Learn Ninjutsu - The Ninja's Positions Of Safety & Self-defense
Most students new to the Ninja's arts are introduced to the concept of kamae from their very first class
. As I've discussed many times before, this idea of "kamae," is very different from that of the stances seen in many of the more conventional martial arts of today.And, while many students and teachers alike, try to reduce the Ninja's postures to simple, anatomical poses that are performed with the body, there is actually much more to these apparently "basic" pieces of the self-defense "puzzle."
The purpose of this article is to focus in on how the Ninja's postures relate to the concept of safety and self defense. While I talk about the difference between kamae and stances in other places, suffice it to say that, for our purposes here, we are talking about something (kamae) that is very dynamic, energetic, and "alive" - as opposed to being "set," static, and almost statue-like as is the case with the way many martial arts approach the idea of "stances."
After you read every word of this lesson, I want you to think about how the dynamic nature of the Ninja's kamae is much more suited to the energy and chaos of a real street fight or attack, than the static poses used in the more conventional martial arts available today.
So, let's begin by understanding that we human beings are inherently "hard-wired" for self defense. We already come equipped with "parts" whose sole functions are to alert and ramp us up for the task of self-preservation. And, contrary to popular belief, the outward pose taken up by the body in response to danger...
...is the LAST piece of the kamae "formula."
In fact, the Ninja's kamae begins in the heart, not in the head or the body. It begins as a base-level, primitive response to something that we are encountering. In the case of self defense, this feeling begins with an impulse which does one of three things to our "system":
1) Drives us to move into the fight to jam up or overwhelm our assailant
2) Defensively pulls us away from the threat, or...
3) Causes us to pay attention to the event, but nothing more, as we do not feel threatened by it
In this light, we can then see how the multitude of kamae that make up the shadow warrior's Ninpo-Taijutsu, "body skills," can actually be classified using these three response modes as initial drivers. What that means is that all of our kamae can be classified as:
1) Aggressive
2) Defensive, or...
3) Receiving
But again, we are talking about more than a physical stance. We are talking about internal, emotional drivers that move the body in a particular direction, and into an appropriate position relative to the threat in front of us.
I know that this can sound confusing at first, but it really isn't. All we need to do is recognize that we already do this to some extent. And that all we are doing is talking control of a very natural thing, so that our response is more scientific and advantageous to us in an attack situation.
I think that you can relate to the fact that if someone were to flinch at you, whether actually attacking or just playing around, that your hands and arms would come up instinctively to cover. So, "cover" or "shielding," is a natural, defensive maneuver.
The same is true if someone were to project intention to say, kick us in the groin. We've all experienced the instinctive flinching and contracting of the hip and abdominal muscles as the groin is pulled 180 degrees away from danger.
So... again, evasive maneuvers with the torso to protect vital, life-sustaining, and sensitive body targets is already hardwired into our body-mind system to keep us safe.
What all this points to is the fact that the Ninja's kamae are scientific responses and positions taken up as a result of very specific impulses. From this viewpoint, we can see that kamae, unlike the stances of conventional karate and other martial arts, are not chosen so much as "recognized" as already happening.
The body is already doing this "thing" called protecting itself - and we are simply adjusting our distance, angling, and relative position to our assailant in a way that provides for the greatest advantage to be in our favor - BASED on how our body is already "naturally" responding to the threat in front of us.
by: Jeffrey Miller Whiplash Injury Claims Important Guide Motor Trade Car Insurance Tips To Save Money Motor Trade Car Insurance Be Aware Of The Broad Guidelines When Shopping For A Quality Low Car Insurance Policy What Is Motor Trade Car Insurance And How To Get The Best Deal? How To Find The Best Auto Insurance Rates Online Defend Yourself Against Monetary Loss With Auto Insurance The Happo Kaiten Of Ninjutsu - Developing The 8 Directional Basic Rolling Escape Skills Of The Ninja Services Of The Chinese Automobile Market Trends Senior Car Insurance GMC Sierra Detroit Truck is MI Auto Times Competition Champion Car Rental Offer Enjoyment To The Fullest Auto Insurance : Facts Of Auto Insurance