Santa's CrAzY 2022 Ninjutsu Training plan
Published: Sat, 12/25/21
I know it's Christmas night and you probably want to go to bed (I do too!) but I HAVE to tell you about this crazy little guy who showed up at my door tonight.
He was short, about 2 feet tall.
He also had weird shoes that curled at the toe.
And even more weird, he had pointy ears.
I asked him who he was and he said he was a messenger from Santa! Apparently, Santa is interested in expanding his martial arts horizons and, given that there isn't a dojo at the North Pole, he wants to study Ninjutsu as a long distance student now. But... he's worried about knowing where to start, his busy work schedule and increasing age has him doubting whether he can do it, and he's understandably concerned about staying on track and knowing whether or not he's doing things correctly given that he won't be seeing his teacher in a dojo regularly and knows he'll need regular feedback to be successful.
And he wanted my advice.
So here's what I told this messenger to tell Santa:
1. Have a clear and powerful WHY!
I told the messenger to tell Santa to really think about WHY he wants to do this, because his WHY will be THE thing that will help keep him going when things like doubt, challenges, obstacles, etc. inevitably pop up along the way.
2. Establish a dedicated place to train!
A spare room, corner of the garage or back yard, or even if it's a temporary space made by shifting furniture out of the way for a few minutes, having a dedicated place to train will make it more real! And to make this even more powerful; the addition of a symbol, picture, or decoration that represents the art and study will serve as a central focal point for his intentions and goals!
Having a clear understanding about what he's studying - what is and is not Ninjutsu based on historical, traditional standards - will be very helpful as well.
They are WAY too many perspectives (and not all right) that can cause confusion, especially if he just starts searching around the internet.
If he needs advice on that, he should check out my Ninja no Hachimon ('8 Gates of Authentic Ninjutsu Training') ebook on sale this week.`
3. Start your training with not just the "basics," but on defending yourself against the most common attacks you're most likely to face.
He doesn't have to try to figure this out, he can do my Foundations of Ninja Self-Defense program instead, that's fine.
I said to tell Santa this is NOT based on just another Ninjutsu instructor's beliefs and preferences, but my real-world experience.
It's based on using this art in dealing with actual violent attackers...on the street...where it matters most!
4. Make a training schedule!
In other words...
Understanding that, as a long distance student who doesn't have the luxury of having a dojo next to his workshops, and a set offering of scheduled classes, Santa will have to commit to train regularly to see regular and consistent progress.
5. Stop trying to do it yourself!
Let's face it.
All those YouTube videos and freebie lessons are confusing and, yes, distracting!
And by having a teacher who can guide you step-by-step along the way, you always know where you are, what you should be working on, and what's next on the path.
After all, if you trained in a dojo, you'd train in that one dojo and not jump from school to school all over town would you?
Anyway, so that's that.
This is the plan I have for Santa.
We'll see if he listens going into 2022.
Have a GREAT Christmas.
And I look forward to training with you again very soon!
In Mastery!
Dai-Shihan Miller