Training ideas

Discussion in 'Ninjutsu' started by Brad Ellin, Jul 3, 2004.

  1. Brad Ellin

    Brad Ellin Baba

    Any ideas for practice outside of class? Sword work, shoge ring toss? Footwork drills or evasion drills? Let's hear them.

    Take some bamboo poles (I like bamboo because of the natural holder in them) cut them into varying heights, and stick them in the ground. Just enough so they don't fall over, but will if you hit them. Balance a tennis ball or raquetball or golf ball on the top. Practice striking the ball with your bokken, without knocking over the pole.

    Same poles, a little deeper. Practice your shoge ring throw.

    Cardboard box without a hole in it for a bull's eye. Throw your shuriken into hole. Make several with various size holes. This is for indoor practice, so use house freindly shuriken. Great for apartment dwellers or folks still living with Mom and Dad.

    Old tire, telephone pole, cement and rope. Striking stand that rocks back and forth. Make 2 and set them far enough for combo practice. Wear gloves!!!!!
     
  2. Kagebushi

    Kagebushi New Member

    one thing to do with kurohanas tennisball+bokken, try to come as close as you can without hitting it.

    if you have some people you like to train with and a good area to do it, set up some boundaries, and scatter the people through it with training weapons. try to sneak through without getting beaten(tapout, get "slashed" with a bokken, etc.) when someone is beaten, they cant yell out or get up until it's over, unless it's the one sneaking, then its just over. you can do this in a forest, a house, a field, or about anywhere that you can safely (or legally) go.
    this way you practice stealth, silent movement, fighting, awareness, and whatever weapons you decide to include.

    get a board that doesnt flex much if you stand in the middle and jump up and down. prop it up at about a 90 degree angle and run up it. once that gets boring, tilt it more. lather, rinse, repeat, until youre running up trees!

    this one, i got from hatsumi's old training methods. i dunno if he still uses it.
    set a couple layers of newspaper on the ground, long enough that you have to take a few steps to get across. soak it with water, and walk across. any rips will indicate bad form. if the paper rips, then gravel wouldve made noise.

    as long as this thread stays up, it should be pretty useful. good idea kurohana!
     
  3. Kalifallen

    Kalifallen looking for partner

    I like the walking on newspaper thing.
    Also, to practice your crawling move around like an animal for as long as you can. Try and keep perfect form. Knees parallel with sides and arms extended. It'll also build up your leg strength. And as time goes by move in that form as fast as you can without falling over.

    Another thing, which would be good since its summer, is to build up your strength and stamina is to practice your moves in the water. If you have a pool stand in chest height water and preform your moves as quickly and percise as possible. If you don't have a pool then get a bucket about 12-18" deep and try to practice your arm movement in that. For your legs stand in at least knee height water and preform swing kicks. Swing your leg in front of you, behind you and to the side. Do not chamber the leg or you will lose the resistance the water provides for the movements.

    Other training things to do would be to visit a beach, national park, forest, mountains, refugee, or a local park, and just practice what you can. Stealth moves would be some of the best things to do. Maybe even practice on your climbing, water training, survival skills, and anything else you could think of. Also, the more the merrier.
     
  4. Albert

    Albert Banned Banned

    You could pour gasoline all over your face and then light it, to practice being resistant to fire! But that could get messy, so i wouldnt recomend it.

    Im gonna go outside and try that newspaper thing!
     
  5. Kinjiro Tsukasa

    Kinjiro Tsukasa I'm hungry; got troll? Supporter

    Albert, you should use smilies when posting this sort of thing :D

    Seriously, I like some of these training suggestions, especially the ones that can be done alone. It gets so frustrating never having anyone to train with (outside of class, that is).
     
  6. Kagebushi

    Kagebushi New Member

    i dont know if this counts as spam, but kalifallen, you have 666 journal views! creepy....:eek: also, another thing you can do, is go out at night, and climb. in public places, but not on monuments and stuff. low bridges, walls, etc. this will add to awareness, as well as the climbing, because when someone walks by, i usually try to look normal, so they dont call the cops. i am not harming anyone, so i am the only one that could be hurt here. also, hatsumi did pretty much the same thing with his students.
    another thing, wait outside your house, and when it gets dark, sneak in and try to get to a certain room unseen(if you live alone, this will be easy)
     
  7. Kinjiro Tsukasa

    Kinjiro Tsukasa I'm hungry; got troll? Supporter

    For a real test of your abilities, try to get into the house unnoticed by your cats (or dogs).
     
  8. dragon_bunny

    dragon_bunny Valued Member

    ooh i like :) my cat must have been a ninja in a previous life.. he'd know excatly when you went in to the garage (were we fed him) and apper instantly.. creepy :)

    i just like to practise my balance by standing on one leg in queues and such (yes it looks wear but suprisingly in the UK very few people comment on it ;) )
    plus i try to sit in positions that stretch my legs when i watch tv. helps with the flexing :)

    but i love the newspaper thing.. will have to try that :D
     
  9. Poop-Loops

    Poop-Loops Banned Banned

    That's not a test with my dog. =/

    Most of the time he'll just be on the couch sleeping (even though he's not supposed to be on the couch) when we come in from like dinner or something, not even caring to be quiet. =/

    PL
     
  10. Kagebushi

    Kagebushi New Member

    yeah, my dog's a little slow too. all i have to do is hide behind the door and he walks in, looks around, and walks out. he wakes up easily tho. anyone have any ideas for a fake-wood panel floor? mine is really loud.
     
  11. Poop-Loops

    Poop-Loops Banned Banned

    I believe the Ninja used a special kind of "slipper", that spread the pressure of your body over a wider area, so floors wouldn't make noise when stepped on. Basically, it was long, wide, and kind of spungy.

    PL
     
  12. Kalifallen

    Kalifallen looking for partner

    Hm, don't know about that, but I know they learned how to distribute their weight so they wouldn't make a sound when they walked.

    666 journal views, well, it was going to happen some time.
     
  13. Kagebushi

    Kagebushi New Member

    yeah, i distribute my weight, but it's like walking through leaves in total darkness. you cant see where it'll creak, and where it does, it does suddenly. i can be almost silent on it, but not quite. anyway, i will just go slower until i get it, i was just wondering if there were any tricks to help me.
     
  14. xplasma

    xplasma Banned Banned

    We do a blindfolded drill at my dojo. Basically one person get blindfolded and spun around a lot. Then 3 people move around the person slowly attacking with strikes and grab and you must use your other sense to defend against the attacks. After the drill is over, you must tell the sensei what wall you are facing.
     
  15. Kalifallen

    Kalifallen looking for partner

    Spun around a lot.... And you can still stand? Wouldn't you be too dizzy to even react? Oh well, though it sounds like weird. I mean, you're spun around. Then, they move around you and start striking you. So then, what's the purpose of them spinning you if they are going to circle you? Is it just to knock your senses off? I'm sorry but that part is weird.
    Still, interesting training.
     
  16. Brad Ellin

    Brad Ellin Baba

    Went yardsaling today, after I shutdown my garage sale. One house I picked up some rubber rings, about 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Look like ring toss rings for a swimming pool game. But, they have enough heft to them. What am I going to do with them you ask? Glad you did. Tie a rope to them, and practice my shoge toss. Actually, going to tie one to my practice shoge, instead of the light little O-ring I have on it now. It works, but has no heft to it, so it doesn't throw well.
     
  17. xplasma

    xplasma Banned Banned

    They do give you a few second to reagain you sense of balance. but the spinning to completely put in a position whre you don't remember what way you were facing before the blindfold was put on.
     
  18. Wolfox

    Wolfox New Member

    Hey everyone, it's my first post here :) .

    To practise my balance, I go down to the beach with two pieces of wood (Large, flat squares, about 50cm*50cm), and a roll of duct tape. You go about 1m into the water, place one piece of wood down on the wet sand, then place the roll of duct tape down on the middle of the wood, then place the other piece of wood over the duct tape roll. (You with me so far?) Then, you stand on the wood and practise your stances, and also you can try to do a handstand on this contraption. (Trust me, it's a challenge).

    And thats that folks. :cool:
     
  19. hatsie

    hatsie Active Member Supporter

    so it's a balancing thing, duct tape between wood ? . so you could replace the tape with say, a rolling pin ? or have i misunderstood? sorry...

    dazza
     
  20. Kalifallen

    Kalifallen looking for partner

    The duck tape acts as a block. Like a brick, something that won't move but is small enough so you learn how to balance yourself properally while doing the stances or whatever.
    Cause if it was like a rolling pin or something I don't think he'd suggest hand stands.
     

Share This Page