“Those who desire only techniques will never understand this art. It is everything beyond that.”

-- Soke Masaaki Hatsumi

Welcome to this week’s Three-Tip Thursday, where I share three powerful takeaways from this week’s live teachings — short enough to read in minutes, but deep enough to train for a lifetime.
 

This week’s lessons come from the KUDEN! Radio episode “Turning Defeat Into Mastery — The True Meaning of Shi-No-Bi,” and Warrior’s Whiteboard Wednesday on “Winning from the Worst Positions: Strategic Self-Defense for Real-World Scenarios.”

🥋 Tip #1: Techniques Matter… But Only When You Know Why and When to Use Them

Many martial artists chase more techniques — but few ever learn the context each one solves.

Techniques are essential, but they’re only the answers to real-world problems. To use them correctly, you must first understand the question — the scenario and the intent behind the attack.
 

A punch, grab, or knife slash doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It happens for a reason, in a specific setting, and with a goal in the attacker’s mind.
 

When you train, ask:

• Why is this attack happening?
• What’s my real objective — escape, control, or protection?
• What’s the environment and outcome?
   

Once you see techniques as tools for context, not collectibles for a catalog, your training stops being mechanical — and starts becoming strategic.
 

🎧 Listen to the full episode: https://youtube.com/live/53-MVRqv3qU
  

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⚔️ Tip #2: Train Both Long-Game Awareness and Split-Second Assessment

“Be aware” isn’t enough — awareness has layers.
In Px8 Phase 1 (General Awareness), you study, plan, and understand the types of situations and environments where attacks occur — your routes, surroundings, and likely threats.

In Px8 Phase 2 (Situational Awareness & Decision-Making), you apply that knowledge in real time: reading cues, spotting intent, and choosing the right strategy fast.
 

Training at mastery level means developing both:
 

• Phase 1 (long-game): Know what to look for. Study your environment. Build your mental index of possible problems before they happen.
   
• Phase 2 (split-second): Practice reading micro-behaviors, positioning, and timing under stress. Drill zanshin — that calm, alert focus that lets you see before others react.
   

📍 Try this today:
Choose one familiar place — parking lot, gas station, grocery store.
Identify two potential hazards, two exits, and one pre-planned action script (“If X happens, I will Y”).

Then run a 10-second visualization: notice a cue, make a decision, take action, and finish with a 360° Zanshin scan.
 

🧠 Result: You train not just to “see danger,” but to read it — and respond before it owns you.
 

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtube.com/live/53-MVRqv3qU

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🧭 Tip #3: Make Shi-No-Bi Your Training Formula — Will · Skill · Readiness

The ancient spelling of Shi-No-Bi (志能備), the way it was written long before we used the single kanji everyone's familiar with (忍), literally means:
Will → Ability → Readiness.
 

It’s the Ninja’s formula for mastery — and the mindset that turns defeat into growth.
 

Will — Choose to prepare, no excuses.

Ability — Train adaptable, flexible skills that work under pressure.

Readiness — Keep yourself equipped — mentally, physically, and spiritually — to act when life tests you.
 

💡 Try this tonight: Write one micro-commitment:
“If grabbed from behind, I will stomp, turn, and move toward light.”
“If I see trouble while seated, I will pivot out and use the chair as a barrier.”

Small acts of preparation build the habits that win when everything goes wrong.

If you missed this week's full teaching on the older Shi-No-Bi (志能備) definition, you can catch it here: https://youtube.com/live/dIm5My8Bp20

🚨 Next Step — Put It Into Practice

Join me Friday for the Two-on-One Escape Masterclass, where we’ll apply all of this in three real scenarios:

• Rear bear-hug while a second attacker strikes from the front
• Arms restrained and led toward a waiting vehicle
• Two attackers moving in and trying to out-maneuver you!

🎟️ Register here: https://onlineninjaacademy.com/two-on-one-escape-masterclass

Thanks for reading — and for continuing to train not just harder, but smarter.
 

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to training with you again soon!

“We are either exactly what we choose to be, or exactly what we have allowed ourselves to become.”

Dai-Shihan Miller
 

P.S. Follow the KUDEN! Radio podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio — and subscribe on YouTube to catch every new live training and tactical insight.