Move Your Legs

Move your legs by Arnaud Cousergue 2004 translation of a previous article in French

Whatever situation you are in the first thing to take into account is your balance. Balance is given by the way you move and it is thanks to your legs that you stand straight. Move your legs and then you will find the ideal fighting distance. If we want to differentiate the Bujinkan Ninjutsu from other martial arts, we have to find something that makes our art different. The Ninjutsu particularity is found in the leg movements, however it is the least studied subject in Dôjô. If we look at Karate, we can see kicks and punches. Aikidô will be seen as an art based on circular movements and arm locks. Jûdô is the art of throws and immobilizations. The Ninjutsu of the Bujinkan has a particular way of moving and a particular foot and legwork. If we carefully study the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki -our foundation program- we realize that movements cover a large part of the first third of the Ten Ryaku no Maki. As a reminder, we can say that Ten Ryaku no Maki only means Transmission (teaching/principle) Scroll (book/parchment) of the Techniques of Heaven. In the first part, we learn to stand, to use the natural body arms, to know the striking areas and to understand movements. Those movements are most of the work in the learning process of the Ten Ryaku.

Moving the legs

Kamae (Kamae= stand, attitude) serve the purpose of building the body posture and the attitude and musculature associated to those Kamae. Ukemi teach us how to break fall on the floor (Ukeru = receive). Kihon Happô teaches us to move in an appropriate way in an attack or a grab situation. Sanshin no Kata makes us move in the five following directions: middle, left, right, up and down. Mutô Dori teaches us the dynamic distance work. Ten Ryaku does not care about the way techniques are performed but it teaches us to find the correct distance and angles in every situations.

Stéphane & Fernando The legs are pushing in to take Uke’s balance.

Once we are in contact with the opponent, we step into the Chi Ryaku world that is to say we can apply locks and twists (Gyaku Waza), throws (Nage Waza, Ryû Sui Iki), controls & immobilizations (Torite Waza) pressures or chokes (Shime Waza).

Hajutsu Kyû Hô only helps to counter Uke when the distance becomes too dangerous for us or when he feels our intention. Ten Ryaku is about the way to arrive to Uke’s contact in every fighting situation. Chi Ryaku is therefore next to Ten Ryaku. When I started Ninjutsu in 1984, Hatsumi Sensei was already talking about movement. Year after year I realized that we were listening to what he was saying but we did not

understand it. To exemplify this I will take the example of the Uke Nagashi. For many students, the Uke Nagashi - and still today- is a powerful sharp strike/block done on the attacking arm or leg of the opponent. This is not wrong but it is far from being exact. As it was previously said, Ukeru means to receive. Nagareru (=Nagashi) means: moving, the flow, which runs, to drain... We can clearly translate Uke Nagashi as: to receive an attack with fluidity. The best way to absorb an impact with fluidity is to find the correct distance. If we are too close it generates a second instinctive attack, if we are too far it sets Uke to attack a second time in this distance.

Feet are the key to real Ninjutsu

It clearly appears that only a movement mirroring Uke’s attack will allow us not to receive the strike. It is clear that leg movements give us the right solution. However what do we see in Dôjô? We see instructors violently striking or blocking Uke’s attacks while telling with sincerity that the important part is the leg movement. The student often only looks at the arm movement then he/she will strike, block the attack thinking sincerely that his/her leg movement is correct. Then, once the student becomes an instructor he will make the same explanations Strong balance means and then as time passes, Uke Nagashi would become closer to Karate movements. It is what I unfortunately see when I strong legs teach in many Dôjô. To strongly block an attack is correct but it is important to teach beginners to take Uke’s attack in a flowing motion. Once this movement is understood, the quality of movement can be used to develop power in the Uke Nagashi. The leg movement also indirectly appears in the subtitle of Hatsumi Sensei’s videos. I do not know if you noticed it but each tape has a subtitle: [Bujinkan] “martial art of distance” however this distance can only be acquired by a precise work of the leg movement. If you are a beginner your only focus should be: to go down low on your legs, bend the knees and to concentrate your work on your body’s lower parts. The feet will give you the necessary angles to realize efficient Bujinkan techniques. This difficult learning part is one of the major goals of the first section of the technical program of Hatsumi Sensei. When Ten Ryaku no Maki is well understood it makes the student’s technical progress easier. The Western world is often too eager to learn superior techniques; therefore we do not understand that deep and well understood foundations are the only guardians of excellence. The path is long and learning can often be unpleasing but it is compulsory to go through the leg work. You can think yourself as a Ninja if you wish, but you have to understand that you should focus your study primarily on the leg movements. Without its legs a Ninja is no more than a martial artist amongst others lost in his hopes and the illusion of his own efficiency. It is your own responsibility to become what you dreamed to

Stepping for victory

become when you decided to join us. The instructor (Sensei= the one who was born before [in the technique]) only shows the path, but you have to understand what is said and above all it is you who have to walk this path, the instructor cannot do it for you. Anchor yourself in the reality of the physical world and quit the appearance of the virtual world. The real Ninjutsu go through the body and one cannot avoid it. To finish I would like to remind that to walk a path you have firstly to move the legs. Arnaud Cousergue Bujinkan Shihan

Translation by Frédéric Legrand who trains under Marcus Dwyer in Ireland. To contact him: [email protected] Bujinkan Dwyer Dôjô website: http://www.dwyerdojo.com/ To contact Marcus Dwyer: [email protected]