ninjutsu dojos and info

[CyberneticDreem]

In regards to conditioning your body to be able to take hits. Many karate schools use pads when they spar each other. I, personally, don't use pads and I don't spar. Instead, the way my dojo practices is
1) when we are working techniques, we work them slowly and with control until we have a good idea what's going on.
2) There are times when we will peform techniques at normal speed, with a realistic impact. This trains you to be able to take hits and to be able to fall and control your body when your limbs are being locked.
This flys in the face of point 1 that I previously mentioned. This isn't something taht the beginner should be doing. However, when a beginner practices, we advocate that they "place their punches." They are not punching with full impact, but are still putting a certain amount of "umph" behind them. When you practice a technique, you don't do it just once, you do it over and over again. After having repeated techniques put on you with a certain amount of "umph" your muscles begin to be tenderized. After a while, you just get used to it and thus you are conditioned. (Does this make sense?)
I mentioned earlier that I didn't care for sparring. I prefer just to have an opponent throw something at full speed, I don't care what, and I'll take him down. Sometime's he'll counter other's he won't. Just depends on how we are working for that day. I personally don't care for sparring (although many have had great success with it and I take nothing from them) because it teaches you to pull your punches and your body doesn't feel what its like to be hit with bare knuckles. Also, it's more of a boxing match than a street brawl. Not to mention that there are rules, and there are no rules on teh street, but I am getting way off subject.

Secondly, you asked about teh hand symbols. I assume you are reffering to the finger weaving. Finger weaving creates an energy about you that can be used for numerous things including peronsal healing. As a beginner, I woulnd't worry about this for now. This is usually something that you pick up when your body is ready for it. Practicing the arts will open your body to different forms of energy. You will probably start by moving a little ball of energy around with your hands and you'll learn how to extend that to several feet around you. Your instructor will let you know when you're ready to get into this.

-Hikage

thanx for the info!

what can else can u do with this energy?

[Hikage]

A lot of things really, but you've gotta really understand it and spend a lot of time developing. I've been in teh arts a while and everything taht I am about to mention I can't really do, or if I can on an extremely limited level.

On the most basic level, you will begin to feel when someoen enters into your "energy circle" for lack of better term. You will also be able to "feel" someone's emotions and intentions, no matter how hard they try to hide them.

On a useful level, some people will develop their skills to be able to lay on hands and heal others. I have seen this most commonly through the study of Reiki. In Reiki, you need someone who has a 3rd degree who can open up your chakras or energy pools. You have 7 (actually 8, but most people only refer to 7) around your body and after these are opened you can use the released energy to heal those around you, yourself, and even animals.

On the way of party tricks, I know someone who is working on being able to detect the color of a playing card. Evertythig in this world has an energy, you, me, the chair you're sitting in, animate and inanimate, etc. Playing cards also have this energy and he swears that after practicing this for way to long he can pick up a card from a deck and tell if it's red or black by the feeling it gives him.

On the useful side, Hatsumi (Grand Master [to most people, it's debatable to some]) can actually take someone down w/o ever touching them. Also, if he has an opponent running towards him, he can make him stop DEAD in his tracks. It's really bizarre and hard to explain. But again, this takes years up on years to even begin to understand. This is one of the 9 schools in ninjitsu (actually called the Bukinkan Dojo.) As of this point in time, he has not yet shared his higher end knowledge of energy with anyone and when he dies, it will probably die with him.

I can't stress this enough. Don't walk into a ninjitsu dojo expecting to see and hear about this in teh first years. It just doesn't work this way. As I've stated in other posts, one of the main differences between a master and a regular high ranking black belt is their understanding of energy and matters of spirituality. Be wary of people who teach these things to people at a low level becuase they are probably accounting for a loss somewhere else in their training. This is something that will be picked up and learned when you're ready.

I'll try to answer any further questions you have on this, but understand I'm not a master either..

-Hikage

[CyberneticDreem]

A lot of things really, but you've gotta really understand it and spend a lot of time developing. I've been in teh arts a while and everything taht I am about to mention I can't really do, or if I can on an extremely limited level.

On the most basic level, you will begin to feel when someoen enters into your "energy circle" for lack of better term. You will also be able to "feel" someone's emotions and intentions, no matter how hard they try to hide them.

On a useful level, some people will develop their skills to be able to lay on hands and heal others. I have seen this most commonly through the study of Reiki. In Reiki, you need someone who has a 3rd degree who can open up your chakras or energy pools. You have 7 (actually 8, but most people only refer to 7) around your body and after these are opened you can use the released energy to heal those around you, yourself, and even animals.

On the way of party tricks, I know someone who is working on being able to detect the color of a playing card. Evertythig in this world has an energy, you, me, the chair you're sitting in, animate and inanimate, etc. Playing cards also have this energy and he swears that after practicing this for way to long he can pick up a card from a deck and tell if it's red or black by the feeling it gives him.

On the useful side, Hatsumi (Grand Master [to most people, it's debatable to some]) can actually take someone down w/o ever touching them. Also, if he has an opponent running towards him, he can make him stop DEAD in his tracks. It's really bizarre and hard to explain. But again, this takes years up on years to even begin to understand. This is one of the 9 schools in ninjitsu (actually called the Bukinkan Dojo.) As of this point in time, he has not yet shared his higher end knowledge of energy with anyone and when he dies, it will probably die with him.

I can't stress this enough. Don't walk into a ninjitsu dojo expecting to see and hear about this in teh first years. It just doesn't work this way. As I've stated in other posts, one of the main differences between a master and a regular high ranking black belt is their understanding of energy and matters of spirituality. Be wary of people who teach these things to people at a low level becuase they are probably accounting for a loss somewhere else in their training. This is something that will be picked up and learned when you're ready.

I'll try to answer any further questions you have on this, but understand I'm not a master either..

-Hikage

nice nice. Interesting stuff!

i guess i shouldn't worry about energy for now. But i just gotta know..

can u enpower yourself with this energy so you be faster/stronger/more agile than usual? ive heard from various sources that there is no limit to what u can do with energybut im not sure if its exactly true.i can't remember what the site was tho...

it also said the thoery of "super human" which is using energy to reconstruct ur DNA or something...tho they said it was only a thoery and hadn't been proven yet..

but anyway..back to ninjutsu. it sounds like a "jack of all trades" art. But will "evasion techniques" make u considerably harder to hit? (rolling on the ground sounds pretty questionable to me).

[Hikage]

Empowering yourself with energy.. hmm... Ya know, I've never really thought of it in that sense. It works really with everything that you do, so in a way yes. But it isn't that direct energy that makes you powerful. You become "powerful" by exercising your body and training it to do the things you want it to do. The more you do this, the stronger your Chi flow (energy) will be. However, most people don't really exercise to raise their chi flow, it's just something that comes. It's hard to explain and I must admit, your question stretches my knowledge of the subject to it's very edges, so don't take this as gospel.

Ninjitsu as a jack of all trades.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. That is exactly waht it is. You'll find that we do a little bit of everything and as time goes on you'll be able to deal with people who specialize in that particular field. Ninjitsu teaches you to think for yourself and be able to incorporate all that you have learned to be able to use new things. For example, if you understand the basics of using a knife, you can use a short stick, because hte movements are basically the same. After studying it for a while, you'll be able to keep up with those who study just sticks. Now, this takes some explaining... your stick work won't be as good and you'll be a little slower than those who practice jsut sticks, but you'll have an entire other bag of tricks, such as tricks for off=balancing, that many stick fighters don't study to even the tables for you.
The analoogy that we like to use is that ninjitsu teaches you to cook for yourself. Now, there are many different kinds of cooks. You have short order cooks, fast food cooks, chefs, etc. Each one has different stlyes for cooking and each one uses a different set of tools, but each one can make something edible.

Elusiveness:

Yes, all this elusiveness does make you much harder to hit. In truth, it really annoys the person attacking you becuase they won't understand what you are doing. It takes practice and timing though. The first few times you do it, it's going to seem awkward and unrealistic. This is only because you don't understand the timing and foot work yet. Give it time, it'll make sense later. Trust in the techniques, they have served other warriors well for over 2000 years. Remember, all teh bad techniques die with teh soldiers who used them.

If you don't like rolling, don't do it. It isn't for everyone. You should know how to do it incase you ever end up on teh ground, but if it doesn't suit your way of moving, don't do it. Me personally, I'm built rather small and I'm by nature relatively low to the ground, so it works well for me to roll away from an attack. Bear in mind, if u know what ur doing, you can kick a man while your rolling and you can even take him down with a roll if you know how to apply it.
There are also many differnet kinds of rolls. They usually teach people teh basic rolls, corner, forward, back, back corner and side... but there are more rolls for rolling around corners rolling under things, dive rolls, etc. You'd be suprised how they can be implemented. Don't discount them becuase you think you would know how to defend against someone doing one until you've been shown all the options that a roll gives you.

You're asking good questions, keep up the good thinking.

-Hikage

[CyberneticDreem]

Empowering yourself with energy.. hmm... Ya know, I've never really thought of it in that sense. It works really with everything that you do, so in a way yes. But it isn't that direct energy that makes you powerful. You become "powerful" by exercising your body and training it to do the things you want it to do. The more you do this, the stronger your Chi flow (energy) will be. However, most people don't really exercise to raise their chi flow, it's just something that comes. It's hard to explain and I must admit, your question stretches my knowledge of the subject to it's very edges, so don't take this as gospel.

Ninjitsu as a jack of all trades.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. That is exactly waht it is. You'll find that we do a little bit of everything and as time goes on you'll be able to deal with people who specialize in that particular field. Ninjitsu teaches you to think for yourself and be able to incorporate all that you have learned to be able to use new things. For example, if you understand the basics of using a knife, you can use a short stick, because hte movements are basically the same. After studying it for a while, you'll be able to keep up with those who study just sticks. Now, this takes some explaining... your stick work won't be as good and you'll be a little slower than those who practice jsut sticks, but you'll have an entire other bag of tricks, such as tricks for off=balancing, that many stick fighters don't study to even the tables for you.
The analoogy that we like to use is that ninjitsu teaches you to cook for yourself. Now, there are many different kinds of cooks. You have short order cooks, fast food cooks, chefs, etc. Each one has different stlyes for cooking and each one uses a different set of tools, but each one can make something edible.

Elusiveness:

Yes, all this elusiveness does make you much harder to hit. In truth, it really annoys the person attacking you becuase they won't understand what you are doing. It takes practice and timing though. The first few times you do it, it's going to seem awkward and unrealistic. This is only because you don't understand the timing and foot work yet. Give it time, it'll make sense later. Trust in the techniques, they have served other warriors well for over 2000 years. Remember, all teh bad techniques die with teh soldiers who used them.

If you don't like rolling, don't do it. It isn't for everyone. You should know how to do it incase you ever end up on teh ground, but if it doesn't suit your way of moving, don't do it. Me personally, I'm built rather small and I'm by nature relatively low to the ground, so it works well for me to roll away from an attack. Bear in mind, if u know what ur doing, you can kick a man while your rolling and you can even take him down with a roll if you know how to apply it.
There are also many differnet kinds of rolls. They usually teach people teh basic rolls, corner, forward, back, back corner and side... but there are more rolls for rolling around corners rolling under things, dive rolls, etc. You'd be suprised how they can be implemented. Don't discount them becuase you think you would know how to defend against someone doing one until you've been shown all the options that a roll gives you.

You're asking good questions, keep up the good thinking.

-Hikage

sounds good!
One more thing...striking. Can ninjutsu strikes butt heads effectively against Muay thai type strikes? Ive never really seen a ninjutsu practioner strike before. Muay Thai guys can hit hard and fast and they can take a good beating.Does ninjutsu have any advantages/disadvantages over Muay thai?

[jubaji]

On the useful side, Hatsumi (Grand Master [to most people, it's debatable to some]) can actually take someone down w/o ever touching them. Also, if he has an opponent running towards him, he can make him stop DEAD in his tracks. It's really bizarre and hard to explain. But again, this takes years up on years to even begin to understand. This is one of the 9 schools in ninjitsu (actually called the Bukinkan Dojo.) As of this point in time, he has not yet shared his higher end knowledge of energy with anyone and when he dies, it will probably die with him.

Come on man...this is just the kind of thing that leads people to dismiss ninjutsu out of hand. Doesn't help your cause.

[Hikage]

Ninjitsu vs. Muay Thai

Muay Thai and Ninjitsu are 2 enirely different styles, it's difficult to compare the two because the focus is on differnet things. As far as the strikes.. again, difficult to say. The two have differnt theories behind strikes. In Muay thai, the strikes generate in the hips, whereas in Ninjitsu they generate in teh foot work. That being said, both stlyes utilize effective striking techniques, taylored for that specific art.
In terms of dealing with a muay thai specialist, you need to go to a realm that they are not familiar with. That is the grappling aspect. Understand their balance and how to offset them. By using your body mass instead of muscle, you can deal with the stongest assailant. This is usually effective against someone in muay thai.
I am not going to say taht ninjitsu might be a better art than muay thai. The one thing I have learned is never to discount other arts. I know that each has put in their time to learn their own art and I won't be so arrogant to sya that mine is the best.


-Hikage

[Hikage]

Come on man...this is just the kind of thing that leads people to dismiss ninjutsu out of hand. Doesn't help your cause.

Ya know, intersting that you mention that but in all honesty Im not really worried about it. I can only attest to what I have seen. And what may seem hokey to one, is truth to another. I have seen techniques, thought them to be bogus until I had them done on me. Not saying I went willingly either. YOu need to remember, Dr. Hatsumi has earned his doctorate as a bone doctor AND he has another doctorate because he systematically and scientifically proved all aspects of his art to board at a university in Japan. If you argue the energy, you can't deny the science.

-Hikage

[jubaji]

Ya know, intersting that you mention that but in all honesty Im not really worried about it. I can only attest to what I have seen. And what may seem hokey to one, is truth to another. I have seen techniques, thought them to be bogus until I had them done on me. Not saying I went willingly either. YOu need to remember, Dr. Hatsumi has earned his doctorate as a bone doctor AND he has another doctorate because he systematically and scientifically proved all aspects of his art to board at a university in Japan. If you argue the energy, you can't deny the science.

-Hikage

oy

Keep it up...you are building credibility with every word.

[Patrick]

Kageyama Dojo

yea, me too, especially if I can't find a dojo closer to me than 90 miles. The closest one ive found is in Indianapolis. Thats no good....

https://www.kageyamadojo.com

[Hikage]

Jubaji,

Have you ever worked out with a ninjitsu stylist who knew waht they were doing? I don't mean some wannabe, but really someone who knew what they were doing?

Hikage

[jubaji]

Jubaji,

Have you ever worked out with a ninjitsu stylist who knew waht they were doing? I don't mean some wannabe, but really someone who knew what they were doing?

Hikage

....................................
yup

[Hikage]

Interesting how you don't go into detail. One wonders how much truth you are(n't) telling.

-Hikage

[jubaji]

Interesting how you don't go into detail. One wonders how much truth you are(n't) telling.

-Hikage

Well now... You asked a question and I answered. You claim supernatural feats...and my credibility is in question...oh, I think not.

[Hikage]

Ya know Jubaji,

I think I will call into question your credibility. Ok, so I admit I have too much time on my hands, but I took the time to look up your last 100 posts. Out of those 100 posts guess how many where at least 3 lines long? That's right, --> 1. Also, out of all 100 posts, not once did you say add anything important to the discussion. And don't try to tell me that you can say the same thing as others using less words. The most common response you typed in? "...............:eyeroll".

I am starting a new thread on the martial artist's attitude and how as martial artist should be as a person. I am extremely curious to see how you think your negative attitude is contributing to the martial arts. I await your input on that thread.

-Hikage