It seems to me that from research that I have done that the warriors in the days of old were much stronger. They had strength that could only come from years of patience and hard labor. Most had to hunt, defend, and escape to survive the day to day struggle. They had true strength, strength that could not be attained through the use of pills or weights but through trial and error. Not because they were geneticlly inabled or just crazy enough to try 'stunts', but because they knew what it meant to work hard. Nowadays we have self-proclaimed warriors who have never worked a day in their lives to achieve any type of status. Less people actually know how to defend themselves, therefore the need for guns has increased. We live in a time were people can get away with sleeping all day because they do not have to earn their space in life. As the generations pass humanity as a whole has become weaker our hands have become soft and our joints less durable. I fear that this is irreversable, and the only true warriors left are those who follow the "old ways". As a whole we must take advantage of the endless time we have on our hands and devote it to long hard hours of trainning.
This guy is either a troll or some anime kid with weird dramatic dreams of becoming a ninja warrior. He doesn't train, he's just an armchair ninja who probably goes to great lengths of research to impress his teen friends with kuji-in. Sorry to be blunt, but beating around the bush was never my strong point. Nor does it particularly seem necessary when you make it so obvious.
I don't know, I think there's a point in there somewhere as far as "things aren't what they used to be". But that's hardly ground breaking news. Though I agree it comes across as the opinion of an armchair researcher. The world is different today, times have changed. If you want to choose a different method of training to "the use of pills or weights" then fine and good, but it's a bit unrealistic to assume you can just wake up and start living like they used to 'back in the old days' Unless you want to move out into the wild and hunt your own lunch
I hate when people say things like that though. "Stronger without using weights back in t3h day". Well "shinobi no mono", when the time comes where I need buckets of water tediously carried up hills several times a day, I'll be sure to give you a call. Wake up, kiddo. I don't see you posting on Ford's website saying people used to have stronger legs "back in the day" without using "silly old automobiles". You can stay in your backyard everyday for 12 hours a day for an entire year lifting heavy logs, moving large rocks, and carrying heavy objects over long distances. During that year, I'll be using double my bodyweight in protein, supplementing, and hitting the gym for the same amount of time. Then we can see who's stronger. ADAPT BUDDY! Or are you still playing Magnavox Odyssey and Pong?
I'd be interested in seeing some of this research that lead to the conclusion that cold hard labour builds more strength than todays weights/training methods. What health risks, damage to the body is there in lifting/carrying heavy slabs/hunting/hard labour in comparison to modern methods/gym etc? That's assuming it's physical strength we're talking about of course
If we have "endless time on our hands", why do we need to rush and train? I want to see this kid walk into a dojo, approach the teacher and say, "I am a warrior, and I challenge you to a duel".
Or will it be more "I AM WARRIOR. I HAVE CONQUORED MANY LANDS THROUGH HARDSHIPS UNTOLD. NOW WE MUST FIGHT (hold A and B to start. Press select for full menu of techniques.)" Sorry
is using trial and terror any easier than using weight? If so can i have some cus my shoulders ache today!!
Victoria said:- Internet cliches aside, I actually did just spray coffee on my keyboard! Seriously though, yet another example (OP) of some ninjer kid on half-term with *endless time on his hands* to come up with romantic imagery of a time and place that never existed. :bang:
Lol...I enjoy reading these posts they are very interesting. I mainly posted this to do as I have, and cause contriversy (discussion). But there are some reasons why I think this way. I train in Parkour therefore I measure strength not by how much dead weight you can lift but by how confortable you are with your body.(not all traceurs may think this way) If you can benchpress 600 pounds with your fingers then good for you but it will do you no good if you cannot do 25 pull ups without having to take a break. As martial artists i figure you would know what trail and error is seeing as how no one is born already knowing how to kick over their heads, or evade oncoming knife attacks. The people in the days of old did indeed had more durable joints and tougher skin, this comes from the work that they had to do. The human body adapts to what is neccessary. Even I have noticed with myself and the people in my age group that the skin on my hands if tougher than theirs, and my joints are more durable than theirs because I can land from a much higher hieght than them without injury. I have seen tribal shows on TV where a man jumped from a tower that was at least 5 stories up with vines tied to his legs that broke and he hit the dirt then jumped up and started cheering. In books and on the discovery channel the Neanderthals were said to be able to take great amount of punishment. I am a realist who has grown up in a bad neighborhood people bring guns to my school everyday.-research- "Devil Hanzo" I will be glad to help you carry buckets of water up hills.(not sarcasim) There are still people on earth that are unreached or diluted by/with the modern world. And I can say that I am somewhat of an "armchair researcher" seeing as how there is no Bujinkan in such a small town and I have to learn on my own.(I am glad to have found this site because there is so much unreliable sources on the internet) I have how ever trained in Soo Bahk Do Moo Duk Kwan for several years and had some further training in Southern 7 Star Mantis Kung fu.-sounds weird but that is the name-Then I came across Ninjutsu and fell in love with it, from then on I have wanted to learn it and spent my time researching it. And seeing as how I have a Parkour background I am leaning more towards the Ukemi and Taihenjutsu. I also never have and never will train to impress people, I couldn't care less what others think of me. I am not saying that you should stop lifting weights and taking supplements, I too have tried these methods and I either get sick or see little to no results at all after long periods of time. Only through bodyweight exercises and Parkour have I got the most results. I never once said I was a warrior nor did I say I would challenge anyones master. Though if I had a chance to be in a place where I could learn Ninjutsu I would not want to challenge the master but instead learn from him. I see that I could have left out the whole " the only true warriors are the ones who follow the old ways" line but I did not do a good job of proof reading. What I meant by the start of this thread in my first posting is that we can do so much more than what we are doing now. I guess I could have simply said this but then I would have not started up such a wonderful little chat. I thank you all for pointing out my errors and giving me a chance to try and clear up somethings I hope that I may one day train in a real dojo alongside everyone of you.
Yep. but does than mean conditioning or stupidity? Provide programs and books for futher evidence to this claim. As the Neanderthals died out before written history, how can this be proven? Maybe you are referring to impact? If it is impact then yes.... Maybe. Really? We took knices to try and stab each other. Doesn't mean I am a knife weilding maniac. Travel to one. Loads do to learn. So what is stopping you? House arrest and tagging maybe?
I'm afraid Keikai is right :Angel: But seriously though, SNM, I see what you're trying to say. I don't understand exactly why you're saying it, but nonetheless I see it, and it has some valid points most definitely. Unfortunately, as others in this thread have said, humans that have adapted to new standards need not be as hardened as some of the people of old. Didn't Takamatsu-sensei, who had trained to harden his body in various ways - including his fingers and nails, say something along the lines of that it's not really necessary in today's world? If anyone remembers/has that quote, correct me if I'm wrong.
I live 150 miles from the closest Bujinkan that I know of and I have no car of my own yet, so thats a pretty big hurdle.
