| Are you looking to develop real proficiency - even | | | | able to stay one step (or more) ahead of your |
| mastery - in your ninja training? If so, there really | | | | opponent? How do you counter his attacks and, |
| is no getting around the understanding of, and | | | | more to the point, why would a skilled attacker |
| strategic use of weapons. | | | | choose the attacks they're using against you in |
| And, while there are several levels, or what I call | | | | the first place? |
| "pillars" in developing mastery of any given | | | | Think about it. Do you really need to be a master |
| weapon, all of them share the same principles and | | | | to be able to defend against someone with no |
| concepts. And, in the realm of advanced ninja | | | | skill? |
| training, there is one skill that separates the true | | | | So, if you're not training to be able to defend |
| master, from those who merely train. | | | | yourself against, and beat, a better skilled |
| But before I tell you what this one skill is, there's | | | | aggressor... |
| something that I want to talk about with you. | | | | ...why are you training? |
| Understanding this one thing will change the way | | | | No offense but, any monkey can learn the |
| you look at your weapons training, and the types | | | | "moves." Don't believe me? Check out YouTube |
| of skills and exercises that you use to develop | | | | for the chimps and other types of monkeys who |
| those skills. | | | | have been taught to "mimic" certain martial art |
| One of the things that I've noticed throughout my | | | | styles. |
| years of training in the martial arts - regardless of | | | | But, do you really think these animals are going to |
| which art I was studying - is that students and | | | | defend themselves using these skills that are |
| teachers alike tend to limit their weapons training | | | | unnatural for them? The answer is, of course, |
| to only half of what they could be working on. | | | | "no." They're going to fight like monkeys - not like |
| Half of these students limit their training to the | | | | Tae kwon do or Kung-fu masters! |
| kata, or formal techniques of their preferred style. | | | | So, what is the skill that separates you from the |
| The other half go beyond the basic techniques to | | | | martial arts "monkeys," the "stylists," and those |
| the strategic use of the weapon in spontaneous, | | | | who can't see beyond using the weapon itself? I |
| unscripted, situations. But... | | | | just gave you a clue to it. |
| ...both groups still miss the hidden, critical element | | | | It's the skill of being able to... |
| that allows you to really know any given weapon. | | | | ...defend against THAT weapon. |
| What is this element? What is the skill that most | | | | Because, it's only when you can defend "against" |
| students are missing in their training - especially of | | | | a weapon, that you really "know" it. Only when |
| they want to become masters? | | | | you understand a weapon's weakness AND it's |
| Well, let me ask you this: "what allows you to be | | | | strengths can you use it to it's fullest potential. |