“Really screwed that up,” said my student as he rubbed his jaw. “I hate it when I make mistakes,” he continued. I said, “yeah, don’t we all. Do it again,” I said. His partner attacked and he angled perfectly and avoided getting hit. “That’s it,” I exclaimed, “perfect.” “Now, let me ask you a question. […]
Respecting Space
One of the things we emphasize a lot for young students in our dojo is finding a safe place. We ask where a safe place might be, or who they could go to in order to avoid a dangerous situation. Sometimes we have them defend against an instructor then run to their parents. With adults, […]
Our New Instructors
I’m proud to announce that we have two new instructors offering great courses on NinjaSelfDefense.com this month! Hair Grab Defenses by Helen Jotoshi Russo will teach you how to leave an attacker more focused on their own injury, giving you time to escape or defend further if necessary. Master Russo guides you clearly step by […]
Water Tactical Positioning
Let’s continue our review the five elements that form the base for To-Shin Do training from the inside out. In this issue of Ninja Now, we”ll look at the water element. Theme – Knowledge leads to power Sui no Kata water element dynamics are the tactics of power and knowledge, self-discovery, strategy, and individuality. This […]
An-shu Rumiko
At the beginning of this month we had the honor of hosting An-shu Rumiko Hayes for her first ever, solo seminar. Sixty people from around the country and Canada traveled to New Hampshire to take part in this historic event. None left disappointed, the seminar was amazing. An-shu Rumiko covered many topics and ideas on […]
Summer, Here We Come!
Summer starts June 21st, and we’re working hard to make sure everyone has lots of new online training to keep them busy as we head towards Fall Festival. In May we launched two courses, a seminar called “Cover Creates Control” by Shihan Dennis Fuutoshi Mahoney, and a new course called “Exploring Gyaku Nage” by Shihan Mark […]
Earth Ground Holding
Let’s review the five elements that form the base for To-Shin Do training from the inside out. In this issue of Ninja Now, we’ll look at the earth element. The ground-holding power-exertion of the earth element shows up as the opposite of the free-moving evasive wind element, which will be described later From the earth […]
Surrounded
“Holy mackerel,” I said, “where are you planning on going?” A student had just asked me what to do if you were surrounded by a number of attackers. Now students who train with me know that my usual answer to a self-defense question is “it depends.” That is not a cop out or a blow […]
Knowing The Problem
A couple months ago I wrote about the role of the attacker in To-Shin Do. Specifically, I talked about advanced ways we can make sure our training partner (and ourselves) are getting the most out of each training exchange. Left out of those tips was the obvious beginning lesson: know what the attack is. But […]
A Master’s Tale
Several years ago, Rumiko and I were invited as special guests to a showcase of Japanese karate instructors. These were the men who brought karate to the USA in the 1960s when I was just dreaming about studying the martial arts. All were in their late 60s and 70s. The senior master instructors performed their […]
Finding Your Way Back
A friend of mine recently told me he was thinking about resuming his training after taking some time off. He asked me if I had any advice. That was easy – “do it,” I said. After giving it further thought, I realized that this could apply to quite a few people. Life can get in […]
In Gravity
At this past Black Belt Training in Dayton I was asked to teach a short session. My goal was to show people how to get into fighting focus, what athletes call the zone. This is done with a particular breathing pattern, spinal alignment, hand alignments and…getting into gravity. The combination of these things help move […]
Ninja Evolution
I have a curriculum all my friends use in their To-Shin Do dojos, from white belt through 6th Degree. 7th and 8th Degree are somewhat special, worked out between each individual student and me. My current major project is a rework of 4th and 5th Degree. The old curriculum was designed in the late 1980s. […]
Calm In A Storm
What are you doing in your training to practice staying calm under pressure? I don’t just mean, ‘how are you practicing staying calm at the dojo’ either. I mean, how do you find opportunities in every day life to practice staying cool? As martial artists we want to know we can handle a dangerous situation. […]
May I Take A Moment Of Your Time?
Dear Friends of To-Shin Do, If I may, I would like to take a moment and speak to you about manners. Many people today believe manners are dying away. There is quite a bit of evidence to back this online and in the news. Just recently I was solicited by a number of people asking […]
