Nanbanote.com

Renaissance Samurai

admin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:59:05 +0000

The Renaissance Samurai Living Learning site is interactive and up for viewing.

Click on the buttons to navigate and open various videos of short lectures and demonstrations of Shodo, Nanba, and Aikido. Most of the lectures are in Japanese, with a few in English. The screen is sized for interactive play on the Wii system, but you can also view it for free on a web browser.

This site was recorded and produced by Digital Education Support, a division of Ohtemae University’s eLearning program, and is the first of a series that I am producing in collaboration with Ohtemae University.

I posted about the filming for this site on an earlier post called eLearning in Osaka: Calligraphy, Aikido, and Nanba.

Any of the topics in this series can be expanded into a longer lecture or seminar, or for that matter a lifetime of training, however eLearning provides a quick way to access online digital content from anywhere and learn at your own pace.

We are planning to expand these and other topics into a longer program for extended learning.

Nanba Lifestyle Big Picture

admin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:50:36 +0000

Click on the Image above to get the NANBA Lifestyle Big Picture.

This also serves as an index to the NANBA ART OF PHYSICAL FINESSE Online Webbrain.

I have added to the Webbrain since uploading it, particularly in the area of NANBA TRAINING SECRETS, NANBA WALK/NANBA RUN, with new branches, information, and photos under Nike + iPod.

NOTE: The Webbrain displays as an upper navigation window and lower attachment and notes window. To download attachments and open web links, click on the icon that appears in the window below the navigable map.

Nanba Art of Physical Finesse Online

admin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:49:12 +0000

Nanba Art of Physical Finesse is an interactive exploration of the world of Nanba, a online navigatable map to help you get engaged in this art at your chosen level. Here is where you begin.

NANBA: THE ART OF PHYSICAL FINESSE

Finding your way out of trouble and into opportunity.

Recognizing the inherent connection between mind and body, NANBA is a way to be and develop yourself to your full potential, combining the arts of improvisation and physical finesse.

It is a way to enhance performance and reduce stress, drawing on principles of natural design and movement, based on 3 core principles:

Don’t Force
Don’t Twist
Don’t Disconnect

Though Nanba has highly developed forms in Japanese culture, it exists under different names in all cultures, and can be applied by anyone to anything from enhancing enjoyment of daily life to improving professional performance.

Start with the branch titled, EXPLORE THE WORLD OF NANBA, and from there follow your curiosity in the other branches.

This is a living Webbrain, and it will be updated regularly both in the attachments and the links to follow.

Personal Power Ritual

admin — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:07:05 +0000

Photo of Hasegawa Sensei, taken by David Michaud

One of the purposes of ritual is to develop personal power, to make yourself strong first, so that you can then go out and help others become strong.

People often confuse ritual with routine, when in fact they are nearly opposite. Routines dull your senses and crush your spirit, whereas when practiced properly rituals can renew your mind and body.

An essential way to discover something new is to visit the same place.

This was known by Confucius (206 BC~220 AD), and immortalized in his proverb,

Discover something new in the old (温故知新 onko chishin).

It was also known by Greek philosopher Heraclitus, who lived around 500 BC, and who famously wrote,

You can not step into the same river twice.

People who don’t have a personal power ritual often ask, how can you keep doing the same thing, over and over again? But is a game of golf ever the same? Doesn’t the artist see ordinary things with a fresh eye?

Similarly, training in martial arts or calligraphy is never boring, or you are there for the wrong reasons.

To learn more about how to create your own power ritual, read my latest article on DAIJOB.COM called The Power of Ritual.

Power in Perserverence

admin — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:04:23 +0000

Maruyama Koretoshi Sensei, Founder of Aikido Yuishinkai

From Method to Mastery

One of the wonderful things about learning Aikido is that it takes you step by step into a world that is beyond steps. Training takes you from the world of technique to the realm of art, from method to mastery.

My teacher Maruyama Koretoshi, founder of the Aikido Yuishinkai, is a Master of this process, and has captured its essence in a way that rewards perseverance and practice. Anyone, regardless of age or experience, can reach a level of mastery if they persist on the path. Genius and talent may give you a head start, but like the hare in Aesop’s fable, it is more often the tortoise that wins the race.

Having trained directly with the founder of Aikido Ueshiba Morihei, Maruyama Sensei’s career in Aikido extends over more than half a century, and at age 72 he is incredibly fit and full of energy. A Japanese proverb says that Perseverance brings Power (keizoku ha chikara nari, 継続は力なり). However, Maruyama Sensei points out that perseverance requires power, and the source of this power is actually training, the mastery of forms which with practice become an integral part of you.

Mastery is a kinesthetic process, learning with your body. Such learning does not abandon you over time. Once you learn how to swim, how to ride a bicycle, or how to speak your native tongue, it sticks with you for a lifetime, even if you are away from it for a while. By contrast, how much do you remember of the subjects you studied in school? Could you still pass the tests now that you once passed years ago to graduate?

Did you see that?

For those who have not experienced the magic of training over time, the martial arts may seem to be more about mystery than mastery.

How is it possible to detect the movements and intentions of an opponent before they actually occur?

How can you successfully subdue a person who is much larger or stronger than you?

How can you keep your center and remain calm when those about you are losing it under pressure?

How can a small turn of the wrist result in such a dynamic throw?

Aikido training may begin with the mechanics of movement, but it quickly progresses from method to magic, as the dynamics become more subtle and sophisticated. The untrained eye may altogether miss what is happening, because beginners focus on following the obvious rather than attuning to the opportunity.

A real Master of Aikido can do both the mechanics and the magic, and will adjust their teaching in such a way that anyone, starting from any level, can move quickly from where they are to where they can be.

To see Aikido in action, to feel its power, is still magic despite decades of practice. There is certainly more to it than meets the eye, which is why when you see an amazing throw in the dojo, all you can say is, “Wow! Did you see that?”

Power of Ritual

Without practice you will end up with more froth than finish. This applies as much in life as it does in the dojo. In fact whatever you do, even not doing something, is actually practice leading to habits, good or bad. The key is to find the best practices which enable you to leverage the power of ritual to a favorable result.

What happens if you drift along without discipline? You end up becoming a victim of your own bad habits, or as some would say, stewing in your own juices.

Samuel Johnson (1709~1784) remarked brilliantly that, The chains of habit are too weak to be felt, until they are too strong to be broken.

If you want to start now forming good habits that will serve you for a lifetime, I can think of no better place to start than Aikido.

Fibonacci Numbers Put Power in Your Ritual

admin — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:02:24 +0000

Can Fibonacci Numbers put power into your physical training ritual?

From my experience, the answer is a resounding YES!

In case you missed The DaVinci Code, you can click here to learn more about Fibonacci numbers and their fascinating recurrence in masterpieces of art and nature.

The sequence begins with 0 and 1, and continues indefinitely by adding the last two numbers to get the next.

0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,144,233,377,610,987…and it continues to grow exponentially from there. The simplicity of the formula is remarkable when you see how it occurs over and over again in nature, in the form of proportions of spirals from flowers to galaxies, in population growth with rabbits, in masterpieces of art such as the Greek Parthenon, and in Geometric sections such as the pentagram.

Fibonacci was an Italian who lived in the 13th Century, and is famous both for discovering the sequence of numbers which occurs in nature and art, as well as for introducing the decimel system.

So how can Fibonacci numbers improve your physical training ritual?

This idea was discovered by Joseph Mullen, a practicioner of fitness and holistic wellness, and described in his book The Da Vinci Fitness Code. While I don’t subscribe to his particular approach to fitness training, I found his idea of applying Fibonacci numbers to physical training rituals to be extremely helpful.

In a nutshell, you establish your exercise routines based on repetitions or numbers of minutes, always working with Fibonacci numbers. As a practical matter, you are most likely to work with numbers in the sequence up to 89 or 144.

The way I use it in my daily physical routine is to practice Nanba exercises in 3 minute lengths, Bokken (wooden sword) cuts in units of 55 each side, Zen Meditation in 8 or 13 minutes and Breathing in sets of 13 or 21. If I lose concentration and go over the Fibonacci number, I simply continue until the next Fibonacci number, which can be a daunting challenge, if you shoot past 89!

You can expand or contract your practice session by selecting larger or smaller numbers, and you can be quite flexible by applying the number either in counting repetitions, or if you prefer using a digital timer to count minutes.

Is this approach superstitious? Perhaps. However, if it is good enough for Mother Nature and the masterpieces of Genius, then I think it is at least worth a try! Though belief is also an enhancement, I have found in practice that it doubles or triples my energy to perform physical training rituals, and makes the discipline much more engaging and fruitful.

My exercise routine is based on Nanba and Aikido, whereas Joseph Mullen takes the approach of Western body building. However, I see no reason why you could not apply this approach to Yoga, Running, Dance, or any form of exercise that you prefer.

Why not give it a try, and let me know through your comments below how it works for you.

Off Your Seat and On to Your Feet

admin — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:53:47 +0000

How much of your life do you spend sitting, lying down, or eating, without exercising or using your legs?

Unless you are planning to spend a lot more time that way, think twice about the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle.

Have you considered the now well established connection between positive attitude and health?

Negative thinking can spoil your relationships, ruin your health, and shorten your life.

Some people have learned how to connect the two, using your legs in walking or running, and improving your attitude. Two birds, one stone.

Read more about it in my syndicated article, Getting on Your Feet.

Get off your seat, and on to your feet!

Taiko Tap at Toho Gakuen

admin — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:46:31 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Taiko Tap at Toho Gakuen

As a Nanba Instructor, I teach Tap Dance at Toho Gakuen College of Music. This school is also the center for Nanba training in Japan, and a number of teachers in the Physical Education Department specialize in applying Nanba to specific courses, such as dance, martial arts, and sports, and because it is a music college, we also help students apply Nanba movement to improving their finesse and performance skills as musicians.

Getting ready to attend the Japan EXPO in Paris in July, I am working on finding Tap rhythms that work with Japanese music. Part of my performance there will be Nanba Tap.

This 1’22″ video is a glimpse of the fun improvising and finding ways to weave the Tap rhythms in with the Japanese Taiko drum, played here by fellow Nanba Instructor Koya Sensei.

Nanba is perfect for improvisation, because you focus on how your body feels inside, and connect that to what is happening outside. The basic principles of Nanba help you find physical finesse in whatever you do.

Stage Fright is in Your Favor

admin — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:45:04 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is a 3’45″ video clip from my Nanba Tap Class at Toho Gakuen, where I teach Tap Dance to classical music students. I am speaking to the students, but here is a summary in English of what I said in Japanese.

Do you ever get nervous before a performance? I think most of us have experienced stage fright, when we have to perform in front of people under pressure. We feel like our nervousness is not only obvious to everyone watching, but that it might seriously spoil our performance.

We tend to believe that being nervous will prevent us from doing our best, and might even lead to serious humiliation if we fail.

Have you ever heard of whistling in the dark? It is what you are supposed to do if you find yourself afraid in a dark place. The problem is that it is easy to whistle when things are going fine, but almost impossible when you are nervous. How do you get yourself out of trouble when you are in trouble?

Let me tell you a story about a friend of mine, who has college age kids like you. When he was in Junior High School, he was a 13-year old nervous kid who had played the trumpet for only about six months, but for some reason decided to try out for the band. There were over a hundred kids auditioning for the band, and to his horror, the band leader insisted that each student audition in front of their peers, the entire group!

Names were drawn at random, and each student had to perform. It wasn’t so much the audition itself, as doing anything in front of his peers that terrified him, teen-aged boys looking for any chance to look cool or make someone else the fool.

My friend was nervous to the point of fear, and prayed that his name might not be called. But no one was to be spared this ordeal, and when his name was called, his hands were shaking badly as he put the trumpet to his lips. He was sure that everyone was watching his every move, and that he would not only fail the audition, but would be the laughing stock of the school for months to come.

Somehow he managed to play to the end of the song, but instead of ridicule and laughter, he was overwhelmed by applause and congratulations!

His nervousness and hands shaking had inadvertently produced a beautiful vibrato effect in his trumpet playing, something he had never been able to do in practice sessions! He was suddenly a hero in front of his peers, and not only passed the audition in colors, but was awarded first chair in the band!

It is the same in Tap, when you dance in front of others, or when people are watching you dance, it is easy to get self-conscious. When you perform on stage in front of a large number of people the pressure is even greater, and you may find yourself like my friend, caught in less than positive imaginings of what might go wrong.

However, if you learn how to use the vibrations of your nervousness, the vibrato of your body’s energy and excitement, you can actually end up performing better than you do in day to day practice.

In any case, nervousness is nothing to fear. Stage fright can actually be in your favor.

Nanba Chaplin Step Makes Roadrunners

admin — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 15:43:16 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

In mid-May, I took a group of Waseda University students who are members of my Shunsoukai (瞬想会, Quantum Leap) Group, (my Physical Finesse Dojo, and we did a Nanba Run around the Nippon Budokan.

This shows a warm up exercise we do to lighten our step before a Nanba Run. If upper and lower body are not coordinated you cannot move this fast. It also keeps you floating like a butterfly, and makes you a faster runner.

After an incredibly enjoyable warm up session, we made our 5 km run in about 40 minutes. Though none of the students were experienced runners, the group managed the Nanba run smoothly without muscle soreness or fatigue.

Nanba shortens the learning curve and increases both speed and endurance for any runner.

Here is some photos from the warm up session.

Real Nanba Roadrunners! Catch me if you can!!

We also tracked it with Nike+iPod, and here too are the results.

Some months we do a Nanba Walk, visiting areas of Tokyo that have interesting history.