Techniques from the Scrolls
by Shidoshi Christopher Carbonaro

It is very important to understand, that techniques (Waza) are not so important. Coming from a beginners point of view, yes you should learn the form, and learn the technique, but the main focus is to learn body movement (Taijutsu). By going through all the waza you learn different ways of moving.

You should start your training by learning the forms, to include strikes (Dakentaijutsu) you must understand how to strike effectively; there is no sense to just go through the motion. Once you have done this, then you can begin to learn how to do the techniques with no power. When you are by yourself, you should really practice striking hard; I suggest getting a Makiwara board, or a punching bag. In the dojo we do not have to beat up our partners, in the dojo we are training for the real situation, this is important.

Once you get to a high enough skill level you should be able to move in a constant change (Henka) when you are the person receiving the technique (Uke, the attacker), you should strike with a strong intention. When you are the one applying the technique (Tori, the defender) you should move with no intention, no thought, no mind (Mushin). The reason for this is so that your opponent can not read your intentions, your next move. Your opponent can not defend what he can not see, hear, or feel. How do you block a punch that is not a punch, or a grab that is not a grab? How do you move out of the way of the wind? You can not, because the wind is all around you coming at you from every direction, yet you can not stop it, and you do not know where it will strike next? You must be like the wind, when you move.

Once you have reached the 5th Dan level, your training will take another turn, you will then learn to sense attacks before they happen. This is key when in a real situation, if you can sense danger, then you can avoid it before it happens. An even higher level is to avoid danger naturally Hatsumi Sensei calls this Saki yomi (to read the future). What I mean by this is not consciously knowing about the danger, and avoiding it. I will give you an example of a situation that happened to me. I always took the highway when I was going to work (Pike County Correctional Facility) for a long time I knew about a short cut that would take my hour and a half ride down to a half hour ride. I was always worried about getting lost in the back roads, so for almost two months I continued to take the long way to work. One day my dad came home from the dentists office, and told me that he found the short cut, and that I should try and take it the next day to work. Well I decided to try the back roads, even thought I was afraid of getting lost. I arrived to work on time, and everyone was looking at me with a puzzled look on their face. When I asked them what the matter was, they had told me that they did not think I would make it to work for a couple of hours. When I asked them why, everyone knowing the way I took to work said that there was a huge accident right off of the exit I would have had to use while going to work. I did not even know that had happened, but because of my Budo (Martial Arts) training, I was able to avoid alot of traffic and even worst, possibly being a victim of the accident.

Hatsumi and Nagato Sensei often told me by consistently studying Budo, everything else will follow, I seriously believe this, and as you all continue to study Budo, the things you want from life will naturally come to you.

Shidoshi Christopher Carbonaro has trained and lived in Japan for many years. He has studied directly under the guidance of Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi and Nagato Sensei. He speaks fluent Japanese and regularly takes trips to Honbu Dojo in Japan for training. As Shidoshi, he currently oversees two schools and serves as Master Instructor in his own, the Tanuki Bujinkan Dojo, in Sandy Point, NJ.