shinobiscience

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LIVE: Lessons In Violence Evasion is Live Online!

Shinobi Martial Arts Is Proud To Announce That LIVE: Lessons In Violence Evasion Is Now Available Online!

For twenty years we have been helping women be safe naturally with LIVE: Lessons In Violence Evasion and now LIVE is available online. During this inaugural kickoff with every purchace of the LIVE program you get a coupon to give to a friend for 100% off LIVE. They get LIVE for FREE!

Find out more HERE

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We’re Back

Tomorrow, Thursday July eighth we will be back from vacation and teaching classes. Classes tomorrow will include training in Kunoichi(asymmetrical situation) and weapons. Saturday is grappling which means locks, chokes or throws.

As much as we love being with our biological families we are happy to be back training with our ninpo family. We look forward to seeing you in the dojo or online.

T

P.S. If you want to learn more about Shinobi Science click below.

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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Sigue Abierto

We recently found a great Mexican food truck in Plaistow. It was hands down the best Mexican food I have ever had. SO GOOD!! Everyone who reviewed said just that, best they have ever had. Unfortunately they just closed due to the loss of business and lack of help during the pandemic.

Even with all the talent they had with creating delicious exceptional food they couldn’t keep the business open. We understand exactly what they faced. We have struggled this year and still do. Thankfully to all of you that have been and continue to support Shinobi Science we have been able to stay open and teach classes throughout the entire pandemic.

In case you have missed it we are now open for classes in the dojo. So if you are fully vaccinated please come in and train with us again. Shinobi Science classes are still live on zoom and being recorded and archived for members at Ninja Lab.

We are so Grateful to all of you. Thank you for your continued support of the Shinobi Science community and training! T

P.S. If you would like to learn more about Shinobi Science click below.

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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Controlling The Energy

Yesterday I took Moxie to a park on my way home for a walk. There was another person there with 2 large dogs. They were on the other end of the field, not leashed as was Ms. Mox. I didn’t worry as the other person noticed us and was taking their dogs in another direction.

As we walked back towards the car I noticed they were coming towards us. The person was holding the larger dog by it’s harness, which triggered my alert system. I started urging Moxie towards the car at a faster pace. I don’t know if the person let go or lost hold of the dog but it started running at us. I grabbed Moxie trotted( at almost 14 she doesn’t run) to the car, opening the door and getting her in just as the dog got to us. I had the leash ready to use like a kusari fundo if needed. Luckily it wasn’t.

The dog halted, stood stiff for a moment and then started wiggling his body, his big head nudging for a pat. His person was running towards us yelling I’m sorry and he’s friendly.  As the person and other dog caught us I said my hellos and just told him my dog was attacked last year so I am cautious.

As I left the park I realized my whole body was shaking and knew it was from the adrenaline dumped in my body from the perceived threat. This is one of the ways our bodies react to a threat, being able to use that extra energy to our advantage and not be overwhelmed is part of our training. Being able to quell that energy afterwards and not let it continue to take me to being overwhelmed is another part of our training.

Being alert and able to function no matter what life throws at us is training to live a safer, happier and calmer life.

We look forward to training with you. T

P.S. If you would like to learn more about Shinobi Science click below

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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Connection

Last June while out for a walk my dog Moxie was attacked by another dog. It rushed out into the street, grabbed her by the throat and pressed her into the pavement. The dog just kept pressing her into the pavement with it’s jaw locked around her neck. The owners were able to pry their dog off and I took Moxie to the emergency veterinarian, because of course it happened on a Friday night at 7:30pm.

Luckily Moxie survived and I brought her home at midnight with 28 stitches on her neck. It was a traumatic evening. Since then I have practiced using her leash as a kusari fundo and have used it once on another dog as it charged across the street and successfully deterred it from approaching Moxie.

In all the years that I have had Moxie I have not had this happen before. I think maybe this year with the pandemic and so many losing their jobs, like me, or working remotely, people are just outside and about with their dogs more.

This year has been so different. I hardly ever saw other people out on my walks with Moxie before, and now I saw many. I also saw entire families playing out in their yard. I saw neighbors I had never seen before. I remember saying to a friend that I‘ve never seen the Mom outside before or I had no idea they had three kids. As the business world shut down many people reconnected with the outside world. They started walking, interacting and learning about their surrounding environment.

Connection is so important, not just to other people, but to all living beings in this world we inhabit. We are part of it, we are a product of it. The more connected and aware we are of what is happening around us the better we move in the most appropriate way to keep us safe and happy. That connection is a big part of what we teach at Shinobi Science.

We look forward to training with you. T

P.S. If you would like to learn more about Shinobi Science click below.

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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July Fourth Week

Heads up, the Shinobi Science dojo will be closed on Saturday July 3rd  through Wednesday July 7th. We will reopen for Thursday morning class July 8th. If you miss us, you can peruse through the 6 months of archived classes or any of the courses. 

Have a fantastic 4th!! Enjoy!!

T and D

P.S. If you want to learn more about Shinobi Science click below.

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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Do You Mind?

Ninja Mind Sciences what does that mean to you? To many it means participating in guided meditation, reciting incantations/prayers or sitting quietly breathing and trying not to think.

Today we revisited the Gyokko ryu kata Koku from Thursday night's training.  The training of the kata today was through the lens of the ninja mind sciences. To fully understand you would have to watch the class but the main point of it is which goal is your mind focussed on. 

Are you focussed on the angle you have to move to? Are you focussed on the strike to the arm? Are you focussed on what your partner is doing? Are you connected to what is happening or in your head running a list of steps to do?

Did the off balance you create move them forward, backwards or have them hanging on the edge of a precipice? Did it create the next opening and space for the next move of the kata you are recreating? Are you in the position to move to the next step of the kata or do you have to adjust to achieve it?

The more specific your focus and intent on the outcome to the other person, the closer you come to achieving it. That was the mind science we worked on today. Oh and there were cookies too!

We look forward to training with you.

T

P.S. If you would like to learn more about Shinobi Science online or in person click below.

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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What Is Shinobi Science

What is Shinobi Science and how are we different from other martial arts? We don’t teach children, we teach adults. There is an interview process because what we teach is not for everyone. We take this martial art very seriously. Teaching only to those who understand the responsibility of learning the art of ninjutsu. 

Shinobi Science is not another curriculum. It is a learning program that teaches you how to train and move better. It teaches you how to view the skills and kata of ninjutsu with the Shinobi Formula and the six skill sets, taking them apart piece by piece, to gain a greater understanding of all that is hidden within.

It doesn’t matter which curriculum you train in, Shinobi Science enhances your skill, movement and understanding of the art. We train to be the best student we can and that is what we teach. We are sharing all of the lessons we have learned from our combined more than fifty years of studying the art of ninjutsu. 

The one thing we don’t take seriously is ourselves. We are sarcastic, witty, silly and enjoy laughing. If you want to study, train and learn the art of ninjutsu while enjoying many laughs doing so, Shinobi Science is for you.

We look forward to training and laughing with you.

T

P.S. For more information click below.

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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Ground Balance

Today we started training with being shoved to the ground landing on our hands and knees and having to defend against a strike coming in. It didn’t matter what the strike was, kick, punch or knee what mattered was the vector of the strike coming in.

Knowing the path of the strike and position of the person we could move our balance to the supporting limbs that were out of the striking vector. By moving to a supported balance outside of the strike vector we could then move back into our partners weak points in their structure and balance.

Understanding this concept of moving our balance from a compromised vulnerable position to a support outside of the strike allows us to escape and then regain control. The ways in which you can do this are only limited by your creativity and physical limitations, as was demonstrated by Dennis. Dennis said he wouldn’t use some of these balancing positions in a real fight but you can see I am still affecting your balance, and of course they’re funny.

We look forward to training with you. T

P.S. If you would like to learn more about Shinobi Science online or in person click below.

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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Knives Out

Last night we trained with knives. The attack was being grabbed by the shoulder and then having a knife pressed to the side of our throat. I had a great training partner and even though this is a very uncomfortable and dangerous position we had fun and learned a lot. 

I practiced escaping from my partner's hold and taking control of the knife, which I would then redirect towards them. To have some fun I started directing my knife into the other training groups and Dennis. To me it was hilarious. I may not amuse anyone else but I do amuse myself which keeps me smiling, giggling and seeing the world through a child's eyes and wonderment. But I digress.

What was interesting was that as I directed my partner's knife into the others they would tense up and try to move away going against gravity. When the knife got close or made contact with Dennis he reacted by relaxing down and covering, limiting my accessibility to him. He has changed the habitual reaction most of us have to tense up and push away from danger into relaxing into gravity to escape and cover.

This is what is at the crux of our training, increasing our awareness of our habits and changing them to become safer and happier.

We look forward to training with you.

T

P.S. if you would like to learn more about Shinobi Science online or at the dojo click below

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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Data

Success in training is not a right or wrong outcome. Too often we get caught up in that mentality and then follow it up with judgement, quite frequently negative. When you are training on a concept it doesn’t help to label it negative or positive, it’s just feedback, information gathering.

The information we gather while training is the feedback that leads to better training. It tells us if we get cut or die. It tells us that was not the best choice, try another. As we continue to train over the days, weeks, months and years we gather more information and we learn. The feedback we get from all of the training allows us to increase our ability to stay safe and lead a happy life.

We look forward to training with you. T

P.S. If you would like to learn more about Shinobi Science online or at the dojo click below.

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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Lucky Ninja

This past week was my 33rd training anniversary in ninpo taijutsu. Back in June of 1988 I went to the YMCA in Roxbury, Boston to meet a guy who was teaching ninjutsu. I had been reading books by Stephen Hayes since 1986 and had visited two or three others claiming to teach ninjutsu but I had been disappointed by what they were doing compared to what I had read. But on that night I walked in and met Mark Davis.

Mark’s physical presence can be intimidating but when he speaks he makes you feel welcome and safe. So I asked questions and we talked. Then Mark told me to hit him with a punch so he could demonstrate for me.

I snapped a karate-like punch that stopped at the tip of his nose. I said to him “you didn’t move” he smiled and said “you didn’t hit me.” So I sent another one at him an inch closer. At the time I didn’t perceive any movement by Mark and once again my punch stopped at the tip of his nose. Once again I said, “you didn’t move” and Mark repeated, “you didn’t hit me.”

I was twenty-five at the time, had been a bouncer for about seven years, had played college football and was known to have a bit of a temper. So I wound up and threw a full speed punch with the intention of knocking this guy off his feet. The next thing I’m aware of is that I’m on one knee, my face up against the wall, my wrist is exploding in pain from a lock Mark has on me and he’s smiling. My first thought is I’m dead.

Then I started to focus a little and realized Mark was smiling and explaining to me how gravity and my loss of balance is keeping me locked in this position. That was it, my ego came crashing down and I realized that this man was so good he was gently explaining to me how he had controlled me like I had never been controlled before. I was hooked!

And for more than three decades I have been lucky enough to be able to go and train with Mark and have him lock me up completely whenever I start thinking I know more than I do. Now with the pandemic coming under control I look forward to seeing him soon. How many practitioners can still go see their teacher after more than three decades? I am a lucky Ninja.

We look forward to sharing our interpretation of Mark’s lessons with you at Shinobi Science.

D

P.S. If you would like to learn more about Shinobi Science click below.

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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Sensing Intent

Today we trained with advanced capability 5, sensing intent. We used the mind sciences lesson from Thursday night class, sensing gravity, balance and tension in ourselves and our partner versus thinking about doing the kata. 

Today we worked on sensing the intent of an attack from behind. The hardest part of today was twofold, one challenge existed on the attacking side and the other challenge on the receiving side.

As an attack some found it difficult to grab their partner and then stab them in the back. (I know it's hard to believe with this group.) To create the same physical shape and intent of a stabbing attack without the mental anguish, the person would say to themselves as they did it; I will move this forward until it is in the space in front of my partner. This allowed the person stabbing to create the effective shape of the stab to the back without thinking about it as such. It also gave their partner the energy and shape necessary for them to sense the intent and use it to their advantage.

The second challenge was getting the person being attacked to be patient, waiting in gravity to sense the attack and just evade. In the beginning most were rushing to act and get to the second part of the kata getting control and finishing. There was very little sensing intent at the start of class and a lot of rushing and movement to do the “thing”.

To do the “thing'' appropriately in the moment, we have to sense intent. As class went on everyone became more focussed, relaxing into gravity, spidey senses alert, ready to sense the intent and disappear. At the end of class each one of us got in the box with our back to Dennis. He attacked each of us differently with intent and we all lived. It was a great day of lessons and training. We celebrated with peanut butter chocolate bars.

We look forward to training with you.

T

P. S. If you would like to learn more about Shinobi Science online or at the dojo click below

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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Calm Chaos

Last night we trained in the ninja mind sciences. Most people understand this as meditation, breathing, introspection, becoming peaceful. That is just a part of the ninja mind sciences we study.

Last night we trained with osoto gake, a rear hip throw. The version we trained with off balanced your partner by turning them and stepping to their balance to catch them in an awkward hug. They ended up hanging on a gravitational ledge that you controlled. At this point you could direct them to the ground or back up to standing in balance.

We started by doing this mechanically, physical steps, push shoulder, pull elbow, step to their balance, step behind them and hug/support their head. The final step was then to get into gravity and understand the end shape of this kata. We then tried to do this without running through physical steps but sensing where tension in ourselves and our partner held us in place and how to release the tension to create the off balances that led to a controlled rear hip throw.

After feeling and understanding how to get from the beginning stalemate to the controlled rear hip throw, we focussed on our partner and just went from being in the beginning shape to the end shape in one flowing moment. We let go of thinking and were just aware at that moment, we weren't doing a thing we just were. We became fully attached and cognizant of ourselves, our partner and each moment of creating a rear hip throw. It didn’t look meditative or peaceful while we were creating this osto gake, rear hip throw, but it was.

Sitting on a nice cushion meditating with incense and music is wonderful, it's very relaxing and good for you. Most of the time our lives are not like that, they are chaotic and messy. So we train to be calm and focussed under the worst conditions and by doing that living a safe and happy life is much easier.

We look forward to training with you. T

P.S. If you would like to learn more about Shinobi Science online or at the dojo click below.

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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Moxie

If you have been watching Shinobi Science classes in the last month you may have noticed a dog wandering around, that’s Moxie, also known as Ms. Moxie, Moxiemillian or Moxie socks. She lives with me and has decided she would love to come to the dojo and observe classes and all of our antics.

She loves to say hello and be patted by all. She is constantly vigilant in case a morsel of food is dropped. If you would like to meet Moxie, you can stop by the dojo and train with us.

We look forward to training with you. T

P.S. If you would like to learn more about Shinobi Science online or at the dojo click below.

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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Not Just For Kids

One of the most fantastic things about this art is you don’t have to be physically fit, young or perfectly healthy to learn and train in it. While we all strive to be physically fit and healthy sometimes life throws us a curveball.

I have trained while my arm was in a sling and while on crutches. Dennis has trained on crutches and in a wheelchair. We have students of all ages, some with disabilities and physical limitations, all training and learning how to use gravity for safety with the principles of this art.

That is the main focus of our art: how to survive when you are at a disadvantage. Since that is what we study, the art is malleable to be adapted to any disadvantaged situation.

So while we work to be healthy and physically fit, you don’t have to be healthy, young and physically fit to train and learn this art. No matter what your age, fitness level or health, you can learn to defend yourself with Shinobi Science to live a safe and happy life.

We look forward to training with you. T

P.S. If you would like to learn more about Shinobi Science online or at the dojo click below.

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/

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We’re Training Inside

The entire Shinobi Science class schedule is back in the dojo for members who have been fully vaccinated. We have evening classes Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 6:30pm, day classes Tuesday and Thursday at 11:30am and Saturday at 10:00am.

If you are vaccinated and want to get started again or if you like to apply for membership click below to get contact information.

We look forward to training with you.

D

https://www.shinobimartialarts.com/