tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9763784420829807002024-03-04T22:29:50.929-08:00My budo journalDocumenting my journey in the amazing world of martial arts...Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-16643575904692078872017-01-04T13:17:00.002-08:002017-01-04T13:23:30.059-08:002017 - A Return to OneHappy New Year!
As 2017 kicks into gear, I wanted to write a bit on where I am in my Shugyo (martial path) and my focus for this new year. Reading back over my past blog entries, I see the winding path of my own evolution in understanding and perception. Through my words, I can still feel the roller coaster of frustration, confusion and inspiration. The one constant throughout Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-91509335295652130582016-08-30T16:22:00.000-07:002016-08-30T16:22:01.066-07:00Shidoshi - Are You A Living Example?
When I first started in the Bujinkan, the number of Shidoshi in the United States was only a fraction of what it is today. Unless you were fortunate to live near one, you had to drive, fly or ride the bus to go train. There was no internet (at least not for public use) and very little credible video (VHS tapes). You scraped money and sacrificed to get some kind of training Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-58995146773127455122016-08-15T16:29:00.004-07:002016-08-15T16:38:42.338-07:00When Your Love of Something Is Greater Than Your Fear...
“When your
love of something is greater than your fear of doing it, you will do it. You
don't have to fear less, just love more.”
Fear and
doubt kill the aspiring martial artist.
Pride and selfishness kill the experienced martial artist. What I want to write about is the process
involved in becoming a martial arts student.
Many desire to be it, but far less Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-3858031231214355802016-04-26T12:21:00.002-07:002016-04-26T12:21:12.319-07:00Fishing: Lessons of Life and Budo
When I was young, my friends and I loved to go fishing. I don't know why we loved it so much. Maybe it was the outdoors, the thrill of the catch, or jumping into swimming holes when the fish weren't biting. Fishing always has held a special place for me and, even though I don't fish as much as I would love, there have been some significant life lessons which have come from Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-23045925418077350682016-04-05T12:32:00.001-07:002016-04-05T12:32:28.362-07:00A Sheep in Wolf's ClothingFraud, as defined by Merriam-Webster: : the crime of using dishonest methods to take something valuable from another person : a person who pretends to be what he or she is not in order to trick people : a copy of something that is meant to look like the real thing in order to trick peopleIn martial arts, there are many degrees of fraud and it Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-53684708057977159722016-03-07T12:11:00.003-08:002016-03-07T12:13:55.985-08:00Are You Suffering From "Enthusiasm Depletion"?
Enthusiasm, or the Fire in Your Belly
Ever hear the term "Honeymoon Period"? It applies to that initial enthusiasm that someone feels when they experience new things they are interested in. It's a period where everything is exciting, interesting and fresh. There's a level of assumption, as most people have preconceived ideas they bring in with them, but they will are Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-28755064867471555542016-02-01T14:08:00.002-08:002016-02-01T14:11:02.254-08:00The Art of PracticeI was listening to some speakers on TEDx who were talking about motivation, confidence and being results-driven in all areas of life. What struck me is the importance of not only practice, but the Art of Practice. So, in this blog I will present my thoughts on the subject and I hope you find some useful application.
First of all, for the sake of this post, I want to make some Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-75614058298391495762016-01-01T12:51:00.003-08:002016-01-01T12:51:52.881-08:00Happy 2016! Looking Back and Going Forward
Happy New Year! First let me say I wish you all a very blessed new year and hope 2016 brings much happiness and success.
This last year was a mixed bag for me. I don't want to write about my personal life, as this is my budo journal, but since my budo path is integrated with the rest of my life, it is difficult to separate the two. I have written quite a lot over the years Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-48041602087583042572015-09-19T10:54:00.001-07:002015-09-19T10:54:09.411-07:00The Death of an ArtI had some interesting discussions last week with someone I highly respect who is the head of an old Japanese martial art. We talked about how so many martial arts students simply lack passion and commitment in their training, how they just aren't excited (or at least expressing excitement) and when opportunities come to get around some of the top people in martial arts, their interest Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-51142279174345691972015-04-09T09:45:00.002-07:002015-04-09T09:45:49.261-07:00Peeling the Onion - Thoughts on Forms<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-58102909774650231022015-03-10T14:12:00.000-07:002015-03-10T14:33:35.954-07:00Mad Libs Budo<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-66113423303401956572015-02-09T15:06:00.003-08:002015-02-09T15:06:39.569-08:00So, you want to be a black belt, huh?<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-54544825220724207352015-01-15T14:23:00.002-08:002015-01-15T14:23:25.850-08:00Wake Up and Live!<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-15655022443742444462014-12-31T09:43:00.002-08:002014-12-31T09:43:59.659-08:00My Budo Blog New Year's Message - Reflections & Rebirth, A Humbling Journey<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-34448407319205413862014-12-01T15:51:00.001-08:002014-12-01T15:55:10.506-08:00A Return To Kiso (Foundation)<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-66987921188378736062014-10-21T15:51:00.001-07:002014-10-21T15:51:52.508-07:00"He's too nice...""He's a nice guy," the senior Japanese teacher told me with a smile and thick accent. Then, his smile dropped to a hard look and he finished with, "but, he's too nice."
One thing I've come to learn in the world of martial arts, martial arts masters, and all the different schools out there - popularity and quality are not equal. Often, the highest quality teachers are the hardest to Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-84262691023856368352014-08-20T12:03:00.003-07:002014-08-20T12:08:59.349-07:00Kata is the vehicle, not the destination...
My thoughts on Kata and their importance…
In traditional martial arts, Kata are the techniques that
make up the core of study. Depending on whom
you ask, Kata can have different meanings and levels of importance. In more recent history, this has been a constant
source of controversy, with some dropping Kata entirely from their curriculum
and focusing, instead, on concepts, free Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-75593331043784254422014-07-26T11:04:00.002-07:002014-07-26T11:09:20.001-07:00The Knowledge, Experience, Ability Paradigm
I have been going through a lot of changes in my Shugyo (martial arts training path) and wanted to share some interesting thoughts I've concluded recently that have served to be a hard look at myself and a catalyst for my own "keeping going".
Before I begin, however, I must confess something I haven't told anybody except for maybe a very few select people: I almost quit martial arts. Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-23024053686526599642014-05-27T16:12:00.000-07:002014-05-27T16:12:09.087-07:00Conditioning Your Body For Your TechniqueNo, this not just another post about fitness and health, as the internet is already full of literally thousands of sites dedicated to such topics. Rather, this is about sharing my thoughts relating to classical fighting techniques and your body.
Throughout history, mankind has had to survive against extinction from a wide variety of threats. Whether from environment conditions, Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-26219420891831455772014-03-05T15:04:00.000-08:002014-03-05T15:21:20.269-08:00Of Wolves & Sheep
"A budoka learns to have the eyes of the wolf, not of the sheep."
I was inspired to post that yesterday on my Facebook and it led to an interesting correlation between two different groups of martial arts students. Consider
this as students of martial arts - there is a vast difference in a
group of students who are a pack of sheep, than a group of students who
are a pack of wolves.Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-6617345007899495532014-02-17T21:09:00.000-08:002014-02-17T21:20:36.851-08:00Thoughts On Structure, Muscles and Striking Without Breaking
When you strike a target, depending on
the level of resistance the target has, a returning force will
instantly reverberate back into your body. When your structure is
correct, this force will flow through your skeleton into the ground
through your feet. Therefore, when skeletal alignment is correct,
there should be an unbroken connection between the force going
through your fist and the forceDarren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-61299830051812971552014-01-02T11:42:00.002-08:002014-01-02T11:45:42.281-08:00Happy New Year 2014 - "A Humbled Work In Progress"Happy New Year 2014!
Well, this last year certainly has been quite the year. As I contemplated what this blog post would contain, I was taken with just how much of my last year's post still seems to apply. In case you never read it or need a reminder, you can find it here.
I wrote considerably about my challenges and struggles with training methods, the different (and very vocal) Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-74666200313390796032013-10-22T12:07:00.001-07:002013-10-22T12:07:59.385-07:00Budo, Goshin or Konran?Warning - this is an attempt to sort out some thoughts that have been bubbling up lately in my head, sparked by some very recent experiences and conversations, but built upon many years of contemplation and my own life experience.For starters, let me pose this question:Are you studying budo, goshin or konran? Don't know what they mean? Let me define them this way. Budo 武道 is "Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-29790615369933898672013-10-07T09:55:00.002-07:002013-10-07T09:55:56.569-07:00Some Thoughts On YouTube Videos...
Some thoughts on YouTube videos...
If you were to look up "Bujinkan" on YouTube, you would find almost
82,000 results. Most of them are marketing videos and various videos of
people who aren't even qualified instructors. Amongst all the videos are those
videos which are either shots from seminars and "published" videos (like
Soke's videos, etc). These tend to be on the 'better' end of Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-976378442082980700.post-29054549969154057642013-09-26T13:38:00.002-07:002013-09-26T13:38:42.920-07:00"Toh-mah-toh" & "Toh-may-toh" versus Apples & Oranges
Over the span of almost 28 years, I have trained with a wide variety of Bujinkan
teachers. From some I've learned quite a lot, from some I've picked up
some new perspective or technique and from others I've learned nothing
at all. Yet, for all of them I am deeply thankful for their time and
knowledge, as it all helped me in some way.In the Bujinkan,
there are very few Darren Dumas, Shidoshi, Bujinkan Ryuuko Hikan Dojohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11309256404566803785noreply@blogger.com0