A funny story hit the news today, in which it was reported by Japanese magazine SPA that Steve Jobs had some metal ninja shuriken throwing stars confiscated by the Japanese version of TSA security as he boarded his private jet back to America from Kyoto. Minutes after the story broke, I was phoned by reporter […]
An-shu Stephen K. Hayes visited Boulder to teach a seminar at a wonderful new facility that continues the long-honored To-Shin Do tradition of immaculate, impeccably decorated training halls with great instructors and a mat full of wonderful students.
Two men train to win fights. One fights to beat other men and receive glory and treasure. He fights for himself. The other fights when forced to defend those who are wrongfully endangered. He fights for others. Both are fighters. Is one more noble than the other? There is certainly a place in martial arts […]
I am working with long-time friend Leo Dokutoshi Pimentel to re-establish a dojo in NYC. Interested in helping start a place for To-Shin Do in Manhattan? Kick-off was a workshop 2-4 pm Sunday Aug 8 at a friend’s aikido dojo in Chelsea, covering secrets for ninja “unperceived action” in unarmed defense, and a mind & […]
I opened my seminar in Tournai, Belgium, this morning with the observation that there are 3 key aspects present when any lesson, class, or seminar is truly to be of value to the learners. There needs to be: Caring teacher who loves seeing learners advance, knowledgeable and tuned in to the importance of providing a […]
I am in Las Vegas today speaking to the Martial Arts Industry Association (MAIA), 1,500 professional martial arts school owners and instructors. My topic is “Taking Care of the Master”, and I am offering four suggestions for overcoming professional burnout. So often, a professional martial arts teacher spends so much time and energy encouraging his […]
I was asked by a friend, “You said most of the top seniors you used to train with in your teacher’s dojo in Japan in the 1970s are no longer training in that teacher’s dojo. Why do so many top skilled students in the martial arts training hall so often leave the dojo once the […]
The Dalai Lama teaching on the Heart Sutra was live-stream broadcast on the internet and taped for later viewing. You can find all 3 teaching sections – each one well over 2 hours – on-line at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6858067 Session 1 has a no-sound glitch for the first 12 minutes. You get to “watch me talk” as […]
“Shi-kin Hara-mitsu Dai-ko-myo” is our training hall motto. Inherited from my martial arts teacher in Japan and his teacher before him, it is an inspirational phrase we shout in front of the kamiza to start and close SKH Quest To-Shin Do Level 3 and Level 4 classes. I have translated the phrase as, “Everything I […]
We discussed the movie “Ninja Assassin” in an earlier blog post. I got a lot of strong comments about what the movie was and what it could have been. Did you get a copy of the “Ninja Assassin” movie on Blu-Ray? Be sure you check the “Additional Features” section on the menu. Blu-Ray only; not […]