What's Your Level of Commitment?

Discussion in 'Ninjutsu' started by Starsky, May 19, 2014.

  1. Starsky

    Starsky Valued Member

    I'm new to ninjutsu, having started about five months ago.

    I'm in my early 40's with the usual family and work commitments and badly out of shape. I want to give this a serious attempt but I'm starting to think that, practically, I just may not have the time to get in shape, get flexible and practice technique enough.

    So, I was wondering, how much time do you commit to ninjutsu per week (particularly if you have work to do on fitness and flexibility)?
     
  2. Big Will

    Big Will NinpƓ Ikkan

    If you're in your 40's with family and work, you can at least be certain of that you probably won't reach the same level and depth of skill as someone who moves to Japan as a teen and becomes a disciple to a master, and practices constantly both alone and with others for several decades.

    The first step I think is to assess your own possibilities and your own goal. Just practice as much as you can on your own (that is, aside from the dojo practice) and keep working on the flexibility and getting into shape. The more you practice the more it becomes a part of your life. Just stay committed and focus yourself when you do have time to practice. After all, the greatest enemy is yourself. Don't worry about how much time others commit to their practice - do as much as you can and that is good enough :)
     
  3. llong

    llong Valued Member

    1) High-quality stretching programs usually take 15 minutes a day, much of which can be done at work.

    2) Taijutsu classes are not meant to get you into shape. It's assumed/hoped that you do that on your own.

    3) A basic cardio/lifting/weight loss program takes about 2-3 hours a week.

    I am committed to taking 2 classes per week, 90% of the time, going to Japan for 10 days annually, and attending 2 seminars per year.
     
  4. Fujian Animal

    Fujian Animal Banned Banned

    i dont train in ninjutsu, but i am in the same boat with you, i only train seriously about 6-8hrs a week, been this way for at least 2 years now, but at 30 yrs old, most people say i look 18, i dont know if its the gung fu or my high motabolism lol
     
  5. Starsky

    Starsky Valued Member

    Thanks. Your answers are actually very reassuring. I think I could definitely find about six hours per week out of the dojo to work on fitness and technique with a further three spent in the dojo.
     
  6. bujingodai

    bujingodai Retired Supporter

    I do class 3 nights a week x2.5 hrs per class. Solo training about the same outside of that. Have to admit my drive for it has dropped somewhat. Life gets busier and grandkids come into the picture and all that. Other mitigating circumstances but still at it regularly
     
  7. Canit

    Canit Valued Member

    Late 40's with 3 children here. It definitely gets challenging as life obligations increase.

    I teach two 2hr classes each week. For personal practice, I average about 1hr per day. I also do 20-30mins of either straight cardio/bodyweight training, or kettlebell training each day.

    To the OP, focus on conditioning for now. If you are carrying extra pounds, cut the sweets and processed carbs, and get 20mins of cardio in 3x/week; that's 20mins @ +80% capacity. If you really do it, and stick at it, you will see noticeable changes in 3 months. Do it every day, and you will get even better results :)

    Limit stretching to after your cardio. Focus on the mid/lower back, hips and legs. However, do range of motion exercises every day. Full body when you first get up [takes 2-3mins], and areas of tension as needed throughout the day.


    Don't be this guy! :)
    "I need to take a break for a while to work on my fitness. But I will be back."

    I have heard that too many times to count. They never come back.

    Good luck!
     
  8. Starsky

    Starsky Valued Member

    Yep Canit, that thought had run through my head!
     
  9. Kframe

    Kframe Valued Member

    With regards to home training. When I was in taijutsu, what can you do at home besides the Sanshin? I mean most things in Taijutsu are done with partners. So besides rolling and the five sanshin, what else is there to do solo?
     
  10. garth

    garth Valued Member

    everything
     
  11. kevin g

    kevin g Valued Member

    I get to class once a week. Have a 9 month old so it's hard to get away for the evening but we make it happen. On my "off" days I run on the treadmill, do pushups and situps, and alternate between the Sanshin, sword cuts, and developing the Hoken Juroppo on the heavybag in the garage.
     
  12. furinkazan

    furinkazan Valued Member

    I train once a week at the moment due to study and commitments of my own (depression and anxiety issues, job hunting, trying to move out and have a social life) so no, I dont practice anywhere near as much as I could be doing, but often I dont have the energy to, and for me, thats fine. Ninjutsu was something I used to take super seriously up until I got to about my 2nd kyu and then it just became something fun, like a hobby. Yeah a dan grade would be nice but Im enjoying the ride as much as I can based on my time restrictions. Like my first sensei put it: life can just get in the way sometimes.

    The dedication I do have to the style though is this: outside of training, I go through my dencho, I read about Takamatsu and Hatsumi, I look at the principles they talk about and, even though I dont train as often as Id like, I dont STOP training all together, even if I cant make a ninjutsu class, I try something else nearby and see how that links to my ninjutsu practice. Say if after this one final year of study that I find myself near a bujinkan dojo again and I still love the art, I'll be in there instantly, but for now I give the energy I have spare from my other commitments.

    It can be whatever you want or need it to be :)
     
  13. garth

    garth Valued Member

    Just to throw in something that I have wondered about for a long time and that is the social history of the people that we call the Ninja. OK it depends what you beleve a Ninja is i.e. a warrior in the mountains of Iga, part of an army or a mixture of both. And I don't want to get involved in that debate.

    If however we take the view of Ninja as people who lived in the mountains of Iga, then how much time did they spend, farming, gathering food or hunting animals, repairing their homes, raising and educating their children, and how much time did they have left for training, or do we beleve that Ninja trained morning, noon and night?

    If the Ninja were part of an army i.e. the spies, scouts, and if you like "Special forces" of an army, how much did they train? Were the armies standing armies or were they just raised for the battle and if so what did the Ninja do during the lean times. Did they go back to farming or working in a feudal age McDonalds until something better came along, or were they wealthy enough to buy or rent their accomdation and food and devote all of their life to training?

    Personally I don't know the answer to this, which is why I raise it here, but I bet a lot were farming, raising children, doing jobs because the wife says so, and then having maybe a few hours for training.And if so maybe we should not feel so bad.
     
  14. Please reality

    Please reality Back to basics

    McNinjas?!!!:vanish: No way...

    Some were obviously quite well off, Hattori Hanzo and some other ninja that were hatamoto for example. The ninja that helped Tokugawa Ieyasu escape through Koga and Iga and make it back to Mikawa when Oda Nobunaga was forced to commit suicide at Honnoji were also granted with quite a lot of land and position. However, a country landowner in an area where the land wasn't the best, is not the most lucrative of positions. Some ninja were thieves, so supposedly they were stealing for a reason. So they probably ran the gamut in income and level of commitment to their craft. However, as part of their livelihood and prestige(as far as being a known group of skilled warriors and strategists) depended on their skills, you can imagine that the better and most industrious worked quite hard at honing their skills.

    According to some records, they worked during the day and trained at night. Not necessarily farming mind you, there are other jobs that were common to ninja(including medicine makers and peddlers, samurai, traveling entertainers, etc).

    As they weren't sitting around living sedentary lives while popping bon bons at their computer, they shouldn't be compared to today's average practitioner. They didn't even have curry rice in their basements(if they even had them). So, if you are only training a few hours a week, and not at least a few hours a day, you aren't even close.
     
  15. garth

    garth Valued Member

    Please Reality posted...

    Yes I agree some were in choice positions whch is why their names and deeds have come down to us through history.

    Yes this is why I posted about the different views of the ninja. If your view is of a ninja living in the area of Iga then its likely that farming or some other form of subsistence would mean that your time s taken up feeding your family. ne thing that archaeology has pointed out is that farming is labor intensive. Sure other Ninja may have had seperate skills and this is why I mentioned about a social historical study.

    Got to agree with you there. I bet there were no overweight Ninjas.

    A few hours a week? well take away the time they are teaching I bet more than a few have training times that equal zero.
     
  16. Bujin_Budoka

    Bujin_Budoka Valued Member

    I haven't been able to train in a dojo in months due to scheduling conflicts with work and familial obligations as well. I supplement however working on my health (diet and exercise), practicing my taijutsu (what I know thus far) and reading everything I can. Books by Hatsumi sensei, Jack Hoban, and other non-fiction subjects to aid in education and personal growth. Sometimes I have to multitask or can only dedicate an hour at a time. Call me weird but I work on tai sabaki while cooking, cleaning or when I am at work during patrols I work on my breathing, walking, kamae footwork(when applicable), awareness (distance, timing etc...). I keep in touch with my teacher so he knows my situation and we stay connected for when things can change.
     
  17. furinkazan

    furinkazan Valued Member

    hey, thats how Hatsumi used to encourage us to train. I often swap stances when doing things myself. Say if Im stepping across from the cooker to the sink, ichimonji into doko. Reaching up for something in the cupboard? Hokko or Hicho no kamae.

    Since I started hung gar, I often sit in horse stance while the tv is on advert breaks to keep strong.

    I sometimes like to mix the ukemi and falling of the bujinkan with what i learn in the (few and far between) angelo capoiera classes I go to. Since that is taught more to us as a dance, but apparently has some combat applications, I thought of mixing the two a bit. The acrobatics part at least is fun to dabble with.
     
  18. Bujin_Budoka

    Bujin_Budoka Valued Member

    That's encouraging for me. I know my teacher, the last time I was in class, was talking about being mindful of our movements in everything from picking up boxes to sweeping the floor.

    I think it would depend on personal preference and height of said cupboard. My balance needs a lot of work so I try focusing on Hicho no Kamae more in that event. If it is something heavy that I am taking off of a shelf I would use Hokko.

    I find myself trying to get low in my kamae in the same manner to build leg strength during tv also. ;) Especially, Ichimonji and Jumonji.
     
  19. furinkazan

    furinkazan Valued Member

    Great minds... great minds
     
  20. garth

    garth Valued Member

    Bujin_Budoka posted

    Yes I also try to avoid those things.:)
     

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