Bujinkan Dojo

You have to become zero! Don’t let the opponent feel what you are doing. Don’t think! If you don’t know what you are doing yourself, the opponent can’t read your moves or your intention. The opponent must be left floating in the air. Feel them out and find their weak points. It’s not about being strong or weak, good or bad. It’s not a sport. It’s about surviving. That’s why it’s dangerous to think like a martial artist. You will be too easy to predict. Move naturally and use your whole body. Control everything, make use of your surroundings, and keep going whatever happens. The techniques are not important. Learn the feeling and everything else will fall into place. You can’t take the techniques. They are given to you, if you become zero!

Don’t try to be original. Not because it’s easier to copy the moves of others, but because you have to let things happen naturally. Whatever happens just pretend that it was on purpose. Good judgement comes only from experience, which in turn comes from bad judgement. That’s why you shouldn’t rely on yourself. If something goes wrong just blame your opponent. No, rather make use of whatever happens. If you see something as a mistake you have lost. Whereas if you make use of a mistake it’s not really a mistake anymore, is it? Again, you must keep going! And avoid looking surprised if you actually succeed with a technique.

Maybe all of this is easier said than done. After all, we typically act in order to obtain a certain goal. That’s why we are prone to seeing it as a mistake when that goal is not obtained. However, you can become zero by ridding yourself of your ego and becoming more aware of your surroundings. By being constantly aware of the present, you will be able to make use of everything that happens. Becoming zero makes you responsive even to the smallest changes in your surroundings, and by adjusting to these changes you can survive without having to force anything.

Now stop reading and get back to training. You have to stop looking for shortcuts. A long cut is always more lethal, you know. A cat always lands on its feet, while a slice of bread always falls with the butter down. What if you tied a piece of bread with the butter up onto the back of a cat before throwing it out the window? (Not that I’d ever do that). My point is that if you philosophise long enough, you are bound to run into paradoxes. The easiest money made is that which is saved. However, money has only value when it’s spent. Likewise, this short article may have given you a great vision, but it’s worth nothing, unless you put it into practice.

Take care and happy training!

Take action at the right moment. Start out with your footwork and let things develop naturally from there. Let your first steps be preparatory and create a balanced foundation from which you can take the right action. When you are in balance you can make good judgements and go in the right direction with every next . . . → Read More: On Footwork