Bujinkan Canberra in Macquarie, Australian Capital Territory, Australia | Sport & recreation

Bujinkan Canberra

Locality: Macquarie, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Phone: +61 412 544 914

Address: Bennelong Cres 2614 Macquarie, ACT, Australia

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25.01.2022 Hi all Many thanks to everyone who trained today in Canberra Here is a a clip of Nagato sensei doing the technique we worked with this morning - tsukakudaki from the daishosabaki gata of the takagi yoshin ryu... Cheers Rick

21.01.2022 Hello all The thoughts behind this post go back to some comments made by Nagato sensei in a Q&A session after one of his hombu classes in late 2015 He was discussing how Hatsumi sensei has [apparently] kept the Bujinkan at some distance from the more accepted koryu [old school] organisations, many of which Nagato sensei described as more like museum pieces than combat arts... His next comment has stuck with me it was something to the effect that, while many koryu arts only look back to weapons of centuries ago, in the Bujinkan we have to learn to deal with machine guns [I suspect this was a reference to automatic firearms such as assault rifles or submachine guns] In this youtube clip, we have Hatsumi sensei applying the principles of budo taijutsu to controlling an opponent with a pump shotgun, and then to controlling the shotgun itself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dn4UWzxX7s Links back to traditional foundations are clear. Some of you will recognise the hanbo technique tsuke iri; at another point, the translator talks about the movement being the same as when using a sword. I rarely read the comments under youtube clips of Bujinkan people - typically there’s lots of this would never work and this is not real martial arts and so on. I think such comments often miss the point [or many points] around what is going on. Here, Hatsumi sensei is making the people in the class think about the personality of the weapon; about what makes it dangerous; about how to manoeuvre with and around the shotgun in relatively safer space, and at the same time control an adversary. Soke is teaching not competing and teaching for deep understanding is much, much more than instruction of the like this do that variety Where many of us in the Bujinkan fail is that we can believe that this sort of training is all we need, that we can do without the like this do that level of instruction and the countless hours of thoughtful and correct [as correct as we can manage, given our personal level of development at any point in time] repetition and exploration of fundamentals I think in this clip Hatsumi sensei is doing exactly what Nagato san referred to in his Q&A session. I think that Soke is showing that the budo taijutsu of the Bujinkan, while grounded in centuries of Japanese martial tradition, is also alive and responsive to contemporary weapons and the ways they are used. The main challenge - as always - is what do we do with what we are being given Cheers Rick

21.01.2022 Hi all Another short youtube clip from one of Nagato sensei's classes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93mSJhSl69Y... This clip links to at least two things that we have been working on recently The first is trying to emulate, as best we can, the light but rock-solid footwork that underpins Nagato sensei's taijutsu. There's nothing for me to add here - look not only at WHAT he does, but also HOW he does it. Look again and again and again, practice it at home when whoever else might be there is not watching, and work at integrating the lessons you find into your training when with the group. The second thing we have been focusing on is punching properly. Punching poorly is common amongst non-Japanese practitioners. The uke in this clip is probably doing exactly what he was taught, but there are several serious and fundamental flaws in the way he attacks with fudoken tsuki. It's worth watching uke's movement and structure - it might help those of you who train in Canberra to understand why I am so pedantic about punching properly I am sure you are sick of me banging on about the several aspects of delivering fudoken tsuki that I think we need to address ... too bad As an end note, notice that at no stage does Nagato sensei appear rushed or not in control. To me, this is more a mark of mastery than some of the highly athletic, stylised or over-complicated expressions of taijutsu that way too many Bujinkan practitioners seem fixated on. Cheers Rick

19.01.2022 Hello all Here Duncan Stewart shows some applications of jumonji no kata that include the ninjato - I would suggest the same exercises could be adapted to use a kodachi This sort of training shows the integration between natural and other weapons, all on a platform of the unified use of the body developed through budo taijutsu... We are very, very fortunate to have access to the martial arts of the Bujinkan and such outstanding modelling of good practice Cheers Rick

17.01.2022 Hi all Just an admin announcement for those who train in Canberra This Saturday 17Oct is polling day for the ACT - this means the school hall is not available for us to train in... This Saturday the class will be at Black Mountain Peninsula - same spot we used quite a few time earlier this year Same timings - 10am to noon Please bring adequate sun protection and water, as well as bokken daisho [long and short swords] If it's bucketing down with rain we'll pull the pin, but most of you know it would need to be a Noah event for that to happen Hope to see y'all there Cheers Rick

16.01.2022 Hello all At the end of last night's session, one of the group received a message that they had visited a location in Sydney that is now the subject of a COVID alert - see snip below from the NSW COVID site retrieved this morning The member immediately informed the group that they had been at Bondi Junction on Saturday. This morning I confirmed the timings of that visit as from approximately 1230 to 1415.... The advice from NSW Health and the limited overlap in timings suggest a relatively low risk to the member concerned, and consequently to those of us at training last night It is a timely reminder that COVID is still a real and active threat in the community and we need to maintain precautions - in particular, if you are showing any symptoms associated with COVID 19 or have been in known COVID hot spots, do not come to training and get tested as soon as possible However, managing the risks associated with COVID means acknowledging that incidents like these will happen. Open and timely sharing of information is our best strategy for balancing risk with achieving [in this case] our objective of continuity of training. To the member concerned, thanks for the quick heads up. For the others at training last night, watch for symptoms and please let me know if anything presents. I will keep you updated if anything changes. Take care Rick

15.01.2022 After watching this clip there are lots of things running through my head, but nothing I am willing to put into print For your edification ... Rick

14.01.2022 Tsuki The importance of Tsuki is more than being good at lunging forward and extending the body to generate and develop full body power. It’s not only about... developing the alignment of the entire body and to be able deliver a piercing thrusting attack. The deeper function of Tsuki and the drilling of committed attacks with the entire body ( ken tai ichi jo ) both armed and unarmed, is about conditioning ones whole being to follow through with attacks unhesitatingly in a total unification of the spirit,technique and body ( shin gi tai ichi ). The Gogyo no Kata teaches fundamental strikes/slashes/stabs and parries. Each kata are no more than 3-4 movements and easy for the mind and body to quickly assimilate. These five exercises are the base fighting forms for mortal combat. It’s been said that if people were conscripted, they would be drilled in these actions with yari ( spears ) and kodachi ( short swords ) in preparation for advancing and fighting on the battlefield. To ensure these low ranks and beginners to combat were conditioned in mind,body and technique ( shin,gi,tai ) to push forward under severe circumstances, these lunging drills were essential every day practice. For beginners, the Gogyo no Kata is referred to as the Shoshin no Kata when firstly practicing solo. In my Dj, beginners are drilled up and down the hall in these five movements. The important aspect is for students to not switch off their minds from repetition boredom but rather, to focus their whole being intently forward with the intention of piercing through imagined adversity and their own lethagy. This also helps beginners develop their [ (konjou) guts/determination, zanshin ( constant vigilance ) and Kiai fighting spirit. Only after this spirit has been developed alongside solid structure and skill in these five movements, does the training move to change and develop a deeper understanding of applications, concepts and feelings. Drilling the Chi no Kata earth form, Sui no Kata water form, Ka no Kata fire form , Fu no Kata air form, and K no Kata void form with the mind deeply set on Tsuki , is essential practice for those following the Way of the Bujinkan. It is my view that as students, we are actively working at developing the mind and body to straightforwardly pursue, protect, and clear a path of conviction toward enlightenment through these timeless martial treasures See more

10.01.2022 Hi all Here is a great production by Duncan Stewart that illustrates important perspectives on our art

09.01.2022 Hi all Here is a link to Nagato sensei demonstrating [among other things] a kick you don't often see used within the Bujinkan - the low side stomp kick https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PeQdAbhJJM... I remember him teaching this kick from a different set up quite a few years ago when I was in Japan. This type of kick has been a go-to technique for people as diverse as Rex Applegate in WW2 through to Bruce Lee. One big difference that I see with the way Nagato sensei uses the kick, is that the kick is just one tool from the toolkit being used in concert with all sorts of other things to maintain control of the engagement - this sense of overall control is almost always the case with Nagato sensei as far as I can see I see many people who kick as though it's just about throwing a foot or leg at an opponent - this is not at all what I see in this clip The way Nagato sensei uses this kick is well worth further study BTW, this clip was put up on youtube by an American bloke who has a commercial venture related to Bujinkan training. I don't know him, and me having this clip on our FB page is not an endorsement of his commercial operation. But I am thankful he has put this bit of Nagato sensei's teaching up for us to enjoy and learn from. Cheers Rick

08.01.2022 Thanks everyone for another great year of training, Covid restrictions notwithstanding. Hope you have a relaxing and well deserved Christmas break, and we'll see you again mid- January!

07.01.2022 Hi all Please notice how Duncan describes this exercise - it was a study ... not a contest, not a fight or anything else ... a study This is an important - actually, critical - aspect of training in the Bujinkan... It is not the only way of training, but it is important and its objectives need to be understood I see this training as focusing on understanding, or appreciating, or becoming more aware of what makes something work - in contrast to feeling like I have to make the thing work A focus on making something work often leads to missing the learning opportunity and forcing a desired outcome - like getting someone on the ground, or here, taking the attacker's sword I know that Duncan does other training - very hard training. But a key contributor to his development has been slow, thoughtful training like this, as part of a balanced diet of training strategies. Ignoring this type of training will lock us into mediocrity - and that door would be locked from the inside Cheers Rick

06.01.2022 BUJINKAN TASMANIA 2021 BUSHINDEN KAI Theme: Bujinkan no Roppou - The six treasures of the Bujinkan Dojo. August 20th August 22nd 2021 Bujinkan Tasma...nia Budo Dojo https://fb.watch/3lMJ6CN5EG/ See more

05.01.2022 Hi all In our past few sessions we have been revisiting using the kodachi. This has prompted connections to mutodri, daisho sabaki gata and spear. It also pushed us to define a few fundamental drills and techniques so we could get familiar with the characteristics of the weapon. In this section of a clip off youtube from the 1994 daikomyosai, Nagato sensei is showing taijutsu with kodachi - a profoudly different thing to kodachi waza, and certainly indicative of our long-term... goal I have found exploring the use of the kodachi to be a really interesting and productive focus for study - highly recommended Cheers Rick

04.01.2022 Hi all I have no background in karate or knowledge of its history but I believe the point being made here is as close to a universal truth in martial arts as we might find The comments suggest the writer was an accomplished kata practitioner - to my mind, this adds even greater significance to the observation that less but better is more... Food for thought that might drive more effective practice Cheers Rick