During this episode of KUDEN! Radio, we’re going to be taking a look at the first of several aspects and actions needed for Mastery in the Ninja’s arts which align perfectly with the Chinese zodiac animal and conditioning element of the coming year. We’ll also take a look at several very powerful quotes from Hatsumi […]

In this episode we’ll be diving into the world of the Ninja’s psychological warfare, advanced levels and forms of “power” and “control,” and how to manipulate and influence the thoughts, decisions, and actions of others without anyone knowing that you’re doing anything at all. More than just self-defense and personal combat “tricks,” these skills can […]

Within the Shinobi Warrior’s philosophical underpinnings – the life-mastery and wisdom teachings that cover the “OTHER HALF” of TOTAL training – is the study of what many call “the Human Condition.” Called by different names across as many lineages, this is known as Seishin Teki Kyoyo – ‘personal development, clarity, and spiritual refinement’ – within […]

This is part 3 in our 3-part miniseries on the Togakure Ninja school’s principle of “never engaging the enemy head-on”. as well as the deception tactics that “nothing is ever what it looks like”. During this episode, we’re going to continue our look into these principles by exploring what they look like when used by […]

When the art of the Ninja exploded onto the scene in the early ‘80s here in the Western-world, everything… everywhere was about “Ninjutsu” and how it was different from nearly every other conventional (read: ‘modern’) martial art. But, along the way a shift occurred and, ever since then, there has been a debate about whether […]

Ever since the art’s introduction to the Western world, it has always been easy for folks, both inside and outside the art, and especially those coming from more conventional martial arts backgrounds, to try and relate to and/or translate Ninjutsu through that lens. What this means is trying to see Ninjutsu as another head-to-head / […]

It’s easy to understand physical distance, known generally as MAAI in Japanese, regardless of whether we’re talking about a carpenter or other tradesman measuring off a certain length of wood or tubing to make sure things fit, or the distance between our body and that of our assailant in a self-defense situation. It’s also one […]

Discover the “unseen” skills that set Ninjutsu apart from other martial arts in this episode of KUDEN! Radio. This week, we dive deep into the advanced art of “sensing” unseen danger—a skill famously tested for in the Bujinkan’s 5th Dan Sakki Test—and explore three other powerful perception abilities that extend Ninjutsu beyond mere physical defense. […]

Every master teacher I have ever trained with had a saying – something which summarized their approach to training, and a very important, core lesson they wanted students to “get,” through their study and practice. During this episode I’ll share some of these gems that I’ve received from several of my own teachers – focusing […]

Part of the art of enduring and persevering, in fact right there in the name: Ninjutsu, is a key element to being able to “weather any storm.” And, without it, one cannot really say that they are, or are really working on becoming, a true “Ninja.” During this episode, we’re diving into just how students […]