The last Kaigousru Taikai 2007. We will use the same dojo with tatami mats

Hello, here is the last newsletter for the Swedish Taikai. If you feel I forgot something, please respond immediately so I can get that out in time!

Right now we have 143 people from 15 countries signed up. We have room for many more, so please try to make it. Don’t worry about signing up, you can do that when you come! If you don’t come we will miss you!

Payment: From now on please pay cash when you come to the Tai Kai. Note we only accept Swedish currency, and cash (no credit card!).

Friday extra training: The training is at Bujinkan Bushin Dojo (Svea Kampsportcenter) on Sveavägen 130 in Stockholm. We will start around 15:00 and finish around 20:00. This training is free for everyone attending the Taikai. If you come late, please don’t disturb the class, wait for the first short break or until the instructor invite you to the mat.

Saturday Tai Kai: We will open up the registration soon after 09:00 when we are ready. Meantime you can change downstairs. Please do not come the last minute if you can avoid it, we want to start on time.

Sleeping in the dojo is free for all participants. If you come on Thursday already, come to either To Nan Dojo or Kaigozan Dojo after 18:00 when it is open for training until 21:00. If you come later, someone probably already got the key and can let you in (use the door bell!). If you can’t get in, then please call (phone numbers is not posted on the web). If you come on Friday or Saturday, please come to the training and get advice from there. The central station have lockers you can use meanwhile. Also please clean up after yourself in the dojo, including dishes, taking care of the trash etc. This is why it is free sleeping in the dojo.

Saturday dinner and party.Unfortunately we was not allowed to use the training place for even dinner (like we did a few years back), our dojo is too small for serving food to 100-150 people. So it would be best if you all took care of eating on your own in smaller groups, and then join everyone else at the Kaigozan Dojo Pub Evening from 19:00 until 24:00. We will make a list of restaurants in the area.

When you are outside any of our dojo’s please do not disturb our neighbors with loud noises, when you see someone from our group do that please tell them to calm down.We have a good reputation among our neighbors and like to keep it that way.

Training schedule. As you see it is very short lunch break on Sunday, so bring something with you to eat.

If it is your first time in Stockholm, please see the official tourist information page here! You can find everything from transportations, hotels, things to do and much more. 

Please study and print out the map!

This Tai Kai is sponsored and possible only by the Svenska Bujinkanförbundet. Without them we could not keep this very low seminar price and such excellent instructors. 

Head organizer for this years Tai Kai is Mats Hjelm from the Kaigozan Dojo, with the help from Kaigozan Dojo members and other Bujinkan members.

If I forgot to bring something up here, please don’t hesitate to post a comment here (or e-mail me)!

Happy Training!

/Mats

It is only one month until this great TAI KAI in Stockholm city, if you haven’t signed up on our web site please do that now! Right now we have 73 people from 12 countries signed up. 

It is not too late to sign up if you don’t know if you can come. If you decide late, you can just show up and pay the training fee at the door (no extra cost!).

There is no change of plans really, the instructors got their tickets, we got the venue, and we are excited! But here is a few news…

T-shirt’s, yes we will make a seminar T-shirt. We can’t show you how it will look right now, but it will be black shirts, the front chest will have the viking with the text “Sweden Tai Kai 2011″ under it. The back will have a big painting done by Hatsumi Soke. More info about this next week.

Seminar DVD will be filmed. Pre-orders will only be available during the seminar, the cost will be 350 SEK and it will probably be four discs. DVD will be region free and NTSC system. Payment is done at the booking, and the DVD-set will be sent by mail when it is done (usually within 3-4 weeks).

Saturday dinner and Party. We will have a closed party for participants and friends at Kaigozan Dojo close by. If you want to participate you have to sign up on Friday or latest at Saturday lunch time. You can participate without dinner, but you still have to sign up and we ask you to come little later when people have finished eating. If you want the dinner it will cost around 200-250 SEK paid in advance.

Things to bring with you, we have given the instructors freedom to teach what they want. They will probably build the training’s on what has been done in Japan this year. As usual it is mostly Taijutsu, but do bring small training weapons such as knife, rope etc, also swords (no sharp weapons will be allowed in training!). We have quite a big dojo booked, but we might split the group in two and train outside in the park (bring tabi, extra sweatshirt).

Accomodation will be offered by Stockholm Dojo’s. We will use Kaigozan Dojo for the party, so it will not be very comfortable for sleeping in unless you are prepared to go to sleep late, plus that we will remove all tatami. More information later on this…

If I forgot something please contact me.

/Mats Hjelm – Seminar organizer
kabuto bujinkan se (that’s with an @ and a . in between)

Sweden Tai Kai 2011 is sponsored by Svenska Bujinkanförbundet

Hatsumi Soke with the Shindenfudo-ryu Sword in STHLM 1998

We updated the web site with a new video of Steve Olsen who will be one of the four Shihan teaching at the Sweden Tai Kai in September.

We have the venue booked now. We wanted the bigger venue, but it was fully booked. But we booked another gym hall we used many times before (same place where most of the Kaigousuru Taikai in the past was). The address is…
Lilla Alby Skola, Humblegatan 19-21, Sundbyberg, Stockholm, Sweden.

Apparently Hatsumi Soke started teaching Shindenfudo-ryu Iai, as a second theme for this year in May. In 1998 Hatsumi Soke taught Shindenfudo-ryu taijutsu and sword, you might want to check out the videos from 1998 to see how Soke used this big sword. However, he might teach with a different sword now (I don’t know). However there is still three more months for the guys in Japan to figure it out. I’m sure the Taikai will be interesting for everyone attending, I hope you can make it.

The sign-up form will be available later in July.

On the Facebook event page we can see that there is 51 attending, 118 maybes, and 776 people who hasn’t made up their minds yet. This is interesting for us to see, but from experience we can’t trust this system. People have confirmed before and never showed up, it is to easy to just say yes without meaning it. The only way to confirm your place is through our sign-up form that will be up later in July.

We also updated the Information page, please read it before sending us questions!

Edit: I also added a new video with Duncan Stewart.

Pictures of Sundbyberg and Stockholm

Happy training!

/Mats

Kozushi, Moguri, Nagare

Lägerpris

Anmälan

Plats

Lägret hålls i Kaigozan Dojo i Sundbyberg, Albygatan 117. Om vädret är okej så är det möjligt att träningen är utomhus på andra sidan gatan mot vattnet (där vi brukar vara).

Lägret är Lördag den 9:e Juli och startar kl 11:00 och slutar ungefär kl 17:00, kom i tid och betala lägeravgiften kontant (helst jämna pengar!). Vi öppnar upp ca 30 minuter innan. Ta gärna med lunch, det blir inte alltför lång lunch paus.

Årets träningsläger sponsrat av Svenska Bujinkanförbundet hölls i Gävle den första helgen i mars 2011. Arrangemanget sköttes av Patrik Johansson och medlemmar från Bujinkan Gefle Dojo. Inbjuden instruktör var Sveneric Bogsäter som varit bosatt i Holland de senaste 20 åren.

Det kom ungefär 75 träningssugna deltagare från hela Sverige för att träna och umgås. Årets Bujinkan-tema är Kihon-happō. Sveneric öppnade med att säga att temat för lägret är Kihon-happō med shūtohanpa principer. Vilket betyder att man gör tekniker halvfärdigt. På så sätt övar man på att överge sitt ego som vill hålla fast i det som man redan kan, och istället gör något fullständigt oväntat. Det är ett abstrakt tänkande och aningen svårbegripligt, vilket också är meningen.

Kihon-happō består av åtta grundtekniker som vid en djupare analys blir åtta grundprinciper. Man kan ytterligare dela upp dom i två, ura och omote; förenklat, att fälla uke bakåt eller framåt.

Sveneric började med att låta någon frivillig att visa grundutförandet av omote-gyaku den första tekniken i toride-kihon-gohō i Kihon-happō. Sedan utgick Sveneric från denna teknik och visade detaljer och principer obeväpnat och med olika vapen.

Efter att ha sett oss (några?) ha alldeles för bråttom men ändå missa detaljer citerade Sveneric Wyatt Earp, “Fast is fine but accuracy is final. You must learn to be slow in a hurry.” Att vara snabb är okej, men ni måste lära er att skynda långsamt (fritt översatt). Med rätt tajmning och positionering behöver man inte vara särskilt snabb bara man gör rätt.

En sak till vi fick kritik för med all rätt (jag håller fullständigt med) var att våra attacker, slag var ganska pinsamma. Jag har själv upplevt många gånger att man känner sig ganska säker på att inte bli träffad när man tränar här hemma, och man blir lite för avslappnad. När man som instruktör ber en Holländare, Tysk eller Kroat till exempel leverera en attack så är det en helt annan känsla. Flyttar man inte på sig så kommer slaget att träffa hårt. Träningen blir på en helt annan nivå. Så när Sveneric på ett vänligt sätt förklarade detta för oss hoppas jag att vi tar åt oss detta och tar attackerna på lite mer allvar.

Personligen tycker jag att man kanske bör attackera nybörjare lite mer försiktigt, men är det ett svartbälte man attackerar så bör slaget så länge det är rakt vara fullt ut för att båda två ska kunna träna mer realistiskt.

Ett stort tack till Patrik och grabbarna i Bujinkan Gefle Dojo, jag tänker på mannen (och hans flickvän) som bakade och bjöd alla på semlor. Det var en riktigt trevlig överraskning som blir svår att toppa för den som organiserar nästa års Bujinkan Sverige-träningsläger.

Grattis också till Jim och Hasse, det var verkligen på tiden!

För mer bilder från lägret se min hemsida.

/Mats – Kaigōzan Dōjō

Bujinkan Dojo Norrköping hade tagit initiativ och bjudit in Shawn Gray för att hålla ett träningsläger igen efter ett mycket uppskattat läger 2009. Shawn har tidigare instruerat i Kaigōzan dōjō många gånger förut, så han är välkänd här i Sverige redan.

Den här gången var vi tre stycken från Kaigōzan dōjō. Det var endast en till från Stockholm, de flesta övriga kom från Norrköping, Linköping och Trollhättan. Det var totalt ca 25 deltagare under båda dagarna.

Shawn var med på Sōke’s tre första träningspass i Januari innan han åkte till England, Belgien, sedan till oss i Sverige. Nästa helg håller han läger i Norge, för att sedan åka hem till Japan igen.

Han har bott i Japan sedan 1997 och tränat och tränat med Hatsumi Sōke och Shihan. Han gick igenom hela Kihon-happō. Först visade han grunden, sedan variationer och slutligen kontringar mot dessa tekniker.

Träningen var avslappnad och lekfull. Alla fick gott om tid att träna på den visade tekniken. Medan Shawn gick runt och hjälpte alla.

Årets tema är ju som ni säkert redan vet 季翻初崩 Kihon-happō. Det första tecknet betyder “säsong” och används oftast för att beskriva olika säsonger. Det tredje tecknet betyder “först” eller “ny”. Det andra och fjärde tecknen betyder “att ändra”, “vända” eller “blicka bakåt”. Man skulle kunna säga att vi reflekterar tillbaka genom åren och ser på det som om det vore första gången. Gör om gör rätt .

Shawn påpekade flera gånger att han bara tränat med Sōke tre gånger i år och att det var lite för tidigt att dra några slutsatser om hur temat utvecklar sig. Nu var inte Bujinkan enda anledningen att han åkte till Europa, han hade andra ärenden också och det var många som tyckte att det var ett bra tillfälle att arrangera träningsläger med honom samtidigt.

Om någon trodde att Sōke helt plötsligt skulle visa grunderna på ett grundligt sätt lär nog bli besvikna. Min personliga åsikt till varför han inte gör det är för att då skulle många kopiera exakt och tro att det är det enda rätta. Enligt min och många andras uppfattning är att det finns flera olika sätt som är korrekt, vad som blir korrekt är vad omständigheterna (motståndarens karaktär, balans, humör, omgivning etc) runt utförandet skapar. Det finns många fler dimensioner och omständigheterna är aldrig exakt likadana två gånger i rad.

Åter till lägret, jag tyckte det var bra för att man fick gott om tid på sig att träna. Oftast så har instruktören lite för bråttom att visa någon ny variant så att ingen hinner prova mer än ett par gånger. Det blir lätt mer en show och förvirrande situation än lärofylld träning, vilket naturligtvis kan vara bra ibland också, speciellt för de som tränat 10+ år.

Tack till Daniel Bodin, Hans Månsson och Bujinkan Dojo Norrköping för ett bra arrangerat träningsläger!

Jag har lagt upp bilder från lägret på min hemsida.

/Mats

40 minutes, 480 Mb for $14.99
Buy the full VCD, click here!

Sample clip from the video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2LN9ZiBHTM

This is one of the first videos we made. It was filmed between 2002 and 2003. The movie quality is not very good. But it has been our best seller since we opened our web shop. Many people like to know the basics .

Note: Not all teachers use this curricullum exactly for their ranking. But the techniques are the most fundamental and basic techniques in the Bujinkan Dojo system. So it is worth studying anyway!

Techniques covered in this video

TEN (first level, usually 9 kyu to 7 kyu)
- Taihenjutsu Ukemi (breakfalling),
- Kamae (9 basic positions),
- Hiken Juuroppou (16 basic strikes),
- Sanshin no Kata (5 basic movements),
- Kihon Happou (8 basic techniques),
- Shinken Taihenjutsu (escaping sword cuts),

CHI (second level, usually 6 kyu to 4 kyu)
- Hajutsu Kyuhou (9 methodsd to free oneself),
- Gyaku Gi (9 joint manipulations),
- Nage Kata (9 basic throws),
- Ryusui Iki (5 sacrificing throws),
- Shime Waza (5 basic strangulation methods),

JIN (third level, usually 3 kyu to 1 kyu)
- Suwari Kata (3 defenses from a seated position),
- Katate Dori (5 defenses from a single hand grab,
- Ryoute Dori (7 defense techniques from a double lapel grabs),
- Haibuyori (5 defense techniques from attacks from behind),
- Tsuki Uchi (9 defence techniques from a punch),
- Keri Ni Taisuru (5 defense techniques agains kicks),
- Tsuki to Keri ni Taisuku (4 defense techniques from kicks and punches),
- Nage Kaeshi (8 defense techniques against throws),
- Muto Dori (1 defense technique from a knife stab),
- Zanto Tonko no Kata (7 methods of fleeing from the attack).

About the instructor

Mats Hjelm started training in Bujinkan for the first time around 1983, but it wasn’t until 1986 he had the opportunity to start training more seriously under a Shidôshi. He attends around 20 seminars, go to Japan 2-3 times every year. Since he started training he never had a training break. He takes his budo training very seriously! If you want to sponsor a seminar or course, please don’t hesitate to contact him. For more information see his web site www.kesshi.com

About the download

Click here for more information about our download files and how it works!

This is Kihon Happo part 2 of 2. Mats show the basic techniques. Each technique have two ura-waza and many henka. Included is for example Oni-kudaki, Muso-dori, Ō-gyaku and more as ura-waza techniques on this video.

Note: The instructions is in Swedish, with subtitled comments by the instructor in English.

KIHON HAPPO -- TORIDE KIHON GOHO

Kihon happo is the most fundamental and basic techniques in the Bujinkan system. It is divided into KOSSHI KIHON SANPO and TORIDE KIHON GOHOU. On this video the following techniques from TORIDE KIHON GOHO is performed…

1. OMOTE KOTE GYAKU DORI DAOSHI
HENKA
URA WAZA 1
URA WAZA 2

2. OMOTE KOTE GYAKU KEN SABAKI KATA
HENKA
URA WAZA 1
URA WAZA 2

3. URA KOTE GYAKU DORI DAOSHI
HENKA
URA WAZA 1
URA WAZA 2

4. UDE JIME ASHI ORI KATA (MUSHA DORI)
HENKA
URA WAZA 1
URA WAZA 2

5. GANSEKI NAGE
HENKA
URA WAZA 1
URA WAZA 2

NOTE! This video together with the KOSSHI KIHON SANPO is also available as a DVD at the BUDOSHOP.SE/store.

Sample video

Note: The techniques is from part 1 (Kosshi Kihon Sanpo)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi9dmV-2R_4

About the download

Click here for more information about our download files and how it works!

This video is now available for sale at Payloadz.com. It contains the three Kosshi Kihon Sanpo techniques from Kihon Happo, plus henka and two Ura waza for each technique.

KIHON HAPPO -- KOSSHI KIHON SANPOU

Kihon happo is the most fundamental and basic techniques in the Bujinkan system. It is divided into KOSSHI KIHON SANPO and TORIDE KIHON GOHOU. On this video the following techniques from KOSSHI KIHON SANPOU is performed…

1. ICHIMONJI
- HENKA
- URA WAZA 1
- URA WAZA 2

2. HICHOU
- HENKA
- URA WAZA 1
- URA WAZA 2

3. JUUMONJI
- HENKA
- URA WAZA 1
- URA WAZA 2

Click here for more information about downloading.

NOTE! This video together with the  TORIDE KIHON GOHOU is available as a DVD at the BUDOSHOP.SE/store.

Sample video

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi9dmV-2R_4

Jodan-uke, this very simple basic technique is really easy, right?

Most beginners in Bujinkan learn how to step to the side from a punch to the nose and do the circular movement with the arm and knock the opponents arm to the side and take his balance. Then you just step in and finish him off with a kiten-ken to the neck. This is one of the first techniques you learn in Bujinkan, the technique is called Ichimonji and it is from the Kihon-happo.

But the basic way of blocking can be found in many, many techniques in Bujinkan. Last year or was it the year before I saw one of the Shihan in Japan doing blocking in honbu dojo as a warm up before the training. I noticed he did it kind of different than I’ve seen it before so I put it away for the future.

And then maybe 4-5 months ago I started experimenting on this idea, but only a little and then I forgot it again. I didn’t think it was that important. Then I picked it up again last week and practiced some more, I also started to introduce it to my students a little (without to much explaining).

Then at the training yesterday I was testing the students Sanshin no kata and Kihon happo, I didn’t say anything, I was not happy. And sorry to say I got a little pissed off to (some of the students must have noticed). So I had to do something about it, we had to go back to the basics, the very very basic way of blocking without opening yourself up, without loosing the kamae. This might sound easy, and maybe it is.

This might sound strange, but after almost 25 years since I did this “simple” movement the first time and all the following years hard work it struck me… that the way I have done this simple movement for years and years until yesterday was really quite crappy! I had just discovered a “new way” of doing the very basic Jodan-uke, it felt so right and I was so happy coming to this insight.

I’m sure I haven’t discovered anything new, someone have probably done this “new way of blocking” for a long time, well actually I said before I saw it in honbu so it can’t be new, but it is new for me. I realize it must be quite discouraging for a beginner in the Bujinkan to hear someone that have been training so long just discover something so simple after 25 years of training. It really takes special persons to stick with a Martial Art like Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. This might be why so many people quit training after 5 or 10 years, they are not that kind of person that have the patience that is required.

I think you can learn BBT in 5-10 years and have a very basic and good understanding of the art, but if you keep searching you will find more. Soke once was asked what the highest level was, and he said he didn’t know, because there is always something after the highest level. It’s not necessarily a higher level, but it is another level you have to pass to get to the next level. For example if you think there is something that is perfect it isn’t really, it can always be refined and even more perfect, but there is nothing that is perfect, there is always the next level. My point is never give up and think you know the perfect way of doing even the most simple basic technique, you can always polish your techniques (Masai) to become better.

Sorry for the spin off!

Another thing that may contribute to my recent discovery is after a discussion last month after training in honbu. I went out with some local friends that have trained Bujinkan for a very long time, but they have also trained other koryu sword arts. One of them said something really interesting things about limbs of the arm going in separate directions when drawing the sword. That in combination with the jodan uke became a very different feeling, and it is that which makes this (jodan-uke) so special I think.

Yesterday we spent some time on the fifth* technique, the omote ken sabaki technique, some call it omotegyaku tsuki, the name is not important. But it was when I demonstrated this technique that I realized I found something important.

When I just wrote fifth technique above I remember I asked one of the students to pick a number between 3 and 8, he picked 4, so this was the kihon happo we would spend time on. But I meant a number between 4 and 8, I did not intend to spend time on Juumonji because we had already done enough jumonji for this training. But the number 4 is just the omotegyaku without the punch. So if I would have picked number 4 I would not have made this discovery and this article would not have been written. When things like this happens I strongly feel there is someone/something guiding me.

I’ve been struggling with how to end this article, but I think I can say that I have just explained why I still keep practicing BBT. I do get “intellectual rewards” like this quite often, maybe this was one of the biggest in a long time, but it is things like this that makes me keep going.

So in conclusion I’d like to thank everyone who helped me, from Hatsumi Soke to the little guy that said “number 4″ yesterday. Bujinkan is a wonderful art and I wish you all had the patience to keep on going, that is the most important thing of all, if you do you will understand more and more, even after 25 years of training. My last words seems just perfect, and it really says it all…

Ganbatte kudasai!