To master anything, it’s important to have a solid foundation, a firm foundation from which to build your expertise. And, if you’re looking to do more than just learn ninjutsu, if you really want to be able to use your skills for more than impressive young students in the dojo or spotters at a demo, then you need to focus your attention on some key. pieces of the “domain equation”.
One such “piece” is the concept of kamae (“mind/body/spirit attitudes”) – the stances or stances of Ninpo-taijutsu, “the bodily abilities of the Ninja.”
Unlike the conventional “stances” seen in conventional karate and other martial arts, Ninja’s kamae are not static poses from which to launch your punches and kicks. In fact, they are quite the opposite.
The Ninja’s kamae are “living” things – states of being that reflect, in an external form, what is going on in the heart of the shadow warrior. Just as our bodies reflect our internal emotional state when we are angry, happy or bored, the Ninja’s fundamental postures correspond and relate to what we are thinking and how we feel within the situation in which we find ourselves.
One of the fundamental ninpo-taijutsu kamae introduced to intermediate students on the path to Black Belt is the Bobi no Kamae. Like all proper kamae training, students learn more than just how to “stay in this position.” They also learn the feeling behind the form and the psychological and strategic application of the form.
A basic outline of the Ninja bobi no kamae
Bobi no Kamae means “defensive stance/stance” in French. He hails from the Koto-Ryu, one of the 9 main lineages that make up modern Ninjutsu training, as passed down through Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi’s Bujinkan Dojo.
As an aspect of the Koto-Ryu (“Tear Down the School of the Tiger”), Bobi has certain qualities and was developed within a particular context that coincides with the general strategic and philosophical perspective that this lineage has on combat and survival in the world. combat. And, although this stance is often confused with the Shoshin no Kama learned as part of a student’s training in the Gyokko-ryu Sanshin no Kata, they are actually two very different “stances.”
This is very important when studying anything about lineages. Knowing “why” something was developed allows you to not only apply it correctly, but also develop the mindset of a warrior who thinks about resolving a situation from a strategic, rather than a mechanical, step-by-step perspective.
Like any other kamae, Bobi is not chosen as such. He assumes himself in response to our feelings and intentions arising from the situation, the environment, and the attacker’s movements. What this means is that, outside of the most basic levels of training, your kamae is not chosen by you, but by the situation you find yourself in.
That being said, to take on the physical “form” of Bobi no Kamae, start by aligning your torso towards your assailant. She does this by stepping back with her right foot so that her feet are approximately hip-width apart. Place your feet in the universally stable “L” position with your forward foot/toes pointing toward the center (spine) of your attacker.
Next, place your back hand, your right hand in this case, on your right hip, like a Boshi-ken (‘sword point’ or ‘stick finger’ fist). The lead arm is extended towards the opponent, with the hand open and the fingers “plugged” into his heart.
There are many more details to go into with this kamae, but the important aspect is the inner momentum that this stance creates. And that feeling is “I’m ready for you!”
Many people have a hard time reconciling the idea of ”defensive” with the attitude of this kamae. But we must remember that while the translation may be simple, the actual state is more dynamic than mere words can describe. Instead of looking at this from the perspective of simply “defensive”, which could imply a fearful or “hiding” attitude, a covering attitude, a better translation might be “on defense” or “On defense”, as in the case of defensive players. We have a sports team.
In this sense, the attitude is not one of fear, but of “stop”: having the attitude of acting to prevent the opponent from succeeding.
As you can see, there is much more to the Ninja self-defense method than just learning a bunch of punches, kicks, techniques, and in this case, stances. And this is just one of the Ninja’s defensive stances!