsu under it’s founder, Carl Cestari.

Below are is a list of some of his title ranks:

Yodan (fourth degree black belt) Tekkenryu Jujutsu under Carl Cestari
Shodan (First degree black belt) Kodokan Judo under Yoshisada Yonezuka
Varsity Wrestling Lehigh University under Thad Turner
2nd Degree Black Belt Tae Kwon Do
http://www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com

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One of the great “equalizers” in any fight on the street — even if you are being bum rushed by multiple opponents — is to have something as a weapon.

A knife, a bat, a garbage can lid, a broken bottle, even your belt can be used to even the odds.

However, there may be a time when you are in a fight where both you and an opponent have weapons. And if you’ve never trained in the use of that weapon, and he has, you could be in a lot of trouble.

Unless, of course, you read and use the secret in this article.

Listen to this:

If you want to get an instant tactical advantage in a weapons fight — even if you don’t practice and your opponent does — all you have to do is use the ancient Filipino method of “defanging the snake.”

What does that mean?

Simple:

Instead of trying to smack, cut or hit your attacker’s head, body or face — you instead go for the hand they’re holding their weapon in.

By doing this, you’re going to force them to drop their weapon — or at least reel back off balance.

It’s the perfect mixture of attack and defense rolled up into one quick movement anyone can do - no matter how fast, slow, big, or small you are.

I mean think about it:

You’re fighting some scumbag in a back alley somewhere. He pulls out a knife and you are able to find a broken beer bottle on the ground. He lunges in. How hard is it for you to step out of the way and simply swipe at his exposed hand with the weapon in it — cutting and disabling it before the fight even begins?

Believe me, it doesn’t take much effort at all.

And here’s the beauty about this:

It works whether you have an edged weapon — like a knife or razor, or a blunt weapon — like a stick or even a rolled up magazine.

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“Combatives” from the root word COMBAT – “to fight in direct contact”, “active fighting between enemies”, “any fight or struggle”.

Well, let’s see………………..There is ONE singular glaring absence in the above definition. Notice it? Absolutely NO mention of Fairbairn, Applegate, or Coach Hanley. No mention of Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing, Savate or any member of the Gracie family. No mention of World War Two, the Punic Wars or the Spartans. No mention of Juji-Gatame, a smashing overhand right, an edge of hand blow, or even a good old kick in the butt!

Get it? THERE ARE NO SPECIFICS that define what is or isn’t so-called “COMBATIVES”! So why do so many people feel such an overriding need to “define” combatives into a narrow scope of limited methodology? “I know what you do”…………………..”That Fairbairn stuff”. A month ago this same guy thought FAIRBAIRN was simply a decent suntan. “Yea, I base my combatives on Applegate”……………..six months ago this dude thought Applegate was the entrance to an orchard! Everybody’s an “expert”. At what exactly? I’m not sure even “they” really know.

I won’t presume to speak for ANYONE else that uses this term “combatives”. Actually I wouldn’t want to! All I can do is offer a CORRECT semantic observation and proffer my view on what encompasses my study, training and understanding of so-called “combatives”.

If you really do your research and homework you will see that even in manuals describing man to man combat that are CENTURIES old there exists a very COMPREHENSIVE survey and presentations of MANY forms of armed and unarmed combat. ALL in the same manuals! A vast array of weapon skills are shown and even the “unarmed” combat is a diverse mix of “techniques”. Before the use of London Prize Ring rules and the Marquis of Queensbury, “pugilists” used and relied on a great number of different grappling/striking/kicking and gouging methods. Ancient Greek Pankration was a combined system of “ALL POWERS” combat. The original Koryu Bujutsu of the Samurai included a comprehensive catalog of both armed and unarmed skills. The unarmed combatives of the Japanese Bushi also DIDN’T limit scope or method. Grappling was stressed when THAT was the best method of gaining tactical superiority. Striking, kicking and even BITING was resorted to when THAT was deemed the most appropriate method. The Chinese have ALWAYS maintained fully robust systems of combat that included all manner of striking, punching, kicking, throwing, strangling and joint-locking. Original Okinawan Te (Ti) included percussion methods as well as “tegumi” and “tuite”. Punch his lungs out if that did the job best. Kick his gonads out the top of his head if THAT worked best. Or grapple him into submission and control OR grapple him into a spine lock and neck break. Whatever was called for and whatever GOT THE JOB AT HAND DONE!

The 19th century saw many methods of “combined” self-defense systems develop in the West. The French combined elements of Chausson/Savate (Basque Zipota as well) with Boxe Anglaise, Parisian Lutte, and even the “new” Japanese Jiu-Jitsu. The British did the same. The “BARTITSU” of Barton-Wright is a classic example. In the US a number of “self-protection” methods became available to the public that combined methods from Boxing and Wrestling. EVEN before any “organized” systems were presented, men who “fought” even for “sport” used virtually ANY device to insure victory. Just read Elliot J. Gorn.

The Twentieth century saw even MORE “mixed” combat systems. It CERTAINLY didn’t take a Sherlock Holmes to figure out that in a REAL fight ANYTHING goes. Any and ALL manner of grappling, throttling, kicking, kneeing, butting, biting, punching, gouging, stomping and whatever other methods of mayhem could be employed were ALL “FAIR” when “fair” meant the difference between life or death. And it CERTAINLY didn’t just end at “unarmed” fighting! A “Gentleman” beset upon by a rough and tumble “footpad” on a lonely and desolate backstreet would feel perfectly JUSTIFIED in running said “footpad” thru and thru again with his sword cane or bashing his brains in with a “lifesaver”. Even when the highwayman wasn’t even armed with a lowly brickbat. What’s that old saying? All’s fair in love and war. Often it’s not a matter of who’s “right”, but simply who’s LEFT!

This IS “combatives” pure and simple. Whatever WORKS BEST at the time! A sort of “mixture” of varied fighting skills. HEY………………..wait a minute! A “mixed” fighting system? What a NOVEL IDEA!

Our next installment will look at “combatives” from the Russo-Japanese war and World War One thru to our “brandy new” millennium and all our new age “innovations”. Should be fun!

©2005 www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com

Carl Cestari began his study of the martial arts with judo at the age of 7 under the direction of Yoshisada Yonezuka. During the past forty plus years Carl has dedicated his life to studying the martial arts, hand to hand combat systems, history and religion. What makes Carl unique is his combination of martial arts, law enforcement and military and real world experience. Carl has been exposed to a multitude of people with a wide variety experience. The following is a list of some of Carl’s ranks and honors.

Shinan (Founder) Tekkenryu jujutsu
Ryokudan (6th degree) Koshinkai Karate under John Burrelle
Godan (5th degree) Jujutsu under Clarke of the World Jujutsu Fedaration (now defunct)
Sandan (3rd degree) Nippon Kempo under Narabu Sada
Nidan (2nd degree) Judo under Masafumi Suzuki
Shodan (1st degree) Judo under Yoshisada Yonezuka
Shodan (1st degree) Shukokai Karate under Kimura, Kadachi and Yonezuka
Shodan (1st degree) Daitoryu Aikijujutsu
Instructors Certificate- Charles Nelson System of Self Defense under Charlie Nelson
http://www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com

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If your goal is to improve your fitness or lose weight but you need to do something more exciting than jogging on a treadmill to keep you motivated, perhaps you should consider doing a martial art like boxing, kickboxing, karate, or judo.

In this article we list the top 10 reasons to consider doing a martial art for fitness and weight loss to help you decide if doing one is right for you.

1. Doing martial arts for weight loss

It’s no coincidence that gyms, personal trainers and producers of exercise videos and DVD’s are now heavily incorporating training techniques and exercises from a wide variety of martial arts in their workouts.

Boxercise, Tae Bo, Cardio-Kickboxing, Kung Fu Aerobics, and personal trainers using punching bags, focus mitts and kicking pads in their sessions are just a couple of examples of how martial arts training is being used in cardio workouts for fitness and weight loss.

Because martial art training is typically high intensity and usually lasts for at least an hour in most cases, it burns a maximum number of kilojoules or calories per workout and is therefore great for anyone who wants to lose weight and lose it fast.

2. Doing martial arts for fitness

Most martial arts incorporate exercises and drills that improve cardiovascular fitness and endurance, help build muscle strength and improve muscle flexibility so they are perfect for anyone wanting to improve their overall fitness.

Cardiovascular fitness improvements require us to regularly elevate our heart rate for extended periods and most martial arts training can help us do that.

Improving the strength, size and shape of our muscles requires us to regularly subject them to some form of resistance training. Martial arts training helps provide this training by requiring us to perform exercises like push-ups and squats using our own body weight for resistance.

Improved flexibility is a natural byproduct of martial arts training because most, if not all styles of martial art incorporate stretching exercises in their workouts.

As a result of providing all of these fitness benefits, martial artists like boxers and kickboxers are widely regarded as being among the fittest athletes in the world and practitioners of karate, judo, etc are considered among the strongest pound-for-pound and most flexible athletes in the world.

3. Doing martial arts and self-defense

One of the most obvious benefits of doing a martial art is that it provides us with the fitness, strength, skill and techniques necessary to protect ourselves from being attacked by others who are out to harm us if the need should ever arise.

Like an insurance policy, we hope you’re never in a position to have to use your martial arts training to defend yourself, but it’s great to know this ability is there just in case.

Because they are primarily concerned with elevating our heart rates to burn energy and improve our fitness, many of the workouts listed above like Tae Bo, Boxercise, etc don’t really provide this benefit to the same extent as doing martial arts training with a dedicated teacher in a martial arts school that only provides one service - to teach you a specific martial art.

Many people mistakenly believe that because they punch a focus mitt 50 times during a session with their personal trainer that they know how to punch properly and can therefore defend themselves if they need to. This is a big mistake and we hope these people never find themselves in a situation where this belief is tested.

Unless they’ve had many years of martial arts training themselves, most personal trainers and gym instructors will not be able to offer advice about your punching and kicking technique, they are only really qualified to hold the focus mitts or kick-pad for you while you punch or kick them.

Remember, while probably great at what they do, these trainers are more like aerobics instructors than specifically qualified martial arts instructors.

4. Doing martial arts and self-confidence

In addition to providing us with the ability to defend ourselves, one of the greatest personal benefits that martial art training provides is a high degree of self-confidence.

This self-confidence partly results from the knowledge that we are much better equipped to defend ourselves given that we have done some martial arts training, but it also comes from a sense of achievement once we begin to master the techniques taught to us and the new confidence that results from feeling fitter and stronger and looking fitter and stronger.

Given that one of the first things to suffer, and one of the hardest things to reestablish afterwards, when we become overweight is our self-confidence this benefit is of particular value to those of us who have a weight problem.

5. Doing martial arts to improve body balance and coordination

As well as helping us to become fitter and stronger, martial art training typically involves the mastery of a range of techniques that requires us to be well-balanced and have superior body coordination.

In learning to master these techniques we naturally improve our balance and our coordination which helps us with other aspects of our daily life.

6. Doing martial arts for variety

Martial art training provides great variety in two ways.

Firstly, martial arts training sessions themselves have great variety built into them by including warm-ups and cool-downs, stretching exercises, strength building exercises, cardio exercises and exercises designed to improve and teach us a wide variety of techniques.

This variety is great for our mind as well as our body.

Secondly, there are such a wide variety of martial arts to study that we should be able to easily find one that suits our particular goals and interests.

Whether we prefer to do a martial art that primarily revolves around striking or grappling techniques or a perfect mix of both, or we want to study a highly technical or very simple style, the choice is great.

7. Doing martial arts teaches discipline and provides motivation

Everybody knows that studying a martial art requires and teaches discipline.

Because it is also goal orientated, training in one of the many martial arts also provides a great deal of motivation.

Lack of discipline and motivation are the most often quoted reasons for weight loss failures and for this reason, doing a martial art for weight loss and fitness may help many of us who lack the required discipline and motivation to achieve our weight loss goals to overcome these common barriers to success.

8. Doing martial arts for spirituality

One definition of spirituality is “Activities which renew, lift up, comfort, heal and inspire both ourselves and those with whom we interact.”

Martial art training has been practiced by millions of people over many centuries because among other things, it has a great ability to spiritually uplift us.

As well as forging a better connection between our mind and body, it also has the ability to forge a better connection between us and our world and us and others.

9. Doing martial arts training is relatively inexpensive

Compared to joining some gyms and hiring some personal trainers, training at a martial arts school or dojo is relatively inexpensive.

Many martial arts schools charge a very modest monthly fee for training and the beauty of this is you can train when and as often as it suits you.

In addition to low ongoing training costs, buying a uniform and any equipment you may need to train in most cases will be relatively inexpensive as well.

10. Doing martial arts has a social aspect

Many people who start doing martial arts training for weight loss, improved fitness or self-defense end up enjoying it most for its social aspects.

As well as training and learning with others with similar goals, many martial arts trainees help encourage and motivate each other and end up becoming very good friends.

Many martial arts instructors too have very friendly dispositions and foster a fun and friendly environment in which to train which endears them to their students who typically also become close friends.

Conclusion

If your goal is to improve your fitness or lose weight but you need to do something more exciting than jogging on a treadmill to keep you motivated, perhaps you should consider doing a martial art like boxing, kickboxing, karate, or judo.

In this article we listed the top 10 reasons to consider doing a martial art for fitness and weight loss to help you decide if doing one is right for you.

Scott Haywood is the editor of Australia’s premier weight loss and healthy lifestyle website http://www.weightloss.com.au

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Before stepping inside a kendo store, you should get permission from your sensei. Do not buy anything unless your sensei allows you too. Not only is it disrespectful, but you may not be advanced enough to buy anything.

If you are buying your first bogu or first hakama and kendogi it is recommended that you not buy online. Instead, you should go to an actual store and get measured. Nothing is worse than accidentally buying a hakama that ends at your feet, or a bogu that you can’t fit into.

If you are still in the process of growing you should get measured each time you buy a bogu or hakama. You shouldn’t spend too much money on a hakama, since you will most likely grow out of it in a short while.

With bogu you have a bit more latitude with sizes. However, it is suggested that you not spend too much money on your bogu either.

If you are an active participant in tournaments, you should buy two pairs of bogu; one for practice and one for tournaments. The one used for tournaments should be kept clean and attractive as it is a common belief that the better you look, the more chance you have of being awarded a point.

http://www.international-kendo.com is an up and coming kendo site with a wealth of information.

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Silent assassins, vagabond thieves, master less samurai, and all round
bad guy. That’s the image portrayed of the Ninja in movies and the
media ever since the Ninja Boom of the 1980’s, and it’s an image
that’s hard to shack off.

Like most things that come out of Hollywood, they tend to go for the
flashy, most over hyped parts, and then blow it up a bit more. You
only have to look at the most recent World War II films released in
the past few years to see that.

Well the historical Ninja were just a group of people living in the
Iga region of Japan, who didn’t want to live like samurai. That
appears to be their only crime.

They created their own system of self defence, and strategies that
enabled them to survive for over a thousand years to this day. These
strategies are now taught around the world thanks to the 34th
Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi.

Masaaki Hatsumi has many personal students around the world teaching
Ninjutsu, the system created by the Ninja, including 8th Dan Black
belt Brian McCarthy, of the Bujinkan Brian Dojo, who teaches
traditional Ninjutsu throughout Europe. Here in Portsmouth, Ninjutsu
is taught by Andrew Thomas, 4th Dan, who has studied under Brian for
18 years, as well in Japan with the grandmaster.

Andrew has been teaching in Portsmouth, Bognor Regis and Brighton, for
18 years, and has recently celebrated the 1st anniversary of the new
Dojo location at Warrior Crafts in Highland road with two days of
training and a meal at Rickshaws.

Unlike nearly all the other martial arts, Ninjutsu evolved over a
thousand years and is still evolving. Only recently a new throw was
created by a student of the Grandmaster, so that he could throw a man
much bigger than him. The throw is named after him.
Ninjutsu isn’t the system portrayed in films and television. In fact,
until you’ve actually done some, it looks nothing like you would
expect it to. It’s very subtle, and it works.

With Karate you can see the punches and kicks, in Judo you can see the
throw. In Ninjutsu, we try to keep things hidden. Why let the person
who has just attacked you know what you can do to defend yourself?
The other big difference between the other martial arts and Ninjutsu,
is that we are not a sport. Ours is a system that was created over a
period of time to protect the people of a certain area in Japan, not
as a way of keeping fit, and entertaining others.

Does Ninjutsu have a place in a modern society? Yes, of course it
does. No only is it a way of keeping yourself active the 33rd
Grandmaster trained the day he died, at 82 but in this world with
growing crime rates, protecting yourself and your loved ones is always
a good thing.

We can punch and kick, throw and lock joints, we can defend against
weapon attacks, as well as learn how to use weapons such as the humble
stick effectively. We can fight standing up, sitting down, on the
floor, in confined spaces and in the open. We train to be able to
operate in all environments, and to learn to perceive threats before
they become dangerous.

You can’t expect to be good in a few weeks, but you will start picking
things up. If all you learn the first week is how not to be hit, then
you’ve learnt a very good lesson. A lot of martial arts give out
grading’s like sweets, but it doesn’t mean that you have any real
ability, just a nice coloured belt.

In the Bujinkan Brian Dojo, you will only be graded when you have the
ability of the grade. This doesn’t mean that you could walk into the
roughest pub in town and take anyone on, it means that you can
recognise threats, and avoid them.

But what does Ninjutsu mean to me? It’s more than a martial art, but
I don’t want to give you the old line, “It’s a way of life”, although
to the Ninja of past it really was. To the 21st Century Ninja, it
means more than that. It means training with a group of friends in a
relaxed, fun atmosphere, with people from all walks of life from the
taxman, to the Kebab man, to the masters degree student. It means
learning how to move your body in a way that is natural to how your
body wants to move.

As an example of the training given, on the anniversary weekend the
training was split into learning the basics on the Saturday, to
defending yourself on the street on Sunday. Saturday was about how to
move so that you can set up throws, locks and the sort of subtle thing
that would leave your opponent on the ground will you get away.
Sunday was about how you would do that in your normal clothes, with
the restricted movement you get from modern clothes, to learn how to
do all the things you did on Saturday, with less movement because
you’re wearing jeans. It gives you a new perspective on how you
behave.

We learn how to use the more traditional weapons such as the sword,
and the spear, and how to defend ourselves against such weapons. For
the 21st Century Ninja, this would be a chair, a baseball bat, or a
snooker cue.

If you want to learn how to disappear in a cloud of smoke like the
movie ninja’s, you’d be better off speaking to Paul Daniels. Movie’s
are movie’s, real life is more interesting.

To finish, I’ll give you some wise words written on new years day,
1891 by the 32nd Grandmaster;

1. Know the wisdom of being patient during times of inactivity.
2. Choose the course of justice as the path for your life.
3. Do not allow your heart to be controlled by the demands of
desire, pleasure or dependence.
4. Sorrow pain and resentment are natural qualities to be found
in life. Therefore work to cultivate an immovable spirit.
5. Hold in your heart the importance of family loyalty, and
pursue the literary and martial arts with balanced determination.
Now does that sound like the assassin, thief and vagabonds of
Hollywood?

Learn more about every aspect of martial arts here.

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What do you do when, you want to pursue the study of the martial arts or learn real-world self-defense and there are no schools near where you live? What do you do even if there are martial arts schools or self-defense classes being offered in your local area but…

…they’re just not up to par with what you want or need.

How can you get what you know you need without compromising quality and settling for what’s available or, even worse…

…not pursuing your goal at all?

Well, you have two choices, really…

…you can accept defeat or the fact that maybe your standards are too high and settle for what’s available, or…

…you can do what scores of very skilled practitioners have done before you. You can take advantage of the benefits of seminars and camps to get the knowledge you need from the best teachers there are.

Instead of “settling” and approaching your training with what amounts to a “victim’s mentality,” you can take control of the situation. Instead of whining, complaining, and making excuses - you can take action - one of the main traits of a warrior.

With all of the power and rich information pool of the internet today, it is impossible to NOT find what you’re looking for in the way of martial arts training. There are literally hundreds of seminars, from half-day workshops to full weekend events, and from one and two-day intensives to full-blown ninja training camps; and they’re all there for the students who are willing to plan a little more, focus a little more, and be ready to travel a little farther than everyone else who HAS “settled.”

Can you really learn martial arts and self-defense from seminar training only? I know it’s worked for me and many of the most proficient experts that I’m associated with. In fact, most of my training career, at least in the early days, was during a time when I was serving with the US Army and stationed in places like Korea and, what was then, West Germany.

Were there martial arts clubs and groups close-by? Absolutely.

But, I had a desire to not only train in the martial arts but, to train with the best. And so…

…I had no choice. I HAD to travel to get what I wanted and needed in the way of quality.

What I found was that I learned more during each training event because there was MORE TO learn. That was perfect for me because it gave me more than enough to work on in-between the martial arts seminars and Ninja Camps that I WAS able to attend. And, it also caused me to focus much more than the local students who were there.

Why?

I think it was because…

…they took their training for granted. Whereas I did not. Since I went through more in the way of time, effort and money to be there, I refused to let any of it slip by. As a result, I, and many of my friends who also traveled for training, developed our self-defense abilities much more fully - learning our martial art with much greater depth than many who had access to their teacher practically everyday.

Funny, really. Because it wasn’t until I became much more interested in the lives of warriors-past, that I realized that this method of training - traveling to one’s teacher to spend short, but intense, visits to gain the lessons for mastery, is exactly the same way many of the most famous warriors in history…

…became Legends!

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and master instructor of Warrior Concepts International. He specializes in teaching the ancient ways of self-protection and personal development lessons in a way that is easily understood and put to use by modern Western students and corporate clients. Through their martial arts training, his students and clients learn proven, time-tested lessons designed to help them create the life they’ve always dreamed of living, and the skills necessary for protecting that life from anything that might threaten it. To learn more about seminars and camps and other subjects related to the martial arts, self-defense, personal development & self-improvement, visit his website at http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com To subscribe to his online newsletter, go to http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/newsletter.html

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