Martial arts masters who share the gift of inspiration with us radiate something we feel in their presence: We pick up a quality in them that resonates within ourselves. They are what we want to be. We recognize their high spiritual energy, which we long to have active in our life. When we meet a […]
Archive | Warrior Philosophy
Olympic Eye-Opener
Like many of you I am a fan of the magnificence of the Olympics. The athleticism and single-pointed dedication never cease to inspire me. As I watched ski champion Lindsey Vonn do her final Olympic ski run I was moved almost to tears as she spoke about this pivotal moment in her life. She was […]
1981 Interview with An-shu – 37 Years Later, Still Valid?
The following comes from a 1981 issue of Kick Illustrated magazine. I had some pretty bold and controversial opinions 37 years ago. How does this read today? I think I am still saying the same thing! Another area that Hayes feels is sadly neglected in current martial arts training is contemporary weapons. He stresses that […]
PLAY
Here is a little acronym that a friend of mine shared with me recently to remind us of essential components for managing our day-to-day life. P – Be present. Do your best to avoid being caught up in the past, worrying or obsessively anticipating the future. You have heard me refer to these habits as […]
Secret to Earning Your Third Degree Black Belt
To successfully pass a Third Degree Black Belt test in To-Shin Do, you want to be sure that you know and can perform the Third Degree training exercises. I am not being funny or cute here. I am being painfully direct. It seems that some teachers have their students test for Third Degree apparently without […]
Lighten Your Load
New year, new journey. As 2017 slips into the realm of memory it is the perfect time to practice clearing mental and emotional space to free up energy for the road ahead. It is so easy to find ourselves clinging to the past by way of both positive and negative memories. While positive memories can […]
Watch Yourself Grow
With the year coming to a close, many people (myself included) will create a list of goals to be accomplished for the next year. Among the goals I have for this next year are some To-Shin Do training goals, of course. (Hopefully you have a few of those as well!) And one of my To-Shin […]
Clear Goals
With the new year many people are making resolutions and setting goals for 2018. This thought reminded me of a conversation I overheard at festival this year right before the fire ceremony. Someone was asked if they were going to put a stick in the fire and their response was no because they had done […]
A Secret Tip from our Ancestors
Get out of the dojo and into nature now and then. No healthier way to discharge pent-up energies. The mind-body throws off its excess energies spontaneously when you remove yourself from the artificial confines of your everyday world. Find a green open space, an expansive view of sky and clouds, a lungful of pure air. […]
Control and Freedom
Why is it that far too often life leaves us feeling beat up? Well, stuff happens. In the tenets of Buddhist philosophy this is the fist of the four noble truths. No matter what we do things will happen that cause unhappiness. The key is to minimize the frequency and intensity of these experiences. To […]
Layers of Lessons
If you’ve been training for awhile in To-Shin Do, you already know that each and every kata example we practice, whether modern or historical, has layers of lessons built in. If you’ve trained with An-shu Hayes even once or twice, you’ve probably already noticed that his teachings are layered in lessons and never merely a […]
Women’s Self-Defense Warning
I’ve noticed an increase in Women’s Self Defense classes being offered recently. There is a need for them, however I wish to caution those of you offering them. There is a distinct difference between Women’s Self Defense, teaching structural and strategic ideas to a smaller person being attacked by a stranger, and dealing with intimate […]
Spreading the Word – Making a Difference
Through our work with the NinjaSelfDefense.com online training courses we have made learning the art of To-Shin Do available to everyone. Back in the early 80’s it was a very different world. I won’t bore you with stories of how I had to walk uphill barefoot in the snow both ways to and from class […]
Dual Approach to a Common Value
To-Shin Do was developed with two purposes in mind. First, it is a modern adaptation of ancient ninja combat art philosophies. The techniques have been matched to the most common pressing threats of the 21st Century. For that reason, many are not the same as those methods for battling aggressors in 15th Century Japan. We […]
Visceral Training
This year’s Festival theme brings to mind high stakes, terrifying, gut wrenching conditions. That’s what real self-defense feels like. The definition of visceral is: “relating to deep inward feelings rather than the intellect.” In other words, forget about analyzing, calculating, and thinking your way through it. The way you have conditioned yourself, the way you […]
