Singapore Bujinkan

I can never overshare this point from Mr Marc MacYoung

I'm the best budoka of my batch. 😆 because i'm the only one who lasted until now 🤣

In 1964, Ford moved to Hollywood to become an actor.
“But I arrived on a metaphoric bus full of people who had the same ambition,” he said.
So he came up with this plan to prevail over the competition:
As Ford spent time around the other aspiring actors on that metaphoric bus, he became aware of something:
Most of them were in a hurry.
They were in a hurry to “make it” or to make lots of money or to prove something to someone.
Whatever the reason, most were on a tight timeline.
So Ford's plan was to do the opposite: to lengthen his timeline.
To do so, Ford said, "I had to have another source of income. So I became a carpenter."
“By doing carpentry," he explained, "I was able to wait it out.
And as the years went by, the attrition rate eliminated many of those people from the competition pool until finally, there were only a few of us left on the bus from that entering class.
I always saw life that way—you just have to find a way to stick it out, to prevail.”
Takeaway 1:
Ford chose carpentry for two reasons.
First...when he first moved to Hollywood, he taught himself the basic carpentry skills needed to fix up his dilapidated house. He was immediately attracted to the process of fixing things, calling it "a form of meditation."
Second...he thought—since Hollywood is an everybody-knows-everybody kind of town—a carpentry job could lead to an acting job.
Indeed.
Ford became known as the "carpenter to the stars." His roster of clients included Francis Ford Coppola, James Caan, Richard Dreyfuss, and Joan Didion.
Most famously, in the early 1970s, Ford was building "an elaborate portico entrance" at Coppola's offices where Coppola's friend, George Lucas, was leading casting meetings for Star Wars.
One day, Ford said, “I was asked by George if I would read with the other actors. There was no indication that I might be considered for a part in the film."
"I read with about 300 actors and weeks later, they asked me if I wanted to play Han Solo."
Takeaway 2:
Ford's “stick it out” strategy is a civilian version of what military strategists refer to as "winning through attrition."
In a study of the major wars that shaped the course of history, the strategist and historian B.H. Liddell Hart found that only 2% of battles were won as a result of a direct attack.
The majority of successful armies throughout history, Hart writes, all had the “power of endurance to last.”
As Ford put it, "You just have to find a way to stick it out, to prevail.”
"Lengthen your timeline...It always takes longer than you think it’s going to take. That’s Hofstadter’s law. And even when you take the law into account, you’re still surprised." — Ryan Holiday

Technically speaking, what you guys do outside of my class is none of my business. But if you train elsewhere, remember:

1. Beware of a5***les
2. don't be the a5***le

Deal with your own inner demons early. See your therapist before you send some other dude to see his surgeon...

Jiu Jitsu Destroyed My Leg For Life An illegal BJJ move was done on me which injured me with consequences for life. This is what happened...---Welcome to the Martial Arts Journey YouTube channe...

Yah, you need more reps...

😂

That's why i need not chase the latest in shiny toys. Good basics are puzzles that eventually unlock themselves to those who have proved themselves deserving

To protect something is also to return to the beginning in order to understand one’s place and path to support and respect one’s art and teacher.

According to the late Senouh Sensei, Hatsumi Sôke realised he could not do what Takamatsu Sensei was teaching him. So, he returned to the foundations of the teachings in his own Dōjō with his students and trained hard. Senouh Sensei then went on the express how Hatsumi Sôke in his late 80s was now moving uncannily like his late teacher, Takamatsu Tosh*tsugu.

Don’t rush, keep the connection, train hard, enjoy the journey and just maintain the consistent lifestyle of the martial artist.
頑張って下さい🙏

武風一貫
Bufû ikkan

“ A great artist finds joy devoting his life to his work. In a trance, he forgets the self while pouring himself into his work and finds an eternal life there. Not only the artist, but we too must live our lives this way.
In order to do so, we must have a clear purpose in our daily life. If we live our daily lives with Sutemi, the mind of Budô, and the passion of an artist who pours his soul into his works, we can almost forget about death, and never regret our life at the moment of its end.”

宗家Hatsumi

No, i didn't post this. My account must have been hacked. I deny everything...b

The Genkan
玄関 [げんかん (genkan)] entranceway, entry hall, vestibule, foyer, entryway.

When I was living in Japan and now as I visit yearly, I’m still shocked and bewildered at the ignorance and/or carelessness of people as they enter the dojo.
Firstly, it is important to remember that the dojo is a spiritual place. At the Bujinden, there is a Shimenawa overhead, clearly visible outside of the main entrance. A Shimenawa is a representation and symbol denoting that one is about to enter a revered domain of spiritual and religious significance. As such, upon entry, we BOW.
Not every genkan is the same, but for the sake of the international Bujinkan community travelling to Japan, I’d like to concentrate on the way to enter the genkan at the Honbu.

1. Upon opening the front door and entering, stand and bow to the room.
- people in respect of this process should not be pushing past, but waiting to enter single file.

2. Move to the right side of the genkan.
Keep your shoes on. This lower/street/door height section is dirty. If you take your shoes off and stand in socks or bare feet on this lower level, it is bad etiquette, incorrect and dirty! If you do this, you will be soiling your feet and then walking up into the dojo and dirtying the dojo floor and tatami. This is considered extremely unhygienic, impolite and bad etiquette.

After you have moved to the right side where the shoe cubbies are, turn around. Place your heels hard against the wooded area and step back out of your shoes onto the raised area. Pick up your shoes and put them in a cubby.

Next, DO NOT walk back onto the lower level in your socks! I see so many do this!! It defeats the purpose of following the procedure up until that point if you do it.
Don’t do it!

The honbu genkan design is not great, so you have to step carefully around the edge near the shoe cubbies and up onto the raised area to avoid stepping back into the lower level.

3. To leave the dojo, the order is reversed.

4. If there is room, you can also apply this procedure to the main genkan landing/raised area directly infront of you after entering the dojo.
However, I suggest you refrain from doing this and leave it clear for the senior Shihan and Soke.

As martial artists, it is such an important aspect of training to act upon and be mindful of.
All instructors should take greater responsibility in ensuring their students are aware of and act upon this format, especially if visiting Japan for training.
If all you do is think about fighting, then you will forget the true purpose of Budô. Please consider being more holistic in approach and not just becoming thugs in black suits with no manners or cultural understanding.

“Martial Arts begins with manners and ends with manners.”

よろしくお願い致します！
南虎

Save your gloating for after, please...

🐦‍⬛🖤🖤🐦‍⬛

It's not too far away from us in Singapore. Train well, people...

5 dead, others injured, including woman & 9-month-old baby in Sydney mall mass-stabbing, suspect reportedly shot dead Witnesses said the suspect was shot by police.

Basic understanding of different paradigms & how people live them out in real life

Whose ‘job’ is your safety? And why that’s not such a simple question. – Marc MacYoung – Conflict Research Group, Intl. Whose ‘job’ is your safety? And why that’s not such a simple question. – Marc MacYoung January 8, 2016 by CRGI Leave a Comment I think one of the biggest issues I have with people who come from the “I’ve never needed a gun, so neither should you” approach is how I grew up. Although my ...

Want to be able to bend your knees fully, to squat to the ground & pick up stuff when you're old? Do it now.

Want to be able to flex your spine forward, back & in other directions when you're old? Do it now.

Want to be able to push your bodyweight or sprint to catch a bus when you're old? Do it now.

I started training in year 2000. Before you know it, twenty odd years have passed. In class we tend to focus more on partnered exercises & less on your basic mobility, because to me it's your personal responsibility to maintain your own body. Because i usually don't talk about such stuff after you're no longer an absolute noob, some people may think it's not that important.

That is a horrible mistake.

I once had the honour of teaching hanbo, taking turns with other teachers. What topic did i take? Warmups & mobility exercises with the stick. Why? Because as long as society doesn't break down, odds are you won't have to fight off crazed attackers with a stick. But as long as you grow old you will lose mobility & range of motion. I refuse to let that happen to me.

Don't let that happen to you too, ok?

Incels can be dangerous...

Tsuyama massacre - Wikipedia The Tsuyama massacre (津山事件, Tsuyama jiken) was a revenge spree killing that occurred on the night of 21 May 1938 in the rural village of Kamo close to Tsuyama in Okayama, Empire of Japan. Mutsuo Toi (都井 睦雄, Toi Mutsuo), a 21-year-old man, killed 30 people,[1] including his grandmothe...

Ah yes, how modern life is a tad bit more complicated... 😆