Training in the martial arts can be a time consuming and a long process if one wants to be any good at them. I recall reading when Nagato Sensei was asked about what is important in martial arts training, he simply said ‘find a good teacher’. Sound advice I feel, and this process is not always an easy one either.
I was lucky – I had trained in other martial arts before finding the Bujinkan (quite by accident really), and was not sure about attending at first, as there was a mention of Ninjutsu within the flyer I had picked up. It also mentioned Samurai arts too, so I figured I’d take a look and go with an open mind. When I arrived at the class, people were friendly, and when the class started I immediately noticed that the methodology shown had real value and covered the gaps that had been present in my previous martial arts training (I had done Judo and Karate and some Tai Chi prior to this, in total about 4 years worth of experience). The teacher, Phil, clearly knew his subject, and was able to do things that simply took people’s ability to fight apart. I noted his foot work and the sneaky and pragmatic application of this knowledge and felt impressed, but also a little scared. I think this ‘fear’ factor is important for any prospective student to feel. If you are not somewhat scared of your teacher, then there is no point visiting them. You should also respect them as individuals, and they should be able to communicate to you in a way that makes sense (as any teacher should be able to). Some practitioners within the Bujinkan are skilled and excellent at what they do, but don’t necessarily make good teachers because of this lack of ability in conveying ideas and principles.
I was lucky enough to train with Phil for about 9 years, and since then I have been fortunate enough to find one of Phil’s students to learn from, Duncan. Again, he ticks the boxes in terms of being an excellent practitioner, but also able to communicate ideas clearly. Another aspect to think about is the person you learning from simply a teacher, or do they continually seek to improve their own understanding and skills. If they do, then you have found someone definitely worth training with.
I would recommend anyone to think about these points before starting on your martial journey.
The Starting Point
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