The Fundamental Concepts of Play
While in Japan I was privliged enough to train under the Grandmaster of Ninjitsu and head of the Bujinkan, Masaaki Hatsumi. At his classes, Soke Hatsumi would end each demonstration of technique with the words "Hai, play". Throughout his classes he went on to explain why he said this. My interpretation of what he said is that if we come at this art and the specific techniques we use from the aspect of playing with it, not only would we learn faster, but it would be ingrained into us. And when we need it, it would come to us as naturally as the things we learned in childhood through the same concept. Also, he pointed out that by playing with the technique, we could explore and add onto what he showed. As each individual plays with it, he or she will adapt it to their body then find new ways to make it work for them. If you just take the techniques from the Bujinkan and see only them, it becomes finite. You take the same techniques and play with them to add feeling, they become infinite in application.
Soke also emphisized the importance of being natural. Now this is different from the kind of natural taught by my sensei here in Sacramento. Here, natural means that your movement and strikes and posture should all flow and appear naturally when you do a technique. Nothing should be forced or muscled, it should just happen, as naturally as walking down the street.
In Japan, Soke taught a different kind of naturalness, one of a more animalistic nature. Everyones heard of the "fight or flight" response. When put into a dangerous situation an animal is presented with two options; to fight, or to run away. These are the basics of animalistic nature (aside from sex for reproduction). Those who have the ability to fight, fight. Those who do not, run. In the Bujinkan we are taught the ability to fight effectively. I say effectively because any animal, when cornered, will fight. Regardless of size, its enemy , what weapons it has or does not have, a cornered animal's last option is to fight in order to survive. Soke says (as I understand it) that because of this, when we sense danger we should fall back (not entirely, because you want to keep your senses) on this natural instinct to survive, and to use our weapons to do so.
Later, after arriving back in the States, I was thinking about what was taught to me in Japan and decided that Play, and being Natural in an animalistic sense are connected. If you watch a nature documentary of the African savannah (for example), you notice the cubs of the lions play fighting in the shade. It's not just lions, most predetory animals do something like this. But if you listen to the droning accented voice-over, it will tell you that this play-fighting is key to the cubs survival because it teaches it how to fight and survive later in life when it has to fight for mates or to defend it's harem or itself. Without this play fight present in it's younger years, the cub would never develop this necesary skill and instinct that allows it to survive when it matures and no longer has the protection of other lions.
So, the concept of play in my martial art became more important to me to furthur my skill and insure my ability to keep me and others who do not have the ability safe. Because I'm not in this martial art to be able to kick everyones ass, I have no delusions of winning a tournament for medals or cash, I am here to learn how to defend myself and those who need it.
"If you cannot do what you cannot do. In a real fight, you will die"
-Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi
Soke also emphisized the importance of being natural. Now this is different from the kind of natural taught by my sensei here in Sacramento. Here, natural means that your movement and strikes and posture should all flow and appear naturally when you do a technique. Nothing should be forced or muscled, it should just happen, as naturally as walking down the street.
In Japan, Soke taught a different kind of naturalness, one of a more animalistic nature. Everyones heard of the "fight or flight" response. When put into a dangerous situation an animal is presented with two options; to fight, or to run away. These are the basics of animalistic nature (aside from sex for reproduction). Those who have the ability to fight, fight. Those who do not, run. In the Bujinkan we are taught the ability to fight effectively. I say effectively because any animal, when cornered, will fight. Regardless of size, its enemy , what weapons it has or does not have, a cornered animal's last option is to fight in order to survive. Soke says (as I understand it) that because of this, when we sense danger we should fall back (not entirely, because you want to keep your senses) on this natural instinct to survive, and to use our weapons to do so.
Later, after arriving back in the States, I was thinking about what was taught to me in Japan and decided that Play, and being Natural in an animalistic sense are connected. If you watch a nature documentary of the African savannah (for example), you notice the cubs of the lions play fighting in the shade. It's not just lions, most predetory animals do something like this. But if you listen to the droning accented voice-over, it will tell you that this play-fighting is key to the cubs survival because it teaches it how to fight and survive later in life when it has to fight for mates or to defend it's harem or itself. Without this play fight present in it's younger years, the cub would never develop this necesary skill and instinct that allows it to survive when it matures and no longer has the protection of other lions.
So, the concept of play in my martial art became more important to me to furthur my skill and insure my ability to keep me and others who do not have the ability safe. Because I'm not in this martial art to be able to kick everyones ass, I have no delusions of winning a tournament for medals or cash, I am here to learn how to defend myself and those who need it.
"If you cannot do what you cannot do. In a real fight, you will die"
-Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi