Warrior Zone intro video in the works...

...the video should be available in a week or two. Here are some still shots of video production. More to come...

Train as you fight, fight as you train

Because we know how to fight and defend ourselves we are more aware. We can see it coming..at least you should. Always be aware of your surroundings so as never to be surprised. Taijutsu is a combat martial art so treat it as such while you train. 

To many practitioners these days are to hung up on mastering the intricacies of Kihon Happo and quite frankly wouldn't last in a true conflict. Just because you are training in a combat martial art and think of yourself as a ninja doesn't mean you are truly prepared.  Get out of the dojo and train in the parking lot, park, rocky terrain, etc. Have you ever thrown someone in the rain or snow? How about while you are wearing your everyday clothing instead of dojo gear.  Practice techniques and henka in scenarios. Climbing out of your car, sitting at a picnic table, walking down the street or lying in the grass at a park reading a book. 

Get creative with your training. If you have an instructor who won't step outside of his/her precious dojo then get some fellow mind trainees together and do some extra-curricular training.

  All my classes are conducted outside in the elements. Most of my early training took place in the mountains in rain, snow and everything in between. Luckily for me I was trained by someone who had been in real combat and had real world experience. Learning combat attitude is essential to self-defense and it is my goal to teach you to survive and win to see another day.

Live, love and play!

Distance - Maai

- Maai 間合い - Distance

In the martial arts, maai is often used to describe the distance, or space between two opponents. However, like most principles studied in budo this is much more complicated then what we refer to as distance. It is a more complex concept that includes the distance, but also the time it takes to cover that distance, as well as the angle and rhythm of attack. This makes maai a dynamic use of the space between you and your opponent. For example a faster opponent will use a distance that is further than a slower opponent.

This inherently brings with it a sense of timing. On a more subtle level it relates to the gaps of awareness that manifests itself in the opponent's mind. This gap or mental interval (kokoro-no-maai 心の間合い) and the ability to enter into this space, this is also a part of the principle of maai. This mental interval is the point in which Joen-nin 如焰忍 is applied (one of the 10 methods of spying).

One of the subtleties of combat is the use of angles that manipulate the advantage of distance, which creates an illusion of that distance. The manipulation of this distance is often used to appear closer or further than you really are, enabling you to overcome an opponents speed. This interplay of truth and falsehood is kyo-jitsu 虚実. Note that jitsu 実 here means "truth", related to kyo 虚 meaning false. This is in contrast to jutsu 術 which means skill, technique etc.

In psychological strategy or even esoteric application, maai can mean the distance between two points of references. In other words, it is the understanding and use of the different perspectives between you and another.

Source: Kerwin Rodriguez (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2204541888/)