The path continues...

Yeah, I know. You've been checking back with no new posts by me being written. In frustration, you've contemplated deleting my blog from your favorites. Yet, you keep checking back.

Well, here it is - a new post!

I have been VERY busy and haven't had time to keep this updated. It has been over a year since having gone to Japan and I'm already feeling like I've missed so much. Yet, even with such a distance from that trip, I can still "feel" what I experienced. I was watching, of all things, a remake of a Godzilla flick the other day. They showed scenes set in a small town in Japan and suddenly all the things I experienced while living in that small Noda city came flooding back to me. I really felt as if it was only yesterday since I was there! Japan truly is a remarkable place and the people amazing.

My Intel classes have been going regularly since coming back. I've felt a real compulsion to focus on the fundamentals. Over the last few months, I ran an intense series of classes focusing heavily on conditioning, bag striking and drills. Now, I am focused on technical simplicity and precision in the fundamental areas of our Sanshin no Kata and Kihon Happo, which are the center pieces of Bujinkan training.

I've had some new people come and go. I had a long time regular suddenly stop coming, saying he had other things going on and was getting his training from a friend of mine outside of Intel. I'm ok with that, since I have always endorsed people taking charge of their training and to get out and learn from others.

Lately, I've had a drop in new people coming in. This has been primarily due to the drop in new employees Intel has been hiring. The other reason has to do with a karate class which shares the facility on alternate nights. The karate class is a free class, whereas I charge a small fee. However, since most people there seem to be looking for fitness and conditioning, a free class certainly appeals to them more than mine. Again, that's ok. I'd rather have a handful of serious budo students instead of a large group of people who are really only there to get in shape. Those people don't last, nor do they have the commitment to give the training the proper respect it deserves. They are not budo students. They are hobbyists.

I am excited to see so many of my fellow Bujinkan shidoshi making the trip to Japan this year. In fact, one of my friends is there right now! I am jealous, of course. But, I'm also excited for them. I only hope I can get with them when they return and pick their brains on what they were taught. Of course, I also hope some of that "feeling" they get from training with Soke and the Japanese Shihans will rub off on me.

It's like a drug addiction. Once you've experienced "the feeling", you find yourself craving more.

Anyway, this week we're going to work on Musha Dori from the Kihon Torite Kata. This is a same-side arm wrapping elbow/shoulder leverage which is designed to dislocate the shoulder. At minimum, it's a great technique to use to control the spine and balance of the attacker. From there, many possibilities exist.

I have a new person coming in to try out the training - a 25 yr old female! I would love to have her as part of the class. They guys there need to experience training with women more. I hope she is satisfied enough to decide to commit to the class. We'll see...

Stay tuned for more...