Reality vs budo training

I haven't written much in a while because, well, things have just been too busy.  My training always takes priority over the 'net, so what free time I have I devote to my training.

Lately, I have seen growing discord between many different factions within the Bujinkan.  As we all should be trying to study Soke's budo, we cannot help but be overwhelmed by just how incredibly confusing this is.  Soke no longer teaches the raw fundamentals we are supposed to be training on.  In fact, Soke rarely teaches any techniques.  He talks in principles, philosophies and often times contradictions.  That's not to say he isn't a true master, someone who we all should be looking to for guidance and inspiration.  And, if we study and train long enough, eventually what appears to be confusing, contradicting messages from Soke start to make sense.  We get a glimpse of something that strikes at the heart of our selves and our training.  It's those moments that we all strive for because they empower us and give us insights that we need.

However, a major area of contention among my Bujinkan brothers and sisters is how we are supposed to follow Soke's teaching, especially in the areas of "no technique", being "zero", moving with relaxed flow, and so on - and still build and maintain a strong foundation of real combat skills.  One side will argue that Soke and the Japanese Shihan have all experienced the raw, physically challenging aspects of the "old school" methods and that's why they can move so beautifully, with relaxed flow and gentleness, while still controlling their partner perfectly.  The other side holds firm to the idea that they went through all of that hard training to learn you don't 'need' to do it in order to move the way they do now.  They did it so we don't have to.  They've made the mistakes and now teach us the correct way to bypass the long road for the direct.

In my own training, I seek to find a balance.  I love to train in the deeper, more refined aspects of what my sempai, sensei and Soke teach.  But, I also believe I need the conditioning and raw physical skills to be able to survive real danger.  So, I gently take my uke's balance and throw him with little touch, yet next I will spend time breaking a sweat by pounding on the heavy bag.  I will strike my uke as he flies over me, knocking him into strange body positions that make it difficult for him to land safely, challenging his ability to adapt.  I will play with the spaces around my uke, causing his balance to change and opening up the next "safe space" for me to occupy so that he is always off balance.  But, then I also believe those shots that happen during that space in time have the teeth behind them to really affect my uke.

At the same time, I also want to continue to develop my body to take the impact of hitting something that's solid.  In addition, my own body needs to experience being hit, thrown, locked up and such so that I also build my adaptibility.

Then, there's the argument of whether or not to spar or use "aliveness" when training, to have your partner try to resist, counter and otherwise not be a "cooperative uke" (within safe reason).

I don't know what the answers are.  I only know what my teachers teach me.  I also know from my own experience what real danger is like - and what it does to somebody physically, mentally and spiritually.  One has to train equally in all three of these areas to develop the adaptive ability to survive. 

This, to me, is what the true meaning of Sanshin is.

How it applies to your own training, you have to decide.  Just keep the balance right.