Volume 1, Issue 1 Spring 2007

Nine Demons,Eight Weapons

Bujinkan literally translates as the "Divine Warrior House."While Bujinkan is taught as a single martial art, it is made up ofnine separate schools of combat. Every year, the Founder andGrand-master (Soke) of Bujinkan, Soke Masaaki Hatsumi, choosesone of the nine schools upon which to focus the entire Bujinkancommunity.

2007 is the year of Kukishinden Ryu Happo Hikenjutsu.Kukishinden Ryu is "nine demons' divine transmission school,"and Happo Hikenjutsu translates as "eight secret weapons arts."

Kukishinden Ryu Happo Hikenjutsu is a Samurai battlefieldart. Techniques are executed with the assumption that the com-batants are wearing armor; therefore, most movements are lat-eral and angling movements, meant to bring a shoulder plate for-ward while stepping off of the line of the attack; and many attacksenter from below, i.e. from underneath armor and weapons. Theweapons used can be quite large, including spear and halberd.

The techniques in Kukishinden ryu are said have come fromChina and “the land beyond China”. Historians speculate that itwas founded in the 12th Century. This system was also used as anaval art, and consequently the movements are well suited foruse on ships where the footing may be slippery, and the deck may

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JING News

J ING Inst i tute, LLC 8666 Commerce Avenue , San Diego , CA 92121Phone 858-578-8267, www.J INGinst i tute.com, info@JINGins t i tute.com

Buj inkan Anaguma Dojo 8666 Commerce Ave, San Diego, CA 92121Phone 619-247-7656, www.BujinkanAnagumaDojo.com, info@BujinkanAnagumaDojo.com

The sharpness of the sword re-sults from diligent grinding;

The fragrance of the plum blos-som stems from the bitter-ness of winter.

This famous couplet signifiesdiligence and dedication; it is a reminderthat sweet rewards may require bittereffort.

A Chinese couplet is a shortpoem composed of two matchingphrases illustrating the same idea twodifferent ways. They are read top-to-bottom, right then left.

Our own calligraphy of thiscouplet was written for Siu-Fong Evansby her uncle in China. It is placed at theentrance of JING to encourage us all:practice thoughtfully, consistently, andpersistently — then you will be sharp,and your rewards will be sweet!

Swords and Blossoms

2007 will mark the fourth year thatJING has hosted a Taiji Seminar by MasterChen Sitan. This year, he will teach 42-TaijiSword on August 18 & 19.

The 42-Taiji Sword form was cre-ated by the Chinese Martial Arts ResearchInstitute as a competition form. As such, it isof compulsory length and difficulty; it incor-porates Yang Style, Wu Style, Chen Style,Wudang Taiji Sword, and other Taiji swordstyles; it contains 22 sword techniques, 10stances, and 3 ways of exerting power (fajing 发劲).

The real reason we love 42-TaijiSword, though, is because it so perfectlycaptures the traditional spirit of Taiji: its gen-tle, fluid movements embody stillness in mo-tion, hardness in gentleness, and use of mindover use of force. It is a truly beautiful form.

Master Chen Sitan has studied the42-Taiji Sword form for many years, and weat JING Institute are eagerly looking forwardto learning from him. Below is an excerptfrom a 2005 interview of Master Chen, re-garding what he considers the most impor-tant concepts to teach and learn in Taiji:

“For complete beginners, startfrom zero, from theory: what are the mainprinciples of Taiji, what are the hand posi-

tions, the leg postures, the very basic intro-ductory material. At the same time, how towalk, all the walks, must all be learned clearlybefore teaching the full movements. For ex-ample, Part the Wild Horse’s Mane, BrushKnee Push Step, Grasp the Bird’s Tail. Donot be over-eager to learn the entire form; itis most important to develop a strong foun-dation.

“To students who know a little bit,the focus will be upon making corrections totheir form. Also, teach them the smoothconnections from movement to movement;do not allow them to show a breaking of

energy, of flow; and the coordination ofbreath-movement, hand-leg, ‘completed pos-tures energy’, ‘full energy’, etc.

“To advanced students, talk abouteye spirit, grace (including rhythm), and indi-vidual style, and actual level; look at all thesethings, and find where the strengths are andallow the student to further develop them.”

If you would like to join the seminar,please register with Chris or Jing Jing as early aspossible. More information is athttp://www.sdtaichi.com/events.html

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be rocking back and forth.Kukishinden Ryu Happo Hi-

kenjutsu may also have helped developanother art:Aikido. Thefounder ofmodern Aikido,Sensei Ueshiba,studied Kuki-shinden RyuHappo Hikenjutsu from theKuki family inhis youth.

Formore informa-tion, talk toLance, Bill, orLaura!

...Nine Demons

Soke Hatsumi

PAGE 2 J ING NEWS VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

42-Taiji Sword Seminar:

The Prince of TaijiMaster Chen Sitan

Application training atJING is going great, if you can tellby all the giggles that ensue whenChris hollers “Grab a partner!”

In the past few months,students have started learninghow to hit straight and kick withpower; how to take down oppo-nents of any size; and to keeptheir guard up before Chris“reminds” them to keep it up!

Next, we put on Spar-ring Gear and start… practicingon each other! If you want tojoin in on the fun, talk to Chris!

JING Wushu

Sanshou& Qinna!

Watch out for the Fearsome Bags & Pads...

Stretches forHips & Ankles

Martial Arts are great forbuilding awareness of joint and muscleflexibility. Many seemingly simple stancesand movements require a larger range ofmotion than normally used, or physicallypossible, without either plenty ofpractice, good genes, or both.

Two often-ignored butextremely important joints are Hips andAnkles: you need flexible hips for insideand outside kicks, for comfortableempty stances, for angled kicks, forreasonable drop stances, and good-looking most-other-stances; and youneed flexible ankles for drop stances,empty stances, and to smoothly slideinto every other stance!

Here are some simplestretches to practice whenever possible.Remember: it’s good for you!

Congratulations are in order!Congratulations to Erich Gru-

hne on joining the Teaching Staff of JING!Erich has been in the martial arts sincechildhood, though he only started doingWushu and Taiji here at JING. He gradu-ated from the JING Leadership Develop-ment Program last winter, and has beenteaching since early this year. While Erich isa patient and enthusiastic teacher with eve-rybody, we have found him to be especiallygood with children. Thanks for being withJING, Erich!

Congratulations to Steve Marti-nez and Bill Tran (Little Bill!), on joiningthe ranks of JING Performers of Taiji! Lit-tle Bill (not to be confused with Big Bill orMedium Bill) has survived almost 4 years ofharsh training under Jing Jing, and bouncedback from a non-martial-arts-related knee

injury just in time to learn new sets withwhich to grace the stage. Steve Martinezhas studied various types of martial artsfrom Florida to California, and brings hisprofessional musical rhythm to bear on hisTaiji. He has already choreographed andperformed a fabulous duo Taiji Sun-Styleset with Little Bill, and we are eager to seemore. Steve, Little Bill: you guys rock!

Congratulations also to the Win-ter 2007 graduates of the JING LeadershipDevelopment Program! Genesis Hearne,Kaitlin McNeil, Krishangi Groover,Mario Ceballos, Matthew Tay, andSteve Martinez — you all did great, andwe look forward to your growth at JING!

Congratulations!Erich, Steve, Little Bill, and the Winter 2007 LDPs!

PAGE 3J ING NEWSVOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

Hip & Gluteus Stretch #2: Lie on yourback and cross the ankle of one leg overthe knee of the other. Use your knee (orhands!) to push the ankle inwards, towardsyour chest.

Groin Stretch aka Middle Splits: You candrop down into these, or you sit and reachyour chest forward.Frog Splits: Kneel and push your knees outto each side as far as they will go. Keep yourtorso 90° to your thighs, your thighs 90° toyour lower leg, and press your hips down!

Hip & Gluteus Stretch #1: Sit on theground and cross your legs, ankle overthigh (the bottom leg may be bent orstraight). Push the “top” hip into the floorand reach your chest down to the “top”foot. Ankle and Calf Stretch: Put the ball

of one foot on a curb, and use yourweight to try to push your heel down.You can also do this against walls.

Everything Stretch: Drop Stances use all sorts of leg, hip, and ankle flexibility. Keepboth feet flat on the ground, and use an elbow to keep your bent knee pushed out overthe foot; then reach your chest forward and down, towards the extended foot, whichshould be 90° to the stance. Keep you head up and eyes focused on your toes!

J ING Inst i tute , LLC8666 Commerce Avenue

San Diego, CA 92121Phone 858-578-8267

Web www.J INGinsti tu te .comEmai l in fo@JINGinst i tu te .com

Buj inkan Anaguma Dojo8666 Commerce AveSan Diego, CA 92121

Phone 619-247-7656Web www.BujinkanAnagumaDojo.comEmail info@BujinkanAnagumaDojo.com

Upcoming EventsMay

First Week of May:

13th Dan Shihan Duncan Stewart will be co-teaching Bujinkan. For more information, emailinfo@BujinkanAnagumaDojo.com or call 619-247-7656.

May 12, Saturday

“Worldly” world music festival at the Museum ofMan in Balboa Park. JING will be providing performancesof Wushu, Taiji, & Traditional Chinese Music. Ticketsmay be purchased in advance from JING or fromwww.museumofman.org

May 19-20, Saturday & Sunday

San Diego Grand International Martial Arts Com-petition This is a great opportunity to see and meetwith all different sorts and styles of martial arts andartists.

And if any Wushu or Taiji students are interested incompeting, talk to Chris or Jing Jing!http://www.prokenpo.com/sd_menu.html

May 25-27, Friday-Sunday

9th Annual International Chinese Martial ArtsChampionship at the Gaylord Palms resort in Florida.Siu-Fong Evans will be giving a seminar and judging, andwelcomes students to go to this beautiful Championshipwith her!http://www.kungfuchampionship.com/

May 28, Monday

Memorial Day Holiday

June

June 21 - June 30

Journey to Japan! Shidoshi Lance and Sensei Bill willbe taking students to Japan on a 9-day trip to train withSoke Hatsumi and his senior students. For more infor-mation or to register, emailinfo@BujinkanAnagumaDojo.com or call 619-247-7656.

August

August 18-19, Saturday & Sunday

Chen Sitan 42-Taiji Sword Seminar. Read the arti-cle on Page 2, and sign up with Chris or Jing Jing as soonas possible to receive Early Registration. There are nopre-requisites for this seminar — it is open to all thosewho want to train with the Prince of Taiji!http://www.sdtaichi.com/events.html

Speak!Chinese

你好 Ní Hăo. (nee how) — Hello.

早上好 Zăoshàng hăo! (tsow shong how) — Good morning!

谢谢 Xìexie! (see-yeah see-yeah) — Thank you!

不谢 Bú xìe! (boo see-yeah) — You’re welcome!

很好 Hěn hăo. (hun how) — Very good.

不好 Bù hăo. (boo how) — Not good.

Japanese

こんにちは Konnichiwa. — Hello.

おはよう Ohayou! — Good morning!

ありがとう Arigatou! — Thank you!

どういたしまして Dou-itashimashite. — You’re welcome.

The JING Ｌｅａｄｅｒｓｈｉｐ

ＤｅｖｅｌoｐｍｅｎｔＰｒｏｇｒａｍ

To sharpen critical thinking, teaching,communication, leadership and business skills,

and to further share and develop Chinese martialarts and culture, locally and internationally.

Apply with Chris.