Ninja and Samurai Martial Arts Dojo

Archive for the ‘Martial Arts in San Diego’ Category

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As seen on KUSI, Fox 5 and CW6.

Women: If you want to learn how to keep yourself safe, you must attend the “Tools for Personal Safety – Women’s Self Defense” class. All women should learn a basic knowledge of self defense in order to protect themselves and their children.

Do You Know How to Stay Safe in Today’s World?

• What would you do if an attacker grabs you from behind?
• If someone has you pinned to the ground against your will?
• Or, if a stranger approaches you asking for help?

In this class you will learn not only basic physical strategies and techniques, but how to avoid and evade dangerous situations by improving awareness of your surroundings.

Who Should Attend?
This class is for any woman who:

• Drives or travels alone
• Trains at a fitness gym
• Shops at the mall or grocery store
• Gets children in and out of the car
• Runs errands alone
• Exercises in a residential neighborhood
• Enjoys happy hour or a night out with the girls
• Works long hours leaving after dark
• Is a student walking alone on a College or High School Campus
• Is a Mother, Daughter, Grandma, Aunt or Niece… EVERY woman can benefit from this information!

A great class for mothers and daughters or a group of friends, students or co-workers to take together. They will thank you for it! Please wear comfortable clothes.

Testimonials:
“This class scratches the surface of the basics any woman needs to know to avoid confrontation or safety compromises and how to get out of some basic common scenarios that happen every day by predators. It’s a must!” Mindi L., San Diego

“I learned the power of leverage, not strength. The techniques were simple, do-able, and I came away with usable ideas. This valuable class gives details on how “predators” think and practical skills to any woman that wants to increase her arsenal of tools. She will feel safer and be safer in today’s world.” Nancy C., La Mesa

March Self Defense Class Details:
Cost: $30 per person. SAVE $5 when you BRING A FRIEND!
When: See current 2010 Women’s Class Schedule
Where: Poway Samurai Martial Arts located at 13160 Poway Road Poway, CA 92064 (In the Library Plaza)

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We’re so excited to announce our new location at 13160 Poway Road in the Library Plaza. We’re already getting to know our new neighbors very well. In celebration of our new venue we are holding a “Grand Re-Opening / 2 Year Anniversary” event on Saturday, November 21st from 1 – 4pm.

If you’ve ever been considering martial arts classes you owe it to yourself to attend our free event for your chance to win prizes and giveaways! We’ll have wonderful Oriental and Green Tea provided by Blisssville.com throughout the day as well as demonstrations and personal safety tools from the classes we offer.

Those in attendance will have the first opportunity to purchase gift certificates at reduced rates, as part of our “Best Holiday Gift Ever” promotion!! Just in time for the holidays and New Year’s resolutions, Martial Arts classes make a GREAT GIFT!! Just $49.00 for 3 months of the Adults Basic Program (regularly $300!)*. Kids class (ages 5 – 16) and Qi Gong certificates will be offered at 1/2 price or 2 for 1 when you buy 3 months.**

Here’s the schedule of events:

1:00 pm Doors open
1:30 pm Giveaway
2:00 pm Tools for Personal Safety Demonstration
2:30 pm Giveaway
3:00 pm Qi Gong Demonstration
3:30 pm Samurai Sword / Kobudo Demonstration
4:00 pm Giveaway – 3 Months of FREE Training in the Adults Basic Program*! A $300 Value!

Why The Samurai School? Our classes teach Leadership, Teamwork, Discipline, Fitness and Focus to Adults and Kids. We also offer Qi Gong classes for health, vitality and stress reduction. Get fit and be healthy without the repetition of a gym and gain some practical real self-defense tools and skills. Learn more online at: www.theSamuraiSchool.com and see why “The Difference is in the Tradition!”

We look forward to seeing you there!
Tony Whetstine (The Bushido Guy)

*Equipment costs are not included. Must be redeemed by January 15, 2010.
**While supplies last. Best Holiday Gift Ever promotion ends December 18, 2009. Certificates must be redeemed by January 15, 2010. Call for details on reduced rates for Little Ninjas classes (ages 3 – 5), now forming.

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Last year I was fortunate enough to participate in the first Southern California Martial Arts Convention in San Diego, CA and it was a great event.

I will be doing so again this year. This is a fantastic event not just for exposure to different styles of martial arts and related items, but in the ability to share similar and different thought processes about martial arts.

From tournament martial arts to MMA to traditional styles there is the ability to meet many wonderful people and just have a great time. I hope to see lots of my new friends from last year again and make many more new friends at this years event! To learn more about this years event, taking place again at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on November 7 – 8, 2009 visit scmaconvention.com.

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What does the Art of Winning mean? There are a lot of different ways to decide what this means personally to any one individual. For some getting a trophy or contest of some kind means winning. For others, this can mean having great material success, having lots of money, multiple houses, etc. Still for some, the Art of Winning is having a happy and fulfilled life, and this is as different from person to person as can be.

So how does this pertain to Martial Arts training? Well some instances are more easily understood than others. Being involved in a style that promotes fighting and titles, like Mixed Martial Arts, gives an easily understood example. Being in a style that promotes tournament competitions, via sparring, kata, etc. also are easily recognizable.

To me, the Art of Winning and the lessons around that are to help others find what their “WIN” is and help them develop the tools to get there. I have more than once referred a potential student to another school because of what their goal or “WIN” was. Some wanted to be involved in cage fighting while others competition judo. There is nothing wrong with these “WIN”s if you will. There are just better places for getting there. Still for the majority of students I have crossed path with, the “WIN” for these students is not about material things or temporary achievements. It is about growing, either their discipline, their fitness, developing better self protection skills, being more centered and aware, among others and traditional schools are better for these goals. That is not to say that there isn’t overlap a traditionally trained Martial artist can be as effective in a fight as a “trained” fighter. A trained fighter can find other things through their practice as well.

From my experience, some of the most important lessons in traditional martial arts is all about just “being there” and learning the tools that can help each student find their “WIN,” so they can achieve what is important to them.

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Despite the fact that Qi Gong (or Chi Kung) has been around for nearly 4,000 years by some estimations, there is still tremendous mystery and misunderstanding. What is accurate is that scientific measurement and medical trials and research have only in the last few decades even began on the subject, especially here in the U.S.

What is often overlooked as more research is done into qigong and its health benefits, is that at its most base level, there is very little disagreement from eastern or western medical practitioners that this practice can increase range of motion, help induce relaxation, improves blood oxygen saturation which can help boost the immune system among other things, and improves joint flexibility and resilience.

For more information on qigong and recent research, here are a few good links:
American Journal of Chinese Medicine
Oxford Journals
Qigong Research
Feel the Qi

I encourage people of all ages to find a good qigong instructor and give a few lessons a try! Our classes are every Saturday at 9:30am. Please join us!

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Teaching ancient methods with modern applications, professional Martial Arts Instructor, Personal Combat and Safety Expert Anthony Whetstine, a combat decorated former US Marine offers expedited and in depth personal combat and security training for professionals and professional organizations.

Teaching modern applications of martial arts personal combat methods that have been used in combat from the samurai of ancient Japan to modern military special forces, from the Guardian Angels in Los Angeles to many professional bodyguard organizations, this course curriculum covers unarmed combat from takedowns and controls to multiple opponent situations. The training covers: knife, machete and other melee weapon defenses both armed and unarmed, as well as unarmed gun defense methods. All taught in realistic scenarios and reenactments of real scenarios to provide some of the most in depth personal combat and safety training available.

Please contact Mr. Whetstine if you are a security professional interested in participating in onsite classes at the Poway Samurai Martial Arts dojo, or if you are an organization that is interested in hosting this course at your facility for a group of employees.

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Whether the Ninjutsu is a Koryu martial art is a question I’ve read and been asked many times and there a plethora of opinions about this. A very common cited source for one opinion is Koryu.com and I have been asked my thoughts on this site.

In the interest of full disclosure, at my dojo, Poway Samurai Martial Arts, we practice the samurai and ninjutsu arts of the Takamatsuden as trained under the Jissen Kobudo Jinenkan.

It is important to recognize that despite the tremendous work and research done by Koryu.com and its primary sources of the Skoss’ and Dr. Karl Friday, they specifically state that they “Koryu.com” do not include ninjutsu and some related schools because they “…do not fall into OUR DEFINITION of the koryu bujutsu.” They go on to say “…just because we don’t share the same OPINION doesn’t mean that we are not all doing useful and good training.”

These are the key points. Neither the Skoss’ nor Dr. Friday have ever seen or examined the Takamatsuden related scrolls. Dr. Karl Friday, when confronted with the idea that he should ask Dr. Hatsumi to examine the documents for authenticity himself, said he was unqualified to make such a judgement.

The Kobudo arts of the Takamatsuden, have been recognized as Koryu by serveral Japanese organizations that are qualified to authenticate such scrolls, such as the Zen Nippon Todo Renmei among others.

The schools are listed in the Bugei Ryuha Daijiten, which is a catalogue of Koryu and Gendai Budo and due to its’ meticulous cataloging, formatting style and methods used in creating it, it has become THE standard academic reference for anyone doing research into the field of martial arts.

Basically what you have here are disagreeing opinions not unlike getting a Business Degree. For example, in California, the University of California has requirements that are different from the California State University system. Both are fully accredited but when transferring from one university to the other for the same business degree of study not all credits etc. transfer or are included in the curriculum of each university. Both have their own “opinions” of what a Business Degree requires and while there are differences there are typically more similarities.

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Wow, the last year has gone by fast! With that, it is time to turn our focus to a new sword school. We have been studying the sword work of the Kukishinden for the past year touching on the first scroll of the school in great depth. Those that have been with us for much of that year have blossomed beyond my wildest expectations. Having studied the “samurai” sword work for the past couple of years at Poway Samurai Martial Arts, we are now turning our attention to the sword work of the often misunderstood “ninja”.

Starting on August 4th, 2009, we will be spending the next few months studying the basics of the Togakure Ryu school’s “ninja” sword work to familiarize students with the understanding of its fundamentals and how it was used against “samurai” sword work. This is a rare opportunity to learn a historically accurate aspect of “ninja” training with the same kata taken directly from the scrolls the Tokagure Ryu Ninjutsu practioners used for hundreds of years. If you are sword enthusiast, samurai enthusiast, ninjutsu enthusiast or someone who wants to experience authentic ninjutsu training in the San Diego area, now is a rare opportunity to learn some material we will not cover again for two or three years!

See you in class!
Tony Whetstine (The Bushido Guy)
Poway Samurai Martial Arts

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We call ourselves The Samurai School because we maintain the heritage of the Samurai and Ninja lineage by teaching these Japanese arts directly from the ancient scrolls. This is different from any other school you will find offering Karate and Martial Arts in San Diego. Our teachings of kobudo (old martial arts) traditions harkens back to field combat tactics that involved large groups and complex strategies to win battles.

Too often the “modern” martial arts of today fail to provide much skill, focus or purpose in life other than to fight. They have thrown away the traditions, lessons and philosophies their arts were based on. The focus of the Japanese warriors was not simply to be a good fighter or warrior (bushi) but to temper those skills with the lessons and philosophies for a fundamentally more full, abundant and happy life. That is why Samurai means essentially “to serve” and Ninja essentially means “to persevere or be patient”.

When you choose to study the traditional and authentic Japanese martial arts of the Samurai and Ninja, you learn martial arts with meaning. By following Bushido, (the way of the samurai), our students find meaning in their lives they did not even know they were looking for. The traditional arts of the Samurai and Ninja teach effective skills for self defense and combat from techniques that have been practiced for hundreds of years. And, they also build character, self esteem, focus and self discipline skills which help increase mental agility. This can give those who practice it an advantage in the workplace and build a solid moral and ethical approach to life which leads to a safe and happy existence. Plus, as a physical activity, our training provides a non repetitive form of exercise that can relieve stress both physically and mentally.

Come to The Samurai School and train with us to change your life. It’s not just martial arts, it’s Bushido!

Tony Whetstine (The Bushido Guy)
Owner/Instructor of Poway Samurai Martial Arts

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The study of traditional (Koryu) Japanese Bujutsu has taken the back seat to the modern and commercialized styles of Jujutsu and Mixed Martial Arts. There are many excellent books written on the history of the Samurai and Ninja arts and even so, they are often confused or associated with modern (gendai) Karate, ground grappling, ring fighting and submission techniques. The roots of Samurai and Ninja arts are really very different.

A brief summary on the history of Japan and the martial arts is in order to understand why the Japanese martial arts have such a dominating presence and rich philosophy. For over four hundred years Japan existed as an island of competing provinces that fought constantly for many reasons, each employing their individual systems of combat. By the seventeenth century, this warring period came to a close and many of the warriors needed to seek out another career. Martial systems up to this point had been handed down from one master to the next. Their responsibility to the lineage was the preservation of it’s history, meticulously teaching and mastering the skills, and adding additions and improvements due to the changing course of the times. During this period of peace, these masters went about and began to openly teach the crafts which had been previously studied by warriors and military elite. They would otherwise be out of work, as war had stopped and the demand for their skills had diminished. This was the beginning of a critical era for the Japanese martial arts. It was during this period that the philosophies of the warrior philosophy became the “way”.

Hundreds of martial arts systems were codified during this period, becoming legitimate “schools.” The most celebrated and popular of these combative systems was the Jujutsu. Through history Jujutsu had been recorded in scrolls of various schools as many different terms including Yawara, Kenpo, Taijutsu and Jutaijutsu to name just few. Jujutsu during this period was taught as a means of un-armed and armed defense, with specific hand held weapons specific to a particular school, including methods of bone breaking strikes, soft tissue attacks, joint lock and breaking forms, armor grappling, un-armed weapon defensives, weapon specific forms etc.

From the late nineteenth century up to the beginning of world war two, the common practice for martial arts was found in the practice of karate and the sport arts of sword fencing (Kendo) and Judo. As a result of the more modern arts’ popularity and the passing of time, the old schools were somewhat forgotten. It must be remembered that many of the old martial art traditions were particular to field combat, tactics involving large groups and the strategies to employ the necessary techniques to see a battle through to victory, among others. While these old traditions were no longer recognized by civil authorities, it should be pointed out that many police and military personnel at this time still trained under the auspices of specialized headmasters of old-combat schools and after the second world war came to a close, the practice of martial arts became illegal for a period.

So why practice traditional systems of martial arts and most specifically the Japanese systems of the Samurai and Ninja? This is a very good question. Since time immemorial, the Japanese have been extremely particular about the documentation and recording of anything with even a slight degree of importance. It is in their heritage to maintain loyalty to the teaching of those who have tested and proven progressive methods of any action. This is just as true for martial arts as it is for business, cooking, writing, etc. For this reason, what a student of the true Japanese art learns is quite close to the original teachings and has only been improved upon through the ages. There have been no changes to suit the desire of someone else, cultural bias, commercialized fads or popular opinions.

The “traditions, lessons and philosophies” so quickly thrown away as useless or outdated by many modern martial arts and instructors still strongly influence the kobudo (old martial arts) of the Samurai and Ninja. Most often, instructors who discard these lessons have not obtained the skill level or experience necessary to recognize the value inherent in the teachings. The focus of the Japanese warriors was not simply to be a good fighter or warrior (bushi) but to temper those skills with the lessons and philosophies for a fundamentally more full, abundant and happy life. That is why Samurai means essentially “to serve” and Ninja essentially means “to persevere or be patient”. Too often modern martial arts, especially mixed martial arts (or perhaps appropriately called mixed up martial arts) fail to provide much skill or focus or purpose for life outside of the ring or being in a fight. That is not to say that there are not good mixed martial arts and instructors out there that add philosophy to their training but it is not an inherent part of the training.

The traditional arts of the Samurai and Ninja teach effective skills not only for defense and combat that have been practiced for hundreds of years but they build character, self esteem, focus and self discipline. As a physical activity they offer a non repetitive form of physical exercise and offer stress relief both physically and mentally. These skills help lead not only a safe and happy life but help increase the mental agility and focus and discipline that can give an advantage in work and work ethic as well as a solid moral and ethical approach to life and work as well.