Jin Ryaku No Maki

For the first time in years we ran a seminar based on the Tenchi jin. Eight students turned up for 9 and a half hours of solid training. The techniques on sawari Gata proved to be incredibly difficult and uncomfortable - especially for me as i still suffer from the injuries i sustained 2 years ago from a car crash. Tsuki Gata proved to be more confortable and soon the students were taking notes and working through each technique. It always amazes me how the students put much more emphasis in moving systematically instead of visualizing the technique and trying to feel it with your intuition.
Nine and a half hours is a very long day and by the end of it - we were sore in mind and body. As i write this post - it's the next day and my old injuries are coming back to haunt me but Hatsumi's words always ring true and injury is no excuse not to train for you can train everyday around your injury. Budo taijutsu is a lifestyle, training is part of living and perhaps that's how we should look at the aspects of our taijutsu - whether its from sanshin, Kihon or the ten ryaku no maki. Every move should be felt with our mind, body and soul in everyday life and so your taijutsu becomes part of you and you not of it.
One element that certainly makes me pround of the students is how over a few hours, movement begins to click and you can see how they begin to flow - rather like a young foal taking it's first steps into the world. Bumbling with their taijutsu - you can see the smiles as movement begins to feel more natural and before all you could witness was a rather annoying grimace. One aspect of the Ten ryaku no maki that we tend to forget is that the Koppo Jutsu is about fighting and so there has to be commitment to the moment to experience the essense of each technique.

This brings me nicely to discuss the lack of commitment to the moment with some individuals training. You cannot fake reality and so, not to commit dislodges all elements within your training such as timing, angles, balance and flow. One needs to commit to enable both individuals to experience the reality of the techniques and their essence.