Skip to main content

6 ways to be a bad Bujinkan student

I refused to teach someone today.  He made one of the fatal errors that I discuss below.  This happens infrequently, but often enough that it makes me wonder about people.  It also gets me thinking about my own standards as a student and teacher in the Bujinkan.

Hatsumi Sensei made a remark once about how students deserve their bad teachers.  This sounds odd at first, until you've met these students or teachers.  How do students achieve this?

Not knowing why they want to learn a martial art.

It starts here.  This informs all your choices going forward.  If you lack this answer or the answer is one you are not willing to share in public, then time to reconsider your hobby.

Not researching the style.


They e-mail after reading my website "Can I ask you what style you teach?" Not only does my website describe our style with a brief history, it takes all of two seconds to type Bujinkan into google or wikipedia.  How can you determine if I am a good teacher if you are so uninformed you can't ask intelligent questions?

Not shopping for schools or teachers.

Seems obvious.  But many find the one that is: cheapest; closest; fills their empty Monday night slot; has cool trophies; or sells them hard.  Spend some time on yourself, shop around.

Not recognizing problem schools or situations.

Too many injuries.  The hard sell and having to pay months in advance for classes.  The teacher that doesn't teach, his senior students run the classes.  Insulting or humiliating atmosphere.  Unfocused curriculum.  The list is long and usually obvious after a few classes.

Not thinking for themselves.

Examine the style and teacher.  Does it make sense?  Does it work for you?  Are you better for having come to class?  Not every student fits with every teacher.  Martial arts are very personal pursuits.

Not taking charge of their own learning.


A teacher is simply a guide.  You choose how you learn and what you learn.  If you are missing something, ask.  If something needs clarification, research.  If you know you are unskilled in one area, focus your training there.  Don't wait for the teacher to read your mind.  The class you attend once or twice a week isn't enough.  Learning is an attitude.

and finally...

A teacher that accepts these flaws is a bad teacher.

So bad students and teachers deserve one another.

Comments

  1. Sensei,

    I have NEVER heard of being refused to be taught, in Bujinkan. This is new to me.

    I wonder if there are any stories of Hatsumi sensei refusing to teach.

    ReplyDelete
  2. If this is new to you, then you don't have much experience with the Bujinkan...

    And I won't say why specifically I refused this person because I don't want to embarrass them, but suffice it to say, they were a danger to themselves and other students.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What is the best way to deal with a school that falls exactly into the category above of a problem school. Not talking so much as a student as I remove myself from the danger but from how the BJK treats such dojo.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello Anonymous, that is a good question.

    The Bujinkan is not any kind of monolithic organization that has official policies on dealing with problem students or schools. In my experience, if someone is a problem, we all make sure to let each other and new students know about it.

    People develop reputations and those become common knowledge, so hopefully students will steer clear of such problems.

    But, reputation is always a matter of opinion, so while many people may think a certain teacher or school is a problem, there are others who do not. As always, it comes down to developing your own skills at making a good judgement.

    This is a lesson in itself.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bujinkan Daikomyosai Party and Training Themes from Japan

What are the current Bujinkan Themes? For my second week of Japan training, I begin with a visit to 上野東照宮 Ueno Tōshōgū. This shrine was built in 1627, and enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu. I have visited many times, but they did an extensive remodel a few years ago. This was my first time going beyond the 唐門 Karamon and into the grounds. The entire 本殿 Honden is covered in gold leaf and looks spectacular with the gingko leaves fluttering down around me. Michael Glenn at 上野東照宮 Ueno Tōshōgū Later that night, I arrived a bit early for Nagase Sensei’s class. He had moved the class time back 45 minutes so I took the opportunity to review my notes from the prior class. He has been working with 十方折衝 juppō sesshō and the directions for 天地人 Tenchijin and the sanshin within it. He described many aspects of Tenchijin. He would control his opponent at three points, high, middle, and low. He told us the Ten direction is 天照大御神 Amaterasu ōmikami. The Chi direction is 国常立尊 Kunitokotachi no mi

The Sound of Bujinkan 変化 Henka

One Friday night back in the old Honbu Dojo, Hatsumi Sensei moved to a very high level of training right from the start. After he asked someone to demo, he immediately went into counter attacks using his fingertips. And he said to be playful. Hatsumi Sensei painted and hung a scroll in the corner of the dojo. He did this every year to express the yearly theme. This year it was 神韻武導 Shin'in Budō . You can read this as Budō of exceptional artistry. Or, when you look at the characters for Shin'in, it could be a Budō that expresses the sound of the heart, the soul, or even  the kami. 神韻武導 Shin'in Budō, Bujinkan Honbu. photo Michael Glenn   Earlier that afternoon, I had made a pilgrimage of sorts to visit 矢切の渡し Yagiri-no-Watashi. The ferry that has been taking passengers across the Edo river for nearly 400 years. The Tokugawa shogunate did not build bridges over rivers to protect Edo. Ferry boats leading to the highway were strictly controlled, but ferries for farmers who had fa

Japan Report One 令和5年

Every Bujinkan trip I make to Japan feels like a gift. And I always share that with you all in my Japan reports. This trip, I decided to video a lot. Like every day. So there will be quite a few of these. The only issue is that it takes me time to edit all of this video, so these Japan reports may spread out into next year. The first video is here:  Japan Report One 令和5年 The first day of any Bujinkan trip to Japan starts with a marathon. 20 hours of travel by Plane train, and automobile. Also, a lot of walking with a heavy backpack up and down stairs, through airports and train stations, and of course to the Honbu Dojo! Because I’m crazy, I arrived at the airport and went straight to Noguchi Sensei’s class. The class was smallish, maybe 20 people. I was a little shaky on my feet so I slammed some milk tea to get my energy back up. I partnered with Mario From Croatia. Noguchi began with 中伝之捌型 Chūden no Sabaki Gata from 高木揚心流 Takagi Yoshin Ryū. He put a lot of focus into what the opposit