Ninja and Samurai Martial Arts Dojo

Posts Tagged ‘poway samurai martial arts’

It’s not too late to get on the road to good health and join Poway Samurai Martial Arts in observance of June being Men’s Health Month. One aspect of this national program is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems in men and boys, and, according to the American Heart Association, heart disease is still the leading cause of death among men in the United States. They also report that one in three men can expect to develop some form of cardiovascular disease before the age of 60.

“In terms of preventing heart disease, we´re talking about controlling all the risk factors,” says Howard Hodis, M.D., professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. “This means living a healthy lifestyle, including diet and exercise, avoiding heavy alcohol use, smoking and foods high in fat, and controlling lipid levels and blood pressure.”

For men who want and need to exercise, but, are quickly bored by the gym, martial arts can easily be part of their exercise program and healthy lifestyle. And martial arts practice is not just for young men in their 20’s. Studies published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine show that people in their 40’s and 50’s who regularly practice martial arts demonstrate tremendous physical fitness compared to those who don’t exercise at all. Those who were part of the study also had 12% less body fat and were able to do twice as many sit-ups as the subjects that did not practice martial arts. They even showed enhanced flexibility, balance, leg strength, and demonstrated a stronger immune system.

So, kick off your summer with a great new exercise program that is fun, never boring and will keep you in great shape. Join us at Poway Samurai Martial arts for a traditional and authentic program that’s a great workout and can assist you with your good health goals for years to come.

I am pleased to announce that I will be speaking at Pacific Martial Arts on Wednesday June 17th, 2009 from 6 – 8pm. I’ll be speaking about Bushido, which translates to the “Way of the Warrior”. I’ll be discussing how this ancient Japanese code of conduct is important in modern times.

Bushido is defined as a unique philosophy that spread through the warrior class during the Muromachi period. It is the code of moral principles which the samurai were required or instructed to observe, which was frequently unuttered and unwritten. It is typified by the Seven Virtues: Recitude, Courage, Benevolence, Respect, Honesty, Honour and Loyalty. Codes of conduct and moral principles, like that of the Samurai, are lacking in the youth of today. Gangs and peer pressure have a strong influence and are putting children at risk. I’ll be discussing how martial arts programs can aid in getting these kids back on the right track.

Those who learn the Samurai Way find it has a powerful effect on them. Their lives are changed as they learn things about themselves they did not even know they were looking for. Come and learn about Bushido and let it have a powerful effect on you!

Pacific Martial Arts is located at: 2266 San Diego Ave. San Diego, CA 92110 #619-299-8361 www.pmakarate.com

For more information about the instructor, call Tony Whetstine of Poway Samurai Martial Arts.
#858-486-0059. www.PowayMartialArtsSCHOOL.com.

 

Tony Whetstine, Owner and Instructor at Poway Samurai Martial Arts was pleased to donate his time recently to Daisy Scout Troop 8633, to teach them about Courage and Strength, which was their learning topic for that week.

“We covered how to be physically strong as well as have a strong character,” Says Tony Whetstine. “It’s important they learn to stand up for themselves and others by physically demonstrating and saying “no” if they feel endangered and also learning how to safely ask for help from parents and teachers, when they or others need it.”

Girl Scout Daisies meet in groups of 5 to 10 with two or more adult leaders in a nurturing, inclusive environment. They go on trips, learn about nature and science, and explore the arts and their communities. This week they were learning about Courage and Strength and the troop leader called Poway Samurai Martial Arts to ask if they could help teach those topics to the group.

“ I am always happy to volunteer my time in the community”, says Tony, “and I also encourage my students to do the same. I enjoy speaking and demonstrating safety techniques to groups of all ages, from Girl Scouts to Elementary and Middle Schools as well as Women’s Organizations and Senior Centers.” To schedule Tony to volunteer his time for your organization, please call #858-486-0059

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There are a lot of martial arts today, from Karate to Mixed Martial Arts covering the distance between sport and art. Most of them have been created fairly recently from the late 19^th century to a combination of different arts into a so-called “real” martial art and of course sport fighting in the 20^th and 21^st centuries. There is no doubt that there are intrinsic values in each of these from physical skills to discipline, confidence, respect and other values.

It takes a lot of discipline and skill to be a MMA fighter and it is no less so to be skilled in karate, kenpo or any other marital art. However, going beyond the physical and the inherent discipline, etc., the real question is why train in these arts at all. Some train for physical fitness, some for self-defense skills and others for trophies and titles.

When training in the traditional martial arts, and speaking even more specifically to the kobudo arts we train at Poway Samurai Martial Arts, the teachings go beyond these concepts. Some mistakenly think of the samurai arts as being only the sword or weapon training. And it is true there is a diverse set of skills with weapons in kobudo training. However, traditional martial arts are the source for many of the modern unarmed martial arts. Kobudo is a very diverse training that builds the highest levels of discipline, dedication, confidence as well as leadership and focus.

What really sets kobudo apart is that it is what I call “Martial Arts with Meaning.” The samurai didn’t go “do” kobudo. It was how they lived. The samurai virtues were a code for their entire life and how they strived for the “ever appropriate response” to whatever situation they encountered. Above all the samurai lived a life of service.

Many with only a cursory knowledge of martial arts and the samurai, think only of their tremendous fighting prowess and martial skill. While those were present, what motivated these warriors were service and love of family, lord and their country. It was equally important for the samurai to be skilled in other arts to remain in balance. Whether it was painting, writing or any other number of forms of art, the samurai needed to live a full life in balance.

Now I do not mean to suggest that no other martial art form carries any lessons, philosophies or “meaning”. However, not all more modern schools do or focus on it. In kobudo that original purpose and the “meaning” is inherent and is such an integral part of the training, that Julian R. Fuller in the British Journal of Medical Psychology p.321 wrote that “Traditional martial arts training is more beneficial than modern martial arts training.” When comparing the samurai code of bushido and its principals and effective modern psychotherapy.

Michael E, Trulson, wrote (“Martial Arts Training: A Novel ‘Cure’ for Juvenile Delinquency, Human Relations, vol 38, no 12) “The majority of…schools teach only self-defense techniques, and our data reveals that this type of training enhances negative personality traits of people who are already delinquent…Traditional…martial art philosophy places great emphasis on respect for others, humility, confidence, responsibility, honesty, perseverance and honor.”

There are a number of reasons for training martial arts and choosing a school and there is no “correct” answer for everyone. When considering a martial arts program and school, what do you want most for you and your family?

 

One of the most common questions and comments I receive about teaching traditional martial arts of the samurai era is “Why do I need to learn how to use a sword? I’ll never need to fight someone with a sword.” That is probably true. While crimes with swords have risen, and Great Britain has gone so far as to ban the purchase of samurai style swords (except for martial artists and legitimate collectors or at least is attempting to), there are still statistically very few crimes with swords. So why learn the use of the sword?

There are many aspects to consider. For the sake of brevity I’ll explore only one. The sword of no sword I’ll call it. Doesn’t that sound great? Some fantastic mystical secret I am about to impart? Hardly! The sword is a reflection of the person practicing. The absolute commitment and attention required to handling the weapon properly, the total focus and dedication required to understanding it. There is no time to think about the pile of work waiting on your desk at the office the next day, the stack of bills that need to be paid, or the groceries that need to be purchased.

Learning to use the sword isn’t about the sword at all. It is about turning one’s attention to something else. Early on, perhaps it is simply a nice stress reliever to get away from the daily routine. Then growing from there into the ability to have a greater awareness of one’s goals or purpose, and better focus to achieve those goals. Having greater awareness about ourselves and those around us so we can know when to say that kind thing we’ve wanted to say but haven’t or give that compliment we’ve been meaning to but never have.

As we get ready for our day (or evening for that matter if we are going out) we groom ourselves make certain our clothes are cleaned and pressed and our shoes are shined. The sword of no sword is about keeping ourselves and our hearts polished and sharp, our minds and spirits clear and pointedly focused towards our purpose.

The way of the sword is the sword pointing the way.