“Taijutsu’s very free with its movement. Nothing’s set. There is no strong and weak. The most important thing is to survive.”
– Soke Masaaki Hatsumi, Bujinkan
Studying self-defence is done for varied circumstances. Using the principles of natural movement allows for a free and intuitive response, techniques are ‘allowed’ to happen, free from concern about form or doing the movement ‘correctly’. The aim is for training to be practised with the right feeling; form will ‘dissolve’ and become infinite – without beginning or end. Rather than looking good, or making a technique ‘work’, it is about coping with the stress of the encounter, allowing yourself to flow with it. What is also important is the right mindset. While training in the dojo can never replicate a real encounter, it can and does help prepare the mind and body to cope better.
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