| One of the first lessons that a new student to | | | | being a rigid, mechanical form, any given kamae |
| the art of Ninjutsu must learn involves learning the | | | | begins in the Ninja's heart - his feelings and |
| positions of safety, known as kamae | | | | emotional state created by his relationship to the |
| (kah-mah-eh). These "postures," while they appear | | | | situation he's in - which, in-turn, causes the body |
| to be identical to the stances used by many of | | | | to shift and move into a physical position that |
| the more conventional martial arts, are actually | | | | reflects this internal, emotional state. |
| quite different - both in function and in the way | | | | |
| they are created. | | | | As an example of this principle in action, when the |
| | | | | ninja is being overwhelmed by a bigger, stronger |
| In the conventional martial art that I practiced | | | | adversary, he allows his feelings of overwhelm to |
| before discovering ninjutsu, stances were | | | | move his body back and away from the assailant |
| approached from the perspective of being | | | | - while blading the body to the attacker and |
| something you had to learn to move on to the | | | | bringing the arms up to naturally cover his targets. |
| really cool stuff. They were set, unchanging | | | | Again, rather than take up a preset, "official" form |
| "forms" that were taken up with the body and | | | | dictated by the chosen "style," the Ninja warrior |
| from which the punches, kicks, and other | | | | goes with his internal feelings that come up and |
| techniques originated. | | | | then applies effective principles of effective |
| | | | | movement and defense to create his kamae. |
| Even in modern ninjutsu practice, the majority of | | | | |
| students fall into one of two categories: | | | | Another example of this principle is the Ninja who |
| | | | | is being threatened by the attacker who uses a |
| | | | | wind up, or hauling-off type of attack. In this |
| | | | | case, the Ninja might not be able to back up, so |
| My focus in this article is to discuss the difference | | | | going with his intense drive to "go-for-it," he |
| in how kamae are usually taken up by students | | | | moves into the jumonji no kamae or kosei no |
| and teachers alike, and how they are supposed to | | | | kamae ("attacking tiger posture") as he takes the |
| be used. The difference is outside of the way | | | | fight to his aggressor. |
| that most martial artists think. That's because... | | | | |
| | | | | The art of the Ninja often runs contrary to the |
| ...the difference is between "doing" the kamae, and | | | | conventional logic used to guide many of the |
| "BECOMING" the kamae! | | | | more popular martial arts of our time. It's this |
| | | | | "natural" approach and holistic perspective that |
| Contrary to the mechanical method that most | | | | uses the mind, body, and spirit - not just for |
| people use to take up a defensive stance, the | | | | meditation and philosophical training - that allows |
| Ninja's defensive postures are actually holistic | | | | the shadow warrior to be exactly where he or |
| expressions of the Ninja's heart reflected through | | | | she needs to be to defeat the assailant's attack |
| his body. What that means is that, rather than | | | | with the exact technique needed to win. |