About
About
Taijutsu:
Classical Japanese Martial Arts
Taijutsu encompasses all manner of movement and close combat including striking, kicking, grappling, leaping and rolling, in a safe and friendly atmosphere. Our training focuses largely on movement efficiency and practical applications of traditional techniques. We foster a training environment that is non-competitive, while still integrating elements of training against live resistance to "stress test" the techniques learned. Taijutsu also includes weapon training with objects such as blades, blunt weapons, projectiles, and more.
Related Workshops
Escape for
Self-Protection
This workshop is for learning how to protect yourself by disengaging and escaping. You will learn how to identify the 3 different types of violence, basic, easy to learn techniques that allow you to easily to break away from someone trying to restrain you, even if they are stronger or more skilled. Most importantly you are learning the difference between a fighting mentality and an escape mentality when responding to dangerous situations. This workshop is taught by a licensed Ninjutsu instructor with over 15 years of experience.
Taijutsu
Fundamentals
A course of 4 classes focused on the fundamental techniques and principles of Taijutsu including striking & kicking, joint controls & grappling, flowing between combative postures, leaping, rolling, break-falls, and more. Each class begins with stretching, breathing exercise, & some basic movements.
Traditional Rules
The rules of Shinden Fudo-ryu are:
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Have the wisdom to be patient during inaction.
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Live your life according to the path of Justice.
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Do not let natural qualities of life, like greed, pain, sorrow, resentment, or comfort control your heart.
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Cultivate Fudoshin (immovable heart).
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Hold your loyalties close to your heart, and aspire equally in the ways of the pen and the sword.
The main teachings of Togakure-ryu are:
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Avoid violence.
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Ninpo is Bujutsu.
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Use the sword for peace.
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Protect country, family, and nature.
The nine rules of Gyokko-ryu are:
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Guard your nation with your life.
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Fear not death, practice patience, and forget self.
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Do not show your enemy when you are in danger.
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Maintain a spirit of indomitable perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds.
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Serve and protect those around you.
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Be aware that vices like greed & self-pity affect your better judgement.
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Be aware that substances like drugs & alcohol affect your better judgement.
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Take your enemy's power, but leave them their life.
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Only teach what the master has given you permission to teach.
Training Focus
Ukemi Taihenjutsu
The science of locomotion from a martial perspective. This includes rolling, breakfalls, inversions, climbing, leaping, running, and walking techniques.
Striking, Kicking, & Blocking
Develop your skill with a number of different strikes including elbows, knees, 9 fist formations, forehead, a few different kicking methods, and more. Learn pressure points and targets for each different strike, and how to strike with your body and fist as one.
Grappling
A focus on the science and application of joint-locking, pinning, throwing, choking, and tripping, as well as escaping from such techniques.
Escape for Self Defense (Hajutsu Kyuho)
This is about learning to use what you have even if you have no experience under your belt. Learn strategies for preventing and dealing with an assailant; different parts of your body to use in defense; three key targets to focus on; simple movements to escape attempts to restrain or attack you.
Basics of Bo Staff & Katana
The story goes that in the old days, a sword master would instruct his student to just practice a single overhead sword swing as many times as he can bear every day for a year before teaching the pupil anything else. In our classes we will focus on the eight basic sword cuts, bo staff basics, and the most basic of techniques with safe practice weapons. These classes are offered to our dojo members.
Nine lineages ... one art
Our art is comprised of nine distinct systems that teach the strategies and skills of the Samurai and Ninja of the Iga region of feudal Japan:
Shinden Fudo Ryū Dakentaijutsu
(神伝不動流打拳体術)
Takagi Yoshin Ryū Jūtaijutsu
(高木揚心流柔体術)
Kuki Shinden Ryū Happō Bikenjutsu
(九鬼神伝流八法秘剣術)
Togakure Ryū Ninpō Taijutsu
(戸隠流忍法体術)
Gyokko Ryū Kosshijutsu
(玉虎流骨指術)
Koto Ryū Koppōjutsu
(虎倒流骨法術)
Gikan Ryū Koppōjutsu
(義鑑流骨法術)
Gyokushin Ryū Ninpō
(玉心流忍法)
Kumogakure Ryū Ninpō
(雲隠流忍法)
What Do We Practice?
Our practice is can be categorized as follows:
Kosshijutsu
Finger Bone Technique
Kosshijutsu is a method of targeting the opponent's tendons, nerves, muscles, and ligaments using the extremities of your bones.
Jutaijutsu
Immobilizations & Projections
Jutaijutsu involves an emphasis of grappling techniques such as joint locks and dislocations, pins, throws, chokes, ground work, and evasive maneuvers against a variety of techniques. It has it's foundation in Koppojutsu & Kosshijutsu.
Taihenjutsu
Passive Defense
Taihenjutsu roughly translates as "techniques of changing the body". It is a system relying on positioning and movement to allow adaptation to different situations and environment. It involves safe-falling, rolling, jumping, hand balancing, running up and along vertical surfaces, climbing, as well as running methods. These techniques can be used in locomotion, much like parkour, as well as in combat, as the spacial and kinetic awareness that the practice of Taihenjutsu develops, allows one to escape or avoid injury from strikes, throws, joint locks, and pins, as well as slips and falls in mundane life.
Junan Taiso
Flexibility Conditioning
Junan Taiso means flexibility, or limbering exercise. It is an umbrella term for all mobilization exercises in Japanese. In the Bujinkan, we emphasize the Ryutai Undo, a practice developed by Soke Masaaki Hatsumi that emphasizes four key stretches and a few mindful movements to develop the flexibility and movement feeling required to perform proper Taijutsu.
Koppojutsu
Bone Structure Technique
Koppojutsu is a technique that utilizes the structure of your skeletal frame to affect the opponent's skeletal frame. One characteristic of this method is not to rely on grasping your opponent to apply techniques, and the use of striking pressure points.
Dakentaijutsu
Striking & Kicking
Another fighting style originating in Koppojutsu and Kosshijutsu that applies their principles to the context of close combat and striking with 16 different parts of the body as weapons.
Happo Bikenjutsu
Weapons Training
There are weapons used in many of the schools studied in the Bujinkan, but one that we emphasize is Kuki Shinden-ryu Happo Bikenjutsu. "Biken" means secret sword, and "Happo" roughly means eight ways. The eight ways of Bikenjutsu are: 1) Taijutsu 2) Bojutsu (staff) 3) Kenjutsu (sword) 4) Sojutsu (spear) 5) Boshurikenjutsu ( throwing spikes) 6) Naginatajutsu (halberd) 7) Kusarigamajutsu (rope or chain attached to a blade) 8) Tessenjutsu (Steel Fan/Short stick). We emphasize Taijutsu, Bojutsu, and Kenjutsu, but may delve into the study of the other weapons during workshops, special courses, and occasionally in class.
Kokyu Ho
Breathing Meditation
San-aun Kokyu Ho is a moving meditation focused on the breath. It involves three simple positions and movement to synchronize with your inhalation and exhalation.
Your Guide
Alex Schenker
Shidoshi
I have been studying and practicing Taijutsu since 2004. I teach classes, but consider myself a student first and continue to train with a senior instructor. I like to attend nearby seminars whenever I can; and try to plan trips to Japan every so often. Supporting and maintaining ties with other practitioners/dojos, and helping foster a tight-knit community is important to me.
I made my first trip to train at Bujinkan headquarters in Japan for a month in 2018. While I was there, I successfully passed my 5th degree black belt test, earning the title of Shidoshi; licensed instructor. I have been teaching classes since 2014 with the support of another Shidoshi as I prepared for my trip, and now teach independently.
I want to help new students develop a solid foundation in movement and martial arts. I also want to help seasoned student revisit their basics and continuously identify and eliminate inefficiencies and bad habits. My goal is to prepare people to protect themselves, but also to set them up to grasp the deeper aspects of our practice.
Certifications
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Budo Taijutsu Black Belt (5th Dan)
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MovNat Natural Movement Master Trainer - Level 3 Certification
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Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist Certification
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Shiatsu Therapy Diploma
Qualifications
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Bujinkan Shidoshi (Instructor Licensed by Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi)
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Natural Movement MovNat Certified Trainer (MCT)
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Licensed Shiatsu Therapist / Sotai Practitioner
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Kinseiryuhou Koshiki Kenbiki Basic Practitioner
Our Lineage
Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi
Soke (Grandmaster) of the 9 ryuha
Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi is the 34th Grandmaster of Togakure Ryu Ninpo Taijutsu, one of the 9 traditions inherited from his mentor, Takamatsu Toshitsugu sensei. He is the founder of the Bujinkan, an internatonal martial arts organization based on the 9 aforementioned martial traditions. He is in his late eighties and still training and teaching at least 3 days week. He has a long history in the martial arts and has taught seminars all over the world, receiving awards and letters of appreciation from many law enforcement organizations around the world such as the the FBI, SAS, and NSA. He has also received awards such as Japan's International Culture and Peace Award, Honorary Doctorate degrees in both Human Sciences and Philosophy, he is the only budoka to receive an Apostolic Blessing from the Vatican presented to him by Pope John Paul, he was also awarded Knighthood from Germany, and Honorary Texas Ranger, to name a few.
Takamatsu Toshitsugu Sensei
