Doing a quick headcount on randori in dojo, pls post.

[paradoxbox]

Hello, I'm just doing a quick poll to check how many dojo use sparring in their curriculum as opposed to how many that don't.

Whether or not you use randori, please post!

Post format should look like this:

Randori (or No Randori)
Genbukan (or Bujinkan, or Jinenkan, or Toshindo, or other)
3 classes per week (Frequency at which you use randori in your training)

(At the bottom place any further commends you have on randori in taijutsu, but under no circumstances should you post in this thread without providing the above info first, please!)

For the purposes of this thread, randori refers to full or almost full speed 'combat' with restrictions placed only on extremely dangerous moves. Extremely dangerous ought to be self explanatory, but nothing allowed that could too easily result in a death or broken bone (windpipe chokes, flying wristlocks, full speed kicks to locked knees, that kind of thing).

Randori, for the purposes of this post, is NOT 1, 2 or 3 step sparring, or limited speed sparring or anything similar to that.

If you have any thoughts on randori in taijutsu training please post your comments below your poll entry. I ask that you keep your comments polite even if you disagree with another poster.

The results of this poll will be collected, along with the comments, and used in an article on a ninpo website which I am developing.

Thanks!

[Kamiyama]

a, Randori or sparring is done at the beginning of every class with hand protection and mouth guards.
b, Dallas Ninjutsu Academy (Kamiyama Dojo Methodology).
c, Done in 2 classes per week.

The Dallas Ninjutsu Academy only has two general Japanese Bugei classes a week. The other class is traditional Japanese weaponry training and there is no sparirng or randori in that class.

Thanks,
ralph severe, kamiyama

[drizzt777]

I train 2 times during the week, 6-9 pm. We do some randori for the last 20 minutes of class. Usually, considering I have just opened the group, and have only 2 guys, we try to use the techniques we've already worked on in "what-if" situations. However, I do encourage them to be creative in attacks and defenses.

[paradoxbox]

Ralph, Randall, thank you for replying!

May I ask of both of you, if you could pick any single thing, what has doing randori done for your students, and yourselves, the most? If you could pick any one 'topic' such as footwork, balance, fluidity, etc.. Which would it be? And why do you feel that way?

Thanks. I invite everyone here to post, not just dojo leaders, even just students of a local dojo..!

[Kamiyama]

In my opinion, Randori has produced the qualities of a warrior in both the students and myself.
I couldn’t say for others but as the warrior heart is concerned… for me randori manifest courage of the heart to over come a crisis n the event of shock.
Physically at this time in my life it is just aerobic training because I no long fight for enjoyment like I use to.
It is a ‘total package’ of aerobics. Speed, timing, flexibility, balance, footwork, mental focus and mental relaxation, etc are all just parts of the game and I don’t really ponder that too much right now.
My power training comes from power lifting, makiwara and heavy bag workouts.
My personal observation of randori is that all honest warrior artists who are helping others must research randori-sparring on an on-going basis so not to breed illusion in them and pass it on to their students.
A few points I have notice with those I help is that they have a great deal more confidence with randori-sparring than without. Their timing is far greater under ‘real time’ motion. And their body seems to move more naturally.

ralph severe, kamiyama

[drizzt777]

Sorta in the same thing as Ralph's post. The following is my personal perspective only.

To me its enabled me to overcome shock when attacked (I had a problem with that when I first started training). Its also allowed for building in the following areas:

1) Distance - Being attacked allows one to learn where footwork and timing come into play.

2) Fluidity - Being attacked "ad-lib" as I put it, doesn't allow a student to be comfortable, because being attacked can be uncomfortable. It also keeps them from using strength or depending on other attributes to win. One of my students has been training only a month and he's already showing competence in this area, he countered with a tripping technique the other night when his partner was "playing around."

3) Mentality - To me teaches a student the necessary mentality needed in order to inflict bodily harm, or reserve themselves in certain cases.

4) Technique - To me teaches a student that they can't depend on one set way of doing things and shows them ways to variate their techniques accordingly.

5) Application - goes with #4, teaches a student to find their own methods of applying a technique/techniques.

Randori doesn't have to be hard or fast, but to me its learning how to focus one's intent and ability and make something work.

Ralph wrote - My personal observation of randori is that all honest warrior artists who are helping others must research randori-sparring on an on-going basis so not to breed illusion in them and pass it on to their students.
A few points I have notice with those I help is that they have a great deal more confidence with randori-sparring than without. Their timing is far greater under ‘real time’ motion. And their body seems to move more naturally.

I agree with this. You can't apply a technique without learning how to apply it, what makes it work, and why it works. And as for contact, you should have some of that too, even if its light and slow, as long as its with intent.

Hope this helps.

[Peter Steeves]

Hello,

Randori: Yes.
Affiliation: Jinenkan
How often: General classes: maybe every other week or less. Me: two or three times per week, with high level law enforcement officers.

I use a three stage approach to randori in teaching:
1 - get out of the way (assigned roles, Attacker & Defender)
2 - set up and take counter-attacks (still with assigned roles)
3 - what we normally call randori (as mentioned in the first post).

The first one is *definately* the hardest, when done properly. Getting out of the way should/must include getting into an advantageous position.

The first time people do version 3, they're usually pretty jumpy and excited. Once they get used to it, it's much more measured and calculated, less energy expenditure, more confidence, etc. I'm very pleased with what it does for those involved.

Some students have never (luckily) been in a real altercation. As such, this is a good way to help them get over the idea a little better (and that's of course after getting through regular basics and kata, and even that much spooks some folks just because it's so brutal to think about doing these things to somebody).