Japan thoughts March 2017

Well firstly let me say thank you very much for the interest you have all shown in our (Chris, Craig and Gray) trip, the influx of questions and feedback to my inbox has been overwhelming to say the least.
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As most who know me well are aware, I am not a writer, but a rambler, so this post may seem a bit disjointed, I apologise in advanced for this. I’ll try and cover a little bit of everything, so those who have never experienced Japan and Ishizuka Dojo can gain an understanding of the experience.
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Well, we did not plan this trip at all, Chris and I were only in Japan in October and November, and then we had Kacem out to Newcastle at the start of December, so there was no real need to go again so soon. An opportunity to go came my way in the form of a graduation present in early February, so I did what most normal people do when going abroad to practice, I put the word out to my mates and fellow Buyu about who was interested in going. Due to the 5.5 weeks’ notice, most couldn’t come, but Chris and Craig locked it in straight away and we were set.

Ashamedly I had not practiced much since I saw Kacem in December, only a few times, I got lazy and complacent along with still feeling the need to rest and have a break after all the training last year, Grad School and the seminars with Kacem, I have an old injury that effects my everyday life and I used that as an excuse to be useless and lazy.

Chris and I arrived first in Japan, Craig the following day as he flew from Sydney and Chris and I from Brisbane. It is always interesting to observe how I feel about arriving in Japan, I always feel really content and at peace, all of my 1st world problems disappear and I feel completely at home and comfortable in Japan. After the short walk from the station to the Dojo where we were staying, we were greeted by Ishizuka Shihan warmly, it was good to be back.

The general format of how things are run at the dojo is like this.
In Ishizuka Shihan’s classes, he asks different students and visitors to demonstrate a technique, it must be in the Densho of the 9 schools and not made up spontaneous nonsense…. After a short amount of time practicing it in the demonstrated way, Sensei will either go around individually and make corrections if the original demonstration was close to correct for the level, or he will stop everyone and demo it himself, followed by individual hands on instruction. Numbers in the dojo never exceeded 12-15 this trip, it was very quiet and good, and all three of use enjoyed the small classes, sometimes it was just us, Kacem and Sensei (About half our trip).

In what became a running joke every day of the trip except for one Saturday morning class, after bowing in Sensei would ask everyone present who would like to show a technique, while only staring at me. After doing my best to turn invisible, the question would be answered by Sensei himself immediately with “Graham, please show something” (in Japanese). No matter how much I tried to turn invisible, or the look of terror on my face at being called up, he only chose me on this trip to demonstrate a technique. I honestly didn’t know what to make of being the only one being called up. Every class started the same with Sensei calling me out, followed by laughter from Chris and Craig and Sensei, the visitors to the dojo were unaware of this, and had no idea why Sensei, Craig and Chris were laughing each time he called my name…. unless they all think I am a joke....

I tried to show mostly techniques from Gyokko Ryu and Kukishinden Ryu. And I chose techniques that I couldn't do at all on a resisting opponent. After all I was here to learn, not to try and impress someone. This often meant failing at a technique and not being able to complete a part of it. It can be hard to look bad in front of your friends and peers. But what is more important, the art and learning to be better or my ego?

Aida Sensei and Ogawa Sensei classes always consist of mostly Kihon. They each emphasize different principles to us, but both are must attend classes. Chris believes these classes are the most essential to attend and where he learns the most fundamental movements at a pace that suits him best. If you want to learn how to hit hard without wasting any energy, go to their classes. If you want to see a 90kg (200 pound) man (Chris) who can deadlift a couple of hundred kilos, do pull ups with a 100kg added and close 2.5 or 3 on a captains of crush grab a 55kg 5'2" Japanese man in his late 60's, to then be told he holds like a girl while being thrown around like a wet towel, you should go and see Ogawa Sensei. It’s truly amazing to watch, and all while smiling :)

Kacem’s Classes are the hardest for me, not more or less physically, as all the other masters push you very hard to do your best, but because Kacem is my teacher, I don’t want to let him down and disappoint him. So I often feel quite stressed or anxious under his tutelage, especially if I am having trouble copying his movement. The amount of patience this man has is incredible, and I don’t want to be the guy who burns it all up. So I always try my best and push hard in his classes to not let him down. He is always trying to get me to smile or laugh in class, I am too serious apparently.

Kacem’s classes often start 5 minutes after Ishizuka Sensei’s classes, so if your fitness is lacking you might find it a struggle. As Ishizuka Sensei's classes are no joke. Ishizuka’s Dojo is not a place for out of shape people, you will sweat buckets, practice Kihon etc. until you can barely stand, and then keep going for 1-2 hours more than you thought possible. And don’t even think about trying to do your own thing, it is the Ishizuka Dojo way or the highway in here. The definition of Nin really applies in this Dojo.

But don’t have the image of a stern old Japanese master beating his students with a cane and yelling at everybody. Most who know me know I am very straight faced and hard to read most of the time. So it might surprise some to know that I actually laugh and smile inside the dojo…well sometimes :) The mood is always friendly if you practice until your eyes bleed. The atmosphere is electric, it borders on both fear and excitement rolled into one, I am sure there is a German word that describes this phenomena. But at the same time each teacher has their own way of making practice fun, and tough. Ishizuka Sensei will play Hawaiian music during class, Kacem hip hop or rap. Aida Sensei will stay sometimes 2 hours after class to make sure you understand the lesson. Ogawa sensei will be your Uke in class to ensure you are doing it correctly, he is a small framed guy, but just go and try and hit him once, it’s like hitting a brick wall, very tough dude. Your hand or foot will just bounce off without him even noticing.

All four men are absolute gentleman. They are always smiling, always laughing, and they practice what they preach. Kacem will drill with you for an hour straight without breaking a sweat or straining, when he tells you lower, more profile etc., he is already lower than everyone in the room, same with profile etc.… So while you are grimacing and your muscles shaking and you are sweating bullets, he looks like he has just showed up. The guy has real Budo fitness. When Ishizuka Sensei asks you to go lower in Kamae, and when you can’t do it, at 69 years of age he drops into the most perfect of Kamae, without getting stuck and destroys his Uke with grace. Aida Sensei will partner with you as a Uke and let you try and do techniques on him, they never work on him though, he is too strong and stable, it is impossible to penetrate his defence. Ogawa sensei wants to know if your Shuto has improved and offers his own neck for you to hit as hard as you want. These men are tough, but so humble that they all still practice with their student’s one on one. It is truly wonderful. All the while they never stop smiling. I have never felt such an atmosphere anywhere in the world, Ishizuka Dojo is truly one of a kind. So much 1 on 1 and hands on instruction, laughter, music, depth and dedication all in one place.

The eye for detail from the Masters is almost bordering on the compulsive. When doing step by step drills, when someone in the Dojo is slightly out of place, the echoes of "Your foot", "More profile", "Deeper" etc. still haunt us, especially so as you are generally waiting in a deep isometric posture waiting for somebody behind you that you cannot see be corrected. Kacem has eyes in the back of his head, and he knows if you are in the correct position or not. It’s uncanny at just how well he knows the room and the movement without even having to watch it.

Many Budoka who have seen videos of these masters teach in private, or the few who eventually visit the Dojo to never return afterwards (typically those with high rank from elsewhere) are afraid of the detail in the teaching. It is so thorough and demanding and precise, that most 10th dan + look like rank amateurs. In my opinion they don’t want to look like they suck, so they avoid the place like the plague. You can’t really blame them though they have too much riding on playing a master and not a student. Some have trained anywhere from 10-30+ years, for them to come to the Dojo, to be told they can’t even stand in Ichimonji (they believe they can… but can’t) must be humiliating, especially if they bring some of their own students with them too. It’s the wrong kind of attention they seek. They want praise and accolades, not practical and useful corrections. These types of people are self-selected out, and go back to whatever it was they were trying to do before. It is ok though, it is not for everybody, only the dedicated and willing.

Flexibility!!! 
I have had a serious back/pelvis injury for around 6 years now, so flexibility is one thing I struggle to improve. I have trouble twisting and bending forwards or backwards, so to even get into a stretching position is painful for me, so my options for stretches and movements can be quite limited. I know this area in my personal practice is the biggest factor in my personal struggle for improvement and precise movement. And both Chris and Craig agree with me as well. The flexibility that all the masters display is incredible. It is not enough to see a 30 sec clip and think you know how they move. They can all do Ichimonji lower than a house fly, drop into the splits or sit in full lotus for an hour while having a discussion with you to then stand up and move as if never having been in that position at all. Flexibility is one thing I am determined to improve this year. Although due to my limitations I might not achieve the flexibility of Stretch Armstrong, I may be able to finally do Tsuki or Ichimonji correctly (this is my 17th year in the Bujinkan and I still can’t do it), and hopefully even kick properly. A small story, Mako Sama has her friends practicing at the Dojo, they are all ladies in there 50’s and 60’s I believe. They have only been training a short time around a year or two. They put nearly every foreigner to shame with their mobility and flexibility and kicking. They can do full gymnastic bridges, front and side splits and pancake, and for short people they have no problem kicking guys 6ft plus in the throat without changing their height.

Sitting at the airport with Chris discussing our trip (yes, practice is all we talk about :)) we both felt that if you are half-hearted about your practice, or think that you can just show up to class a couple of times a week and be good, and be able to make this art work against any style or opponent you must be dreaming (Australian for delusional, not having realistic expectations). Seeing the precision of Kacem, you can see his skill was not built on just rocking up a couple of times per week. It was built on blood, sweat and tears. You need to arrange practice both solo and paired outside of your regular classes. It has to consume you if you want to be good (In a healthy way of course, don’t quit your job, divorce your wife or sell the kids to do it). Kacem is masterful at teaching you how to practice solo with Bo, Ken and Taijutsu, then how that solo practice applies to paired or group practice without changing it. As far as I am aware, he is the only one doing solo practice on a real deep level. For those who say you need partners to get good, well yes you do, but to dismiss real, genuine solo practice would be a mistake. If you are sitting there thinking that solo practice is just swinging a stick or some sort of Bujinkan shadow boxing, you are truly mistaken. You should seek Kacem or his top students out and ask them to show you how to practice solo for real. I guarantee most of you will be exhausted in 20 minutes both mentally and physically. I personally believe, solo practice is what makes Kacem better than everyone else. But I also believe if you are in a rut, real solo practice will drag you out of it quickly. The guy has the work capacity of an android, and the smoothness and flow he displays against fully resistant strong guys who outweigh him by 15-30kgs or black belts in BJJ or Judo etc. is just not seen anywhere in Bujinkan Community or the wider martial arts community. This flow comes from deliberate, dedicated and consistence practice. It is truly a marvel to see and feel his movement first hand, and it has really inspired me to be better and do more for this art.

The running theme after a morning/lunch class was to go out straight away afterwards for food. Poor Chris and Craig most often than not got stuck eating western food with me, I am not a huge fan of Japanese food, as I don’t eat seafood or pork…. Then we would return and practice on our own in the afternoon. If we had an evening class we would practice for 15-20 minutes afterwards, then find some food and return back to the practice. I remember sitting down and watching Chris solo practice after one particular class with Ishizuka Shihan, Chris going through the motions of Oni Kudaki in his own time by himself. Like lightning it struck me that Kacem being sneaky had showed us this particular way of doing Oni Kudaki but through a sword movement the previous night (more like the previous 6 nights). I stood up, and offered my observation to Chris, he laughed and acknowledged how thick we both were for missing this earlier in class. Craig then come out into the Dojo, and sat down to watch us practice (We were a group of 3 only in the Dojo, so 2 would practice, one would watch and we would swap out regularly every couple of minutes). I immediately grabbed a sword and in the air showed Craig my observation, then did it again for Oni Kudaki all without explanation. Craig’s eyes almost fell out of his head like mine attempted to do earlier when the realization hit me watching Chris. Chris laughed again at the moment, and Craig immediately jumped to his feet to try the movement for himself. Something was said along the lines of, how did we miss this? It is all the same…. This became almost a daily episode. Much like Daniel San in the Karate kid didn’t realize he was being taught Karate by My Miyagi, we couldn’t see the beauty and precision in what Kacem or Ishizuka Shihan was showing at the time, the revelations would come during our practice outside of class. When success struck, and one of us shared our discovery, one of us usually blurted out, Sensei showed this yesterday, Kacem said that 2 days ago, that is what ….. Said earlier, now I get it. An analogy I like to use is from the cult movie White Men Can’t Jump, You can listen to Jimmy, but you can’t hear Jimmy. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hohb_gOI0dQ). The masters told us point blank our problem, the solution and then provided a demonstration…. We were listening to it, not hearing it…. To me, this proves that solo and paired practice that is unmonitored by a Master is just as important as their supervision and guidance. As they say, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink…. We all had lots of fun laughing and sharing these discoveries with each other.

Kacem’s classes this time were 70% Bo, 20% ken and 10% Taijutsu. Combinations of flow and isometric conditioning were used to instil and shape the correct movement patterns in us. It was brutal on the quads, just riding a bike the next day on flat ground, the muscles fatigued and burned with each push of the pedals, this continued for 10 days straight. In class our muscles would shake, we would fidget and wiggle out of movements, lose the correct form of Kamae and we all sweated our body weight each class. Holding Tsuki or Ichimonji anywhere from 20 seconds to 2 minutes before proceeding to the next Kamae or Aruki. We would do this step by step training for around 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes every day in class, and around 1 hour more over 2 more sessions out of class on our own. Kacem would do each and every movement with us every step of the way, deeper and more extended than all of us. Not once did he break a sweat, have shaky muscles, wince or moan. He is a machine. My goal for later in the year is to repeat a similar style of class with him and be able to remain calm and relaxed like he was. It was truly a site to see.

After hearing some feedback during the trip from my teacher and the other Masters in the Dojo and after reviewing some of the practice footage on video, it is very clear to me how much work I need to do to "level up" as Kacem would say, there is no time to rest on your laurels. But that is part of the fun now isn't it :)

I really need to up my language skills, no explanation needed really. Just that my travel Japanese is no longer adequate and I need to step up the language practice. It is very selfish of me to go on letting the masters speak in English in their own home, I need to show them the respect they deserve and speak in Japanese.

A funny story about the Onsen (bath house). Chris has a few tattoos. We went to the pharmacy and bought some sports tape and self-adhesive bandage to cover him up to gain entry. In the locker room, we taped and bandaged him up. His chest and shoulder had tape, his forearm is fully enveloped on all sides with a tribal tattoo so we used the white self-adhesive bandage on it. After washing, Chris hit the first bath, and upon sinking his arms into the water, the white bandage turned see through, the tattoo on full display. We wasted our time trying to cover it up, it was quite funny at the time.

It was the best trip I have ever taken to Japan. Words cannot do justice to this trip, and I will have memories to last a life time from it. I can’t thank Chris and Craig enough for joining me and trusting me once again. Ishizuka Shihan and Mako Sama for looking after me, Aida Sensei and Ogawa Sensei for teaching me and to Kacem for being so patient and understanding, but knowing how to push me all the same. I am forever in debt to Kacem, and I do not know how I will ever repay him for everything he has done.

Thanks you!!!

Cheers Gray.
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To wrap up this long winded story.
-Including myself, people do not practice enough, nor deliberately enough.
-Don’t ignore solo practice.
-Don’t rely on your teacher to spoon feed you every step of the way. Copy and repeat x one million.
-Class is not good enough. Practice every day.
-Improve your flexibility.
-learn to speak Japanese better.
After so many of you messaging and asking about the trip, I hope you found this interesting. Any questions ask away :)

Cheers Gray.

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Ps: update from Craig. 
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Additional notes from Craig:

-Your Ichimonji is wrong, work on it.
-If your Ichimonji is wrong (and it most definitely is), all your other Kamae are wrong: work on them as well.
-Your posture is poor, work on it.
-Your hips are wrong, fix them.
-You don't sit correctly, work on it.
-You are not flexible enough, work on it.
-More profile, deeper.
-Hit heavy, not hard.
-Your Uke is incorrect, your striking is poor, and your kicks are terrible. Work on them.

Everything is the same, once you allow your body to get into the correct positions. You only have to learn approximately 6 things, but you have to perform them with flawless precision.

Those wrist escapes taught by Ogawa Sensei last year that I still have scars from.... I only just now realised they are identical to the grip for correct sword draw....12 months later, despite Gray saying so at the time. I am not smart.

Bo - Ken - Tai, the importance of this cannot be understated.
If you can't *correctly* perform the base level Gyokko Ryu techniques, don't bother trying to show off by doing anything from the other schools, or, even worse, "high level" crap you made up yourself. These techniques contain everything in Taijutsu, they reveal your flaws, use this to your advantage.

If you are teaching others, make sure you are at least aware of your deficiencies above and are working on them, lead by example, set the bar really bloody high. Mediocrity is never acceptable.
When fixing the above flaws, mindless repetition will only lead to continued mediocrity, i.e. unacceptable. Shorter, deliberately mindful practice and awareness will always produce a better outcome than hours of whatever it is you are currently doing. In many (most? all?) cases you would be better off not practicing, than practicing poorly.

If your distance is wrong, it is because your stance is wrong. If you can't stand correctly, how can you possibly understand the technique?
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Cheers Craig.