The following set of exercises is specifically designed to increase flow (nagare) in your taijutsu. However, before we get into the exercises themselves we should address the question, what is flow? Flow is efficiency and continuity in movement. Flow is smoothness of movement that is unencumbered by mechanical, jerky actions. Moving at a faster pace and working harder, does not necessarily mean that the movement is flowing. In fact, if you are working harder, I can almost guarantee the movement is not flowing. Flow is not something you do; it is something you get out of the way of! What types of internal distractions, tensions, hitches in movement are preventing you from getting out of your own way? These flow exercises are culled from basic exercises of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, but can be utilized by anyone to expand your movement potential and increase flow. When training these exercises, the idea is, of course, continuous movement. Begin with a slow and smooth protocol, working on keeping a good technique level and efficient transition between the movements. One discovers the key to developing flow by examining the in between stages of movement. Often, we see the kamae (structure) and then we see the roll, but what we miss is the essence of flow – the small, transitory movements between them. Do not attempt to “accomplish” this exercise; that is not the point. Use it as a vehicle to unlock the flow in your movement. Try to keep moving. Don’t pause to think in the middle. Increase the speed as you begin to feel comfortable, but if the technique begins to get sloppy or the movements begin to look mechanical, drop down the intensity level until you are once again performing the flows with good technique. Remember, there is zero training value in simply trying to do the exercises for a “cardio” workout. Go buy a treadmill!

 1. Step back from a natural posture into left leg forward Ichimonji No Kamae. Do Chi No Kata. From the end point of the kata, continue lowering your center of gravity and extend the right arm to effectively blend the transition from Chi No Kata into a front roll. Allow the momentum of the front roll to carry you to your feet, lifting up from the crown of your head and using your spine, into right Ichimonji No Kamae and, without stopping in the kamae, leap forward landing again in right Ichimonji No Kamae. Continue the movement by reaching forward with the left hand with a feeling of the body being pulled by the hand into left Ichimonji No Kamae. Repeat on the other side.

 2. Step back from a natural posture into left Ichimonji No Kamae. Do Sui No Kata. From the omote shutou strike at the end of the kata, continue lowering the body with the weight on the front leg, simultaneously stepping through with the back leg to transition from the strike into a back roll. Allow the momentum of the back roll to carry you to your feet, lifting up from the crown of your head and using your spine, into right Ichimonji No Kamae and, without stopping in the kamae, leap backward landing again in right Ichimonji No Kamae. Repeat on the other side.

 3. Step back from a natural posture into left Ichimonji No Kamae. Do Ka No Kata. From the ura shutou strike at the end of the kata, bring your left foot forward next to the right foot a little more than shoulder width apart to transition into Hira No Kamae. Without stopping in the kamae, lower your center of gravity and flow into a side roll to the right. Roll right back into Hira No Kamae and leap sideways to the right, landing again in Hira No Kamae. Repeat on the other side.

 4. Step back from a natural posture into left Ichimonji No Kamae. Do Fu No Kata. Immediately transition to Hoko No Kamae and flow into a cartwheel. Land back in Hoko No Kamae and leap down into a kneeling Ichimonji No Kamae. Repeat on the other side.

 5. Step back from a natural posture into left Ichimonji No Kamae. Do Ku No Kata. Immediately transition to a forward breakfall followed by a forward roll into Jumonji No Kamae. Leap directly upwards. Repeat on the other side.

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Ukemi Flow Conditioning Workout
2. A Case for Mini Workouts
3. A Day in the Life…

Ukemi Flow

1. Begin in Shizen No Kamae (natural stance), squat down to ball of foot squat
2. Zenpo Kaiten (front roll) over the right shoulder
3. Ushiro Kaiten (back roll)
4. Stand up into Shizen No Kamae (natural stance), squat down to ball of foot squat
5. Zenpo Kaiten (front roll) over the left shoulder
6. Ushiro Kaiten (back roll)
7. Stand up into Shizen No Kamae (natural stance)
8. Yoko Nagare (side roll) with the leg crossing in front to the right
9. Yoko Nagare (side roll) with the leg crossing in front to the left
10. Stand up into Shizen No Kamae (natural stance)
11. Zempo Ukemi (forward break fall)
12. Stand up into Shizen No Kamae (natural stance)
13. Yoko Nagare (side roll) with the leg crossing behind to the right
14. Yoko Nagare (side roll) with the leg crossing behind to the left
15. Stand up into Shizen No Kamae (natural stance) – repeat!

Start out with 4 rounds of 3 minutes each with a 1 minute break between rounds.  Use the minute break to get your breathing back under control and shake out the tension.  When this becomes easier, decrease the rest period to 30 seconds between rounds. Finally, try to perform the Ukemi Flow continuously for 12 minutes.  You can also adjust the difficulty level of the flow by adding directional leaps at the end of each roll.  Or, it can be made easier by performing it from kneeling in Seiza no Kamae instead of standing.

Notes: Make sure you warm-up with brief joint mobility session prior to the workout.

Got your own version of an ukemi-specific workout?  Please share with us in the comments section below!

Related posts:

1. Unlocking Flow in Your Taijutsu Practice
2. Conditioning for Striking
3. A Case for Mini Workouts

Tired of the same old boring gym routine that has little to no relevance to your training?  Get the workout designed specifically for martial artists by a martial artist!

Get your copy of Warrior Fitness: Conditioning for Martial Arts today for only $15!

Click HERE now!

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2. Complete Warrior Fitness Training Program for Bujinkan
3. Jack Hoban on Fitness

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Philosophers and sages throughout the ages have consistently extolled the virtues of facing adversity for the purposes of becoming a better, stronger person.  No matter what form this adversity takes, wisdom dictates that it must be faced head-on, weathered through, and successfully beaten by coming out the other side, maybe scarred, but assuredly battle-hardened and spiritually tougher.   Oftentimes, adversity comes to us unbidden simply due to the path we choose to follow, or even for no fathomable reason at all.  It tends to be one of those things life throws at us unexpectedly to “help” us prove our mettle and forge our character.

It has been said that “God comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable”.  If this is so, perhaps creating your own adversity isn’t a bad thing at all. 

The goal in creating your own adversity is to design a challenge that will push the limits of your physical strength, mental toughness, and spiritual fortitude in order to propel you forward to the next level in your training.  For the warrior, this process is known as Shugyo.  Shugyo (修行) may be defined as “conducting oneself in a way that inspires mastery”.  These periods of severe training were usually undertaken by warriors to achieve a type of enlightening experience which opened their minds by destroying their concept of previously perceived limits.  It is the same for us today.

Ueshiba Morihei, the founder of Aikido, was well known for taking his students up into the mountains for periods of Shugyo.

 “Once a year, Morihei took several of his best disciples to train with him on Mount Kurama, located near Kyoto. The small group lived on rice, pickles, miso soup, and wild herbs. Morihei would rise at five AM to pray. After morning prayers and misogi, they would swing heavy swords five hundred times and then practice footwork. From ten AM to noon they trained in body techniques. Afternoon training ran from three to five PM; the disciples took turns acting as Morihei’s partner as he ran through series after series of techniques. In the evenings the disciples would review the day’s training. Every three days, Morihei would announce at midnight ‘time for night training’…”
Excerpt from “Invincible Warrior”, by John Stevens pg. 125

Now, do you have to seclude yourself in the mountains for several days in order to practice Shugyo?  No.  For most of us, that’s not realistic or practical, but that doesn’t mean we can’t create the same type of experience for ourselves.  So, how do we do it?

Create Your Own Adversity!

Caution:This type of training is not for everyone.  Before you begin, there are a few common sense type precautions you should take.  First, prepare adequately.  For example, you would not go out to run the NY Marathon tomorrow if you’ve never run more than 5 miles.  Second, if you decide to conduct your Shugyo outdoors, let someone know where you’re going, what you’re doing, and how long you’ll be gone, or better yet, take them with you!  Third and most importantly, think before you do and plan accordingly.

1.  Pick a time or day that has personal significance to you – it can be your birthday, New Years Day, or the anniversary of something important in your life.  Is this absolutely necessary?  No.  You can pick next Tuesday if you’d like, but I think tying your Shugyo to a significant day makes it more special.

2.  Decide what form your Shugyo will take.  This must be unique to your goals and capabilities.  Choose something that is currently beyond your reach, but not so far as to make it completely unattainable.  You want to focus and hone your physical, mental, and spiritual abilities, not your imagination.  Some examples are:

• Run a marathon
• Climb a mountain
• 1000 cuts with a heavy bokken (wooden sword)
• 1000 Kettlebell snatches
• 1000 reps of any basic techniques or combination of techniques
• Sparring 20 opponents in a row, nonstop
• 1000 Push-ups/Squats/Sit-ups

While any of the above would more than qualify as Shugyo, my personal preference is to plan an entire day where the whole becomes greater than the sum of the individual parts.  Some recommendations for the parts are:Junan Taiso warm-up, run (distance TBD by you), practice the basic strikes, kicks, and footwork of your particular martial art, Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu for me (high reps to push your limits, of course!), weapons practice (sword cuts, spear thrusts, bo swinging, etc.), high repetition bodyweight exercise(s) or workout with weights (dumbbells, kettlebells, clubbells, sandbags), end with an extra long yoga session to wring out all the tension accumulated throughout the day followed by meditation and rest.

3.  Create a training program to get you there.  Let’s face it, most of the above examples are not something most people can decide to do in a day, they take time, preparation, and work to bring the goal within reach.  Remember the “6 P’s”: Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance!

4.  Get to work!!

Creating your own adversity through Shugyo has the effect of focusing not just your mind, but your entire being for the purposes of expanding your potential.  Push yourself harder than you ever thought possible and blow through your preconceived limitations – remember, the only limits that truly exist are those set up in your own mind – there are no limits! 

“God brings men into deep waters, not to drown them, but to cleanse them.”  ~John Aughey

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3. So Ya Wanna Be a Ninja?

This is a record of my activity from yesterday, Memorial Day 2010:

Morning

Life begins early here, even on long holiday weekends, since our 19 month old, Juliana, doesn’t distinguish weekends from weekdays yet!  So at 6 am I was up making coffee and searching through her Elmo DVDs to find the particular episode she wanted that morning.  As the coffee was brewing I began working through my joint mobility routine in the kitchen.  Each joint from neck down to ankles and toes is rotated through its entire range of motion to flush the joints with synovial fluid and increase blood flow to the surrounding muscles.  This has the effect of lubricating the joints and removing the “rust”, as well as awakening the entire body.

As interest in her Elmo episode waned and Juliana wandered off to “read” her books and play with toys, I began working through San Shin no Kata, the Bujinkan basic movement exercises.  Each movement was practiced stationary, then walking forward and backward with emphasis on using the spine to generate power for the movements.

Mid-Afternoon

In the afternoon I took the kids to the playground.  My older daughter, Caitlin, rode her bike while I pushed the baby along in her little buggy.  As I walked each step was coordinated with breathing to work on breath capacity.  For example, inhale for 5-steps, hold on the inhale for 5-steps, exhale for 5-steps, then hold on the exhale for 5-steps.  This can be done continuously with the same pattern or you can alter the number of steps for each breath cycle up or down to make it easier or more challenging.  See my post entitled Breathing 101 for more breathing related exercises.  At the playground, in between pushing the kids on the swings and taking the little one down the slide, I used the monkey bars for random amounts of pull-ups and chin-ups.

Evening

Finally got the kids to bed around 8:30 and went down to the basement gym for my workout proper.  My current program is geared towards developing unarmed striking power and basic weapons work. 

• Brief joint mobility warm-up
• Suburi with Yari (spear) – 3 rounds of 10 thrusts from Seigan no Kamae, 10 thrusts from Jodan no Kamae, each side
• Suburi with heavy bokken – 3 rounds of 10 cuts from Jodan no Kamae, advancing and retreating
• Swipes with 15 lb clubbell – 3 sets of 10
• Mills with 15 lb clubbell (think omote shuto type movement) – 3 sets of 10
• Reverse Mills with 15 lb clubbell (think ura shuto type movement) – 3 sets of 10
• Clean to Order with 25 lb clubbell – 3 sets of 5 each arm
• Clean to Order with 45 lb clubbell – 1 set of 5 each arm
• 5 minutes of various yoga asana to cool-down

This is just a quick glimpse into a much larger program that I am testing on myself for eventual release.  For more information on my previous programs, please check out my ebook, Warrior Fitness: Conditioning for Martial Arts.

Related posts:

1. Ukemi Flow Conditioning Workout
2. Sometimes It’s OK to Not Follow the Program
3. Unlocking Flow in Your Taijutsu Practice

Warrior Fitness Longevity Program

Please remember that there are no “one-size-fits-all” programs and that this was created specific to a friend’s needs.  It can, however, serve as an example and a template for you to program your own training.  As always, please feel free to contact me here or in the comments section below if you need any help or have any questions.

Related posts:

1. Fitness Requirements for Bujinkan Martial Arts Training
2. User Guide to the Workouts of the Week
3. Fitness Requirements for Bujinkan Martial Arts Training – part 2

The Routine

Joint Mobility 

This has the effect of increasing synovial fluid to lubricate the joints while at the same time increasing blood flow to the surrounding muscles.  For the quick version we will concentrate on the neck, shoulders, hips, and spine.

Neck:

1. Up/Down – lift up from crown of head; slide down along plane of jaw for 3 to 6 repetitions.
2. Left/Right – turn head as far left as possible without pain, turn as far right as possible for 3 to 6 repetitions.
3. Full circles in both directions.

Shoulders:

1. Roll both shoulders – lift shoulders up towards ears, roll backward fully articulating the range of motion (ROM), drop them down as far as comfortable for 3 repetitions, then repeat by rolling forward for 3 reps.
2. Alternate shoulder rolls – roll left shoulder back as described above while pushing right shoulder forward then switch.  Perform 3 times each.
3. Swing both arms as fast as possible windmilling them forward for 20 seconds then backward for 20 seconds.

Hips:

1. Circle hips clockwise and counter-clockwise 10 times in each direction.

Spine:

1. Keep the spine straight and fold forward at the hips, then rotate around to the left and back to center, then forward and around to the right.
2. Keep the spine straight and fold backward at the hips, then rotate around to the left and back to center, then forward and around to the right.

Energizing Breath

In this breathing exercise we will utilize a protocol founded by yoga and improved upon by Russian sport science and martial art.  Here the breath is divided into 3 levels: clavicular (upper level), intercostal (mid level), and diaphragmatic (lower level).  This exercise will focus only on the clavicular, or upper level.  For more information on breathing exercises, please see Breathing 101.

1. Exhale through the mouth in a short, quick burst by compressing the upper chest.
2. Do not actively inhale.  Allow the inhale to happen by relaxing the muscles in the chest.
3. Repeat rapidly 20 to 40 times.
4. Build up to where you can perform continuously for 60 seconds.
5. If you become dizzy, stop and sit down!

Slap Yourself Silly!

This is actually an ancient Qigong exercise designed to improve circulation and disperse stagnant energy.  The execution is pretty simple.  You may want to avoid practicing this in public though!

1. Gently, but vigorously, slap your shoulders, upper back, and lower back with the palms of the hands. 
2. Then slap down the inside of one arm and up the outside.  Switch arms. 
3. Slap down the outside of both legs – you can slap a little harder here – and up the inside.

Enjoy and Wake Up!

Related posts:

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2. Complete Warrior Fitness Training Program for Bujinkan
3. Ukemi Flow Conditioning Workout

Recently, as my own daily grind has become busier and busier, I have been finding just how effective mini workouts can be to fill in the gaps in one’s training.  These types of workouts are often overlooked because their brevity.  How can one possibly get a complete workout in 5 minutes?!  Well, you can’t.  But that’s not the point.  The effects of mini workouts is cumulative.  In other words, they add up over time.  They are not meant to completely replace your regular training, they are meant to enhance it and compliment it.  They are an effective way to keep yourself on track and focused while short on time.  Remember, the goal of the mini workout is not to be too complicated or over-involved.  Make them short, sweet, and to the point!

Examples of Mini Workouts

Here are just a few ideas I’ve found that make ideal mini workouts:

• 10 push-ups + 10 v-ups + 10 squats (repeat 3 x’s)
• Finger tip push-ups (see how many you can do)
• Tabata exercises (pick any one)
• 5 Kettlebell Snatches (each side) + 5 Kettlebell Swings (each side) + 10 Hindu Push-ups (repeat 3 x’s)
• Isometrics
• Breathing exercises
• Joint mobility work
• Pull-ups (5-4-3-2-1 rep scheme)

Mini Workouts for Martial Arts

The mini workout should be an essential aspect of any martial artist’s training.  It is said that great martial artists are training all the time.  Well known and respected masters from Musashi to Tesshu to Ueshiba toHatsumi Soke have constantly extolled the importance of solo-training and dedicated practice.  While mini workouts do not form a complete picture of solo- training, they do play an important role.  In the future, I’ll be sharing a more extensive look at solo-training for martial arts, particularly for Bujinkan practitioners.  But for now, here’s a short list to get you started:

• Ukemi practice – mix up rolls, change directions freely, roll over obstacles
• San Shin no Kata
• Solo flow drill – move continuously for 5 minutes. Flow from strikes to kicks to leaps to rolls, from kamae to kamae – be creative!
• Kamae work in a mirror
• Striking practice
• Junan taiso (see above!)

Make sure to make time for mini workouts!

Related posts:

1. Ukemi Flow Conditioning Workout
2. User Guide to the Workouts of the Week
3. How Dense are You?

Eric picked up another kettlebell and showed me the difference between what I was doing on my back swing and how it should be done correctly.  We then worked on keeping my back flat while bringing the bell back and then driving with the hips to swing the bell upwards.  After a practicing for a couple repetitions, I got it.  As Eric is fond of saying, “Kettlebell swings are not bad for your back.  The way YOU are doing them is bad for your back!”   Unless you ask questions and talk to a knowledgeable professional, you never know what you don’t know!

So, although I have done kettlebell swings for years, I still had something to learn from a coach.  Never assume you already know how to do something, even something as basic as a kettlebell swing!

Kettlebell Swing #1 - Approach

Kettlebell Swing #2 - Back Swing

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1. Warrior Fitness Workout of the Week #3
2. Warrior Fitness Workout of the Week #5
3. Create Your Own Adversity!