Feels good to be back with those of you whose taken an interest in our training. The weeks are rolling around rapidly. Soon the year will be approaching another end and beginning of new. Last night there were 5 of us in total. Usually I get a few calls a week from people who have an interest in ninjutsu, etc. My first response to them “how can I help you” they seem to be surprise by my interest in exactly what they’re looking for in terms of the training. Perhaps a screening over the phone, yeah? I’d rather have honest people with good intentions joining my group rather then have a huge school. Perhaps their are instructors out there more interested in building their school and reputation more so then a community within a community of serious aspiring practitioners, some would call artist. 

Friday review – Fluid ashisabaki (footwork) is what I’d like to tie/connect my experience to with the training.  3 hours of intense training that required the needed focus and attention from everyone present. No space for injury, especially from anyone not paying attention to the training. It was imperative that everyone’s attention were present in the moment as in watching a news reel. The energy was very high last night, one couldn’t help and take notice of a similar martial scent of Japan present. When I arrived shortly after class were suppose to start, everyone was warmed up and ready to take on the night with serious training. We had 3 shidoshi and one kyu grade eager and often ready to be my uke for the night. Little did he (kyu grade) know what was in store for him.. LOL

We started with a basic technique, emphasizing the importance of guarding and proper distancing. This exploded with infinite explorations and ideas including the use of every body part, changing the timing and rhythm making the scenario extremely difficult for uke / opponent. Lately in class I’ve been known to make analogies using music or jazz theory for lack of better words to express my point better. Amazingly everyone seems to relate and get something out of the training, thus discover within themselves their innate capacity.  Dakentaijutsu is an aspect of importance and never should be overlooked in budo training. This in my opinion overlooked to often, that in of itself is a grave error for the budoka. There were a set up from our initial technique as stated from above the taught the effectiveness of striking in the space without being detected. My opponent when done properly couldn’t help but feel overwhelm by that which cannot be seen. This brings to mind a phrase from one of my favorite quotes by Sensei in 2003 the year of Juppo Sessho ” there is nothing to seek thus nothing to grab”,  of course this is not the full quote, however just want to make a point from this particular technique last night. With all the earnest at his (uke) command, it was not possible to detect one of many hidden strikes that fell upon him. This kind of guarding and fluid ashisabaki that possessed power and gentleness was the idea to eliminate in a couple of steps (walking) swift and subtle, yet devastating changes hidden (disguised) in the moment . Ikken Hasso + Biken Isshu comes to mind now that I’m looking back on this particular technique.  IK (ikkan hasso) from my understanding of what I was told back when we did SFR (2006) refers to hit/strike that can come from eight directions or a single strike to eight directions (strike in eight /multiple / infinite places). There was the ura and omote in this technique, if uke was opened, then a single strike were needed, if my opponent reacted instantly, and there were no opening, then I had to respond to the ura of this and strike in multiple places to offset his defense. Unfortunately and because of the subtle action achieved the ultimate reality of nature were present therefore surprising uke with many strikes, for which his mind couldn’t get around to guard himself. Everyone thereafter wanted to experience the feeling, with similar reactions…In Shinden fudo ryu, there are three models – ikken hasso, biken isshu & shizen shigoku that is primordial in reaching a cognition of how and when to use an adversaries strength (i.e weakness, fears and confidence, etc).  Every year, every theme practice throughout the year in the Bujinkan allows me to not stress trying to learn everything at once or while being taught, long as I can grasp the concept, principle and willingness to train hard in the basics, eventually one year, one theme will connect as in the rope feeling and brings revelations to light when not looking for results. Patience is the call here for anyone struggling with Hatsumi’s art. I know, I don’t claim to know his teaching, other then what I’ve been taught and practice continuously as one develops over time. 

Another important issue was how to effectively manipulate the spine and break the balance of uke, therefore locking his spine where he couldn’t move. These were high points to absorb. 

Hopefully I didn’t bore you with to much or to little of where our training had gone last night. The vision of juppo sessho is never present until the moment the space opens with infinite possibilities. I think its a matter of humility present that would determine what your outcome or fate will be. 

Quote for the evening – “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, a budoka must train, if he/she is to be ultimately at peace with himself/herself”.

Quickly how time flies. Feels like yesterday when I last updated the blog. A lot has changed since then. First would like to start off by saying how grateful and appreciative I am for the training and many good friends in the community. In reviewing or retrospect for lack of a better word, I’ve come to realize people are nowhere near what they claim to be in terms of being representatives of the source . From experience, its important to be true to yourself first before anything else. This point brings to mind a few topics learned since the arrival of 2009. As for the Bujinkan theme, Sensei kept many guessing as what wise men does, huh?  Saino Kon Ki – three part conceptional words that possess the potential &  capacity to tolerate the skeptic of many. The abyss of ones talent, gift , fortitude and desires are common among those who travels the path of artistic ecstasy. Since my arrival from Japan 6 months ago many changes in my thinking and actions has become more apparent to me then I have expected. This past trip presented many lessons, life lessons to say the lest. Was telling someone yesterday how the lessons learned in Japan for me, takes roughly a year to sort through and connect the pieces of lessons prior (other years) to my present. At the dojo we’ve been doing lots of basics – from this training an agitated desire was born, thus out of curiosity I’ve taken on the task of imitating those who dedicated themselves to their art of choice and discovered an important lesson. Imitating others is helpful and needed sometimes to get an idea of who you are and how to get there (self discovery). This statement brings to mind something I read the other day regarding one of my favorite musicians. Generally every musician at some point is influenced by another great player and mimic their styles till they  find their own voice – originality is truth. Anyway this musician great had an audition for a band that would eventually become one of the greatest jazz assembly ever put together. Now the band leader knew that whoever would audition had to have the sound of a known great – however this person auditioning impressed the leader some much, the band leader couldn’t help to admit to himself the unfamiliarity of sound he never heard before. Why is that? well this soon to be band member in the beginning imitated (his favorite musicians) and studied long with many hours of practice eventually discovered within himself the voice of a talented, gifted and soulful human being that had the capacity or vessel to keep going no matter how great he became. He never lost the fact, he was a student for life and being open and playing with many great musicians of his time, will afford him an opportunity to give back. A perfect example of Saino Kon Ki.

Classes at the dojo has been right on – we’ve been moving along patiently carefully not assuming anything to be definite – but  an opportunity to learn and grow. 

 In the spirit of budo

Anthony Lucas

Bujinkan Koteki Dojo

It’s been awhile since my last post. Time flies when your having fun. Anyway class has been going in a new direction in terms of structure. Seems to be a shortage of enthusiastic prospects for training these days in New York.  One thought that comes to mind is the influx of martial arts popaganda. Here in NYC, guessing at lest 10 Bujinkan dojos within a radius of 10 miles apart. The pathetic part about it all is none of the schools work together. Almost like strangers among eachother. Martial art politics? Think not.

Imagine if all would act in a manner of association and collaborate with eachother for the greater good of community (bujinkan).  A hard request for the ego to process, yeah?

Anyway I’m happy to find the time to post here and update those who are interested in our further discovery of budo taijutsu.

This past friday we explored many concepts, movement and basic life principles. Emphasis was placed on the kihon (distance, angle & timing) for the most part of the evening. Start out with some minor rolls (kaiten) in various directions with the idea of natural gravity and rebounding to the feet.  Most importantly throughout the night with whatever was being shown to guard yourself in the space, if have to retreat allow yourself the distance to walk in any direction needed to accomplish such. A whole lot were covered in 3 hours. We reminisce about some movement and material covered in Noguchi & Nagato sensei classes when we were last in Japan this past March. The analyzation of these two extrodinary masters movement gave us much insight to explore and practice.  At one point I showed an interesting koshi nage using the opposite hip to throw and all the necessary points to take prior before finishing with otoshi. Following the first 2 hours or so, we got into some basic hanbojutsu. The night progress smoothly with no one getting hurt and lots of info to digest.

Stay tune till this friday -

Anthony Lucas, Sanjiro

Koteki Dojo, Cho

Hello -

  It’s been a few months since my last entry. Would like to apologize to all of you who visits the blog regularly.  The last few months has been about change and growth on many levels. For starters, last weeks shidoshi exchange was no exception. It clearly showed how people change and grow as well. There were 12 shidoshi present. Everyone taught what they were working on in their dojos and how eager they were to share with those of us who attended.

Must say the format /structure was successful, considering many instructors were schedule to teach. The first hour generally pretty much served as the platform.  Those of us who have been to Japan showed a few basic  techniques learned from Japan.  Those of us who weren’t teaching, played with many henka. Although there weren’t any theme, most of us could agree the day mostly consist of guarding yourselves, taking control of the space and most importantly kyojutsu.

There were three groups the consist of 4 people in total – the most senior was elected the leader. It worked out fairly way.  We had a total of 25 + people all together.

To best sum this review up is to suggest to anyone that is reading this blog who lives in the tri-state area should get in touch with anyone that attended this event, particularly those who have dojo’s and make an effort to stop by and take a class. I could recap the experience, however it will not do much good unless you experience the feeling yourself.

In the space of time,

Anthony Lucas

The basic philosophy  of Togakure ryu ninjutsu is kyojitsu tenkan ho or the interchanging of falsehood and truth to confuse your enemy. 

Friday past during class our theme was “Kyojitsu Tenkan Ho” working off a grab. This lead to many discoveries. When I think about the last sentence, I get this image of a dark place in my mind with the illumination of my tamashii (soul) + kokoro (heart) as the light, the way to freedom and safety. Anyway my students traveled a lonely road – I say this to say, when I used their momentum and attack with the idea and concept of me putting something out there in space that appears to be something to them or should I say the naked eye yet, in actual reality, there was nothing for them to grasp which later lead them down the path of confusion and fear – this in my opinion or level is the very beginning phase of kyojitsu. I took the same movement and added the sword and each time the technique was demonstrate another layer of the “tenkan ho” idea was developed.. Thus leaving a far greater margin of confusion the lead uke into orbit disabling his / her ability to survive. This is a form or Bujinkan freestyle movement that defines gravity in a comprehensible way. The interesting thing was, in spit of everyones frustration with not being able to understand what was being conveyed via the “Shin Gi Tai” – no matter what, they courageously trudged the path.

“Art is self expression, if you are expressing someone else’s personality, that is not art” ~ Quote!

What is the kihon of life? Some would argue this pointless word and some would acknowledge the essential qualities or skills needed to survive and live. In my opinion this is what Hatsumi sensei is conveying via budo taijutsu to those whom have the capacity (life tools -  respect, humility, honesty, integrity, willingness, passion, etc).  Without these “tools” it is virtually impossible to challenge yourself further then needed to progress from a taught perspective. At the dojo the motto is “we’re training leaders, not followers”. Everyone is responsible for their training, meaning to progress like anything else in life, requires dedication, determination most importantly effort. Simply stated.

Our class structured have changed a bit since my last entry. We now hold two classes a week. A beginners class on wednesdays and an open class on fridays which I lead. Friday classes consists of three parts, as in the sanshin, tenchijin, etc. The first hour is geared for beginners, much of the material is takened from the “ten ryaku no maki” .  In addition to that, our primary aim is to explore the “distance” (DAT) concept – the kihon within the kihon of life. The second hour is dedicated to distance and angling principles. Usually I take from the ten and chi ryaku no maki with henka. The last hour we put together the three (DAT) with material learned in Japan. So in essence we cover the tenchijin (basics) with emphasis on the kihon (DAT).  It works so far. This past friday everyone seemed really focused and determined to better their taijutsu. Love classes like this because everyone is on the same page, therefore get alot done.

Everyone is encouraged to communicate with eachother while training and give honest feed back to one and other. This is kind of training benefits the two in a way they teacher can’t do. What better way to self explore. The key here is to move slow, be patient and honest with yourself, partner and training. Respect is of equal value considering the alternative. If you don’t respect your partner and take feed back as a medium to help in your personal progress, then in my opinion your not utilizing your capacity to its potential.  Anyway I’m going to end this at that. More to come.

An appropiate quote – “I’ll play it first and tell you what it is later”.

This rope Sensei speaks about from my interpretation is a metaphor or mirror of an innate awareness. Perhaps we went to sleep knowing and woke with no recollection of how things, people and places are/were connected, yet separated. It’s the duality of the consciousness and subconsciousness where  both claim leadership. The role of the two are of equal value. While I was in Japan it was apparently clear how this metaphor or rope (string) consist of things, people and places are united. Some disturbing truths I was faced with upon my return was the necessity for some people to partition, separate, or divide off, by means of this rope, so as to exclude themselves from the majority. Another aspect that emanates from the conscious mind – is the “ego”.  It must be understood that when life is looked at from the perspective of the soul (tamashii) everything is seen as a lesson or challenge . Every interaction is seen as an opportunity to respond from a mindset of that which connects all things “Shiiki” consciousness or for lack of a better word adhesiveness to the principles of nature (i.e . respect, humility, trust, love). It bewilders me to learn of how many can be tainted by the vanity and lush of propaganda. These are the very poisons  that deter one from fully developing the Shin Gi Tai. While in Japan Hatsumi sensei said that the unification of “Shin Gi Tai” is the ultimate quest for the martial arts, thus person. Again I emphasis the rope to bind (friendship/buyu/people), fasten (things,material, books) and tie with a cord of connecting the past, present and future (Japan, structural elements). The fabric of our existence (arteries) is linked to everything. Make it a point in your daily lives to acknowledge your being in the moment, this in turn will link you to all “shikii” and bind you to the wonders of the magnificent self that you are.  

Since returning from Japan I’ve found many paradoxes of my psyche that generally has taken me to know highs. Assimilating the material  and experience has been an ongoing purpose challenge. Sainou Kon Ki comes to mind simultaneously as the experience filters through my conscious mind. This past trip I had the fortune to train, serve and uke for Noguichi Sensei and learned some essential lessons that has assist me in better understanding of how much I really don’t know. Anyone who claims to “know” in my opinion don’t know, they are such unfortunates. Some would be considered pompous, better, arrogant.  Noguichi sensei at my request taught a class on “ten & chi ryaku no maki” that has shifted (consicousness), changed my interpretation and understanding of the basics. Noguichi sensei also said that bout time your sandan you should haved mastered “ganseki nage”. Assuming he meant the basics / kihon. At the beginning of class there were lots of kaiten (front, back, side), ukemi, kamae, sanshin no kata, kihon happo to list a few that Noguichi sensei suggested that those of us who teach do for a warm-up prior before class. How does one master the basics? Uh by doing the basics, simply put.  Also congratulations to Blaise Barron and Merridith Allen on their promotions to Godans and Bobby Mcfarland to Shodan.  The three of them for the most part trained almost 3 classes a day and tons of notes later to help facilitate the process. I mostly recorded my notes which is easier and conducive to my plan. We now have 4 godans including myself at the Koteki dojo. It’s been a month since our return, we have visit two dojo’s and had the fortune to share a class with another dojo at our place last weekend. The plan is continue to connect with other practitioners of likeness and establish a strong line as in when pulling together on a rope, the unity binds from the beginning, middle and end.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 “The qualities in Budo relations which I consider important – always – beauty, simplicity, originality, discrimination, and sincerity”.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Quote by ~ Anthony Lucas ~

Sainou Kokoro Utsuwa – comes to mind when I think of last weeks review class. I’m happy to say we have resume classes (wed & fri) at our local venue. Our Japan trip was awesome. Words can’t sum up right not the feeling boiling inside me at this moment when I remember my journey little over a week ago. Anyway this is not about my review. The following post is from a dear and sincere student who has the kokoro and sainou (knack) for budo that has demostrated her determination. She is out on medical leave, yet comes to class to watch and learn from the sidelines.  This is what she had to say:

Friday’s Class – 4/3

Anthony began Friday’s class by having everybody warm up prior to training. The class started by doing some basic rolling, zenpo kaiten, ushiro nagare and yoko nagare. I should mention that this is the first friday class since the dojo returned from Japan and everybody was pumped! For starters the forward and back rolls were a bit different from the way we are used to doing them. For example, in a “normal” forward roll we are told to roll over our shoulder, whereas in this class the forward roll was done straight through by rolling right over the head though not literally, what was happening is we were using our hands to push ourselves off and flow into the roll. the back roll was pretty much done in the same way. The side rolls(yoko nagare) were done with a partner so as we could learn to keep our eyes on the opponent during this roll.

     Next came the basic movements of the Kihon Happo and Sanshin no Kata.

·                     Ichimonji No Kamae-  Uke punches, Tori blocks(uke nagashi), free hand comes up as in Kosei no Kamae to hide the Shuto Ken to the outside of the neck.

·                     Jumonji No Kamae-  Uke punches, Tori is in Jumonji, blocks (jodan uke) pushing the opponent’s puching arm up to expose the underarm, Boshi ken to the underam area, Mitsubishi, move back into Jumonji, second punch comes, Tori blocks again and repeats same movements from first punch.

·                     Hicho No Kamae- Uke comes in with an upper cut, Tori is in Hicho No Kamae, blocks(gedan uke), kick to the stomach, steps in, Shuto Ken to inside of neck.

What I got from watching this was that making smaller movements and staying close to your oppenent make it more effective in the control of your opponent. This was the feeling that Anthony and everyone else brought back from Japan. That staying connected to your opponent, “like a rope” creates less open space which makes you less vulnerable to a second attack. Letting go of your opponent can work for you if you are in an open space where you have time to get away, but if you are in a tight space it makes more sense to capture, hold, and control your opponent. He stressed the importance of practicing your Sanshin as this will help you to perfect your balance and coordination. And also to help you move in a more natural and relaxed manner while still generating the power necessary to take down your opponent. He also covered the basic locks: omote gyaku, ura gyaku, musha dori, and musso dori.

     The second part of the class Anthony turned the class over to Meredith, Blaise and Bobby, giving each of them an opportunity to show a technique brought back from Japan. Blaise stated the importance of taking your uke’s balance by taking the shoulder. Meredith demonstrated the importance of smaller movements and staying connected to your uke. Bobby demonstrated some techniques in which you initiate the attack but still make it seem the other way around…very sneaky. In the end we did some sword work, where we learned not how to cut or strike your opponentt but how to effectively stop and control your opponent while maintaining connection…capture, seize, hold..

The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.

~ Lao-Tzu

                                               Karla Pascual, 8th Kyu

Another week has flown by – yet another approaches. Talking about time travel, how awesome. Friday past was no exception in terms of travelling from one point to another in successions within the interval of time. LOL

                                                        Anthony L.

Friday 13^th – We worked on the concept of the ‘interval’ and the timing of moving…

Using O Gyaku and Ganseki nage  as the core techniques we explored. The idea of moving to create a space, taking the opponent down and then as they progress to the end state (face down on the mat!) almost intercepting them in that time interval to apply another lock…

As uke grabs one arm, by stepping back from grab you first create the space, drawing back the arm and moving out to side, then taking their balance and gaining control by placing your hand on  the outside of their arm and moving in:

• Moving into musha dori and reaching across to grab the pectoral muscle
• Locking arm, moving in to throw (soto gake) and lock hand as they fall
• Placing elbow on their hand, dropping down on one knee to draw them down
• Spinning under arm and turning to lock shoulder and throw

The second part of the class we explored the idea of timing your movement and the difference it makes to the technique. For any of the sword cuts you can move before, during or afterwards.  In this class, we explored the idea of moving afterwards – there is a space between when the cut is initiated and when it makes contact, that’s the interval you are seeking to move in. How you decide which to use depends greatly on your opponent and how they move,  moving between the different timings and knowing when to switch takes a great deal of practise and experience.

From Jodan no Kamae, uke does tento kiri (blade moving downwards focusing on the point) tori in Hasso no kamae,  moving just in time to avoid the cut, dropping the sword downwards first and cutting upwards and diagonal (omote kesa kiri) to cut under arm (armpit). The key element of this technique is the waiting, moving just enough after the cut has been made and entering under the cut.

A Henka is to try the technique without the sword; as Uke does tento kiri, waiting until the cut has been committed to, stepping in to first avoid the cut, then turning to place the hands to take possession of the sword.

The first three techniques from Biken Jutsu (Tsuki Komi, Kiri Age and Tsuki Kake) each explore the idea or feeling of moving after opponent has committed to the cut.

Give yourself the patience, discipline and courage to wait until after the cut has been made. Legs move first to complete the counter strike.

It’s hard to grasp all of these ideas from just one night, you need to see them, feel them, practise and practise again. Don’t get frustrated that you can’t get them the first time.

The motto from the night’s training should come from the Chumbawamba song as personified by Luis’s demonstration of a good uke;  ‘I get knocked down, But I get up again, You’re never going to keep me down’.

                                   Blaise Barron, Yondan.

Natural born leaders are coming through my doors to learn the fundamental concepts and principles of budo, life and most importantly a human being.  All the students of the koteki dojo has intergrity and determination to carry the teachings of Hatsumi sensei art through their lives and the lives of others. I like to call it bleed throughs. haha!

Our next reveiw is by a really cool cat that has only been training with us for two months and has the kokoro that is essential to train.

                                                                             Anthony L.

When the opportunity was presented to be a part of the Dojo blog, my first thought was “Cool, but what do I know I’m just a white belt…” but fearlessly I decided to write about my experience thus far in Budo Taijutsu…
From the moment I first stepped into class at the Koteki Dojo it was obvious this was serious business, in more ways than one. The theories, philosophies, and eastern way of thinking about space (Kukan) and so much more, began to quickly translate into my life. Even though I would leave class feeling as though I had not mastered the techniques, I began to understand the concepts. At times Anthony would go into explaining things in a very cool “spiritual” way, and Larry would break things down mysteriously practical. Every time I entered the Dojo with more respect for the art and I left with a new appreciation for it as well as everyone I trained with. Its funny how physically sharpening your skills and working on your DAT (distance, angle, and timing) can cause you to view the way you move in life differently, this is what fascinates me with Taijutsu.  We are reading the book Outliers, chapter 2 discusses that if you spend 10,000 hours at anything, by investing that much time, you will inevitably be good at it. This concept along with all the intricate techniques to learn can be a bit over whelming as a white belt.  I just take it day by day and Merridith and Blaise are great and patient instructors. This past Friday’s class was one of my favorites, not because it was the most painful, ha ha but because I felt connected to the art in a way that is still with me now.

I’ll kindly add this quote for Derek that’s relevant –

           ” Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there”  – Miles Davis
                                                                     

                                      Derek Coleman-white belt (mukyu)