Training Resources
Uniform
  • Male: Black gi (着, ぎ) with black tabi (足袋, たび) or, if appropriate, outdoor jikatabi (地下足袋, じかたび) and appropriate obi (帯, おび) rank belt and patch.
  • Female: Black gi (着, ぎ) with black tabi and appropriate rank belt and patch or purple gi (着, ぎ) and tabi (足袋, たび) or, if appropriate, outdoor jikatabi (地下足袋, じかたび) with white or red obi (帯, おび)/belt (depending or rank) and appropriate rank patch.
  • Outdoor (Optional): Black military BDUs (battle dress uniform) with training appropriate t-shirt and, if possible, belt in the same color as one's normal Obi (帯, おび) rank belt. Combat boots, athletic shoes or outdoor jikatabi (地下足袋, じかたび) may be worn as appropriate.
  • Other Training Clothing Notes:
    • Cleanliness: Uniforms should be washed between classes to keep them clean and free from odor.
    • Serviceability: Please insure that the uniform is in serviceable condition and does not have any major holes or tears.
    • Avoid Wearing Tank Tops: Some classes are less formal than others and sometimes the gi jacket is not worn. In such situations, due to the nature of some of the throws done in this art, please refrain from wearing tank tops.
  • Obi (帯, おび) Tying - by 9th Kyu Students should be able to properly tie their own obi (帯, おび) without assistance.


Bowing In and Out of Class (Shinzen Rei [神前礼, しんぜんれい])
  • The instructor will go to the head of the class and say "Narabu" (並ぶ, ならぶ) which means "line up".
  • Everyone will then sit in seiza (正座, せいざ) with their legs folded beneath them and put their hands in front of their chests with the palms together in gassho (合掌, がっしょう) (praying position).
  • The instructor will then say "Shikin haramitsu daikōmyō" (詞韻波羅密大光明, しきんはらみつだいこうみょう). (This roughly translates to “May our next act bring us enlightenment or the great light of wisdom”, "A moment of true interaction between mind and spirit may lead to enlightenment" or "The sound of the words in our reach for enlightenment creates the divine cosmic light." Basically, every encounter experience has the potential to be that one thing that brings you to enlightenment. You could also look at it as saying that every experience is a learning experience (well, sort of). There are many other translations.)
  • The class will then say "Shikin haramitsu daikōmyō" (詞韻波羅密大光明, しきんはらみつだいこうみょう).
  • Everyone in unison will clap twice, bow once, clap again and bow one more time. (see Seiza Rei {正座礼, せいざれい} above.)
  • In some schools the senior student or assistant instructor may say "Sensei ni rei" (先生に礼, せんせいにれい) ("Bow to the instructor").
  • The instructor will turn to face the class, bow to the class and say Onegaishimasu (御願いします, おねがいします) ("Please assist me.") if at the beginning class or Doumo arigatou (どうも有り難う御座いました , どうもありがとうございました) ("Thank you very much for what you have done.") if at the end of class.
  • The students will then bow to the instructor and say Onegaishimasu (御願いします, おねがいします) if at the beginning class or Doumo arigatou (どうも有り難う御座いました , どうもありがとうございました) if at the end of class.


Ranking Layout

無級
Mu-Kyu
0 Level
九級
Ku-Kyu
9th Level
八級
Hachi-Kyu
8th Level
七級
Nana-Kyu
7th Level
六級
Roku-Kyu
6th Level
五級
Go-Kyu
5th Level
四級
Yon-Kyu
4th Level
三級
San-Kyu
3rd Level
二級
Ni-Kyu
2nd Level
一級
Ik-Kyu
1st Level

初段
Shodan
1st Degree
二段
Nidan
2nd Degree
三段
Sandan
3rd Degree
四段
Yondan
4th Degree
五段
Godan
5th Degree
六段
Rokudan
6th Degree
七段
Nanadan
7th Dregree
八段
Hachidan
8th Degree
九段
Kudan
9th Degree
十段
Judan
10th Degree

十一段
Juichidan
11th Degree
十二段
Junidan
12th Degree
十三段
Jusandan
13th Degree
十四段
Juyondan
14th Degree
十五段
Jugodan
15th Degree
Soke 		       


Skills Layout
The Round Rock Bujinkan Dojō training plan is intended to meet the following goals:
  1. Provide the student with the skills needed for studying the different schools of the Bujinkan.
  2. Provide the student with an academic martial education.
  3. Provide the student with enough rudimentary Japanese language skills to be able to, in an albeit limited fashion, conduct one's self in Japan and, should the student choose to study Japanese, give the student a head start in that study.
  4. Prepare the student for eventually going to Japan for training.
Below is our current plan for rank requirements. It is HIGHLY subject to change.

無級 Mu-Kyu
Orientation to Bujinkan (武神館, ぶじんかん) Training
  • Be mentally and physically able to conduct martial arts training.
  • Have a desire to learn the art.
  • Agree to follow The Bujinkan Dojo Guidelines, dōjō rules and safety guidelines.
  • Maintain courtesy and repect for instructor and fellow students.
  • Have a uniform (gi, obi and tabi) no later than one month after starting training.
九級 Ku-Kyu
  • Ukemi (受身, うけみ)
  • Reihō (礼法, れいほう)
  • Jūnan Undō to Kokyūhō (柔軟運動と呼吸法, じゅうなんうんどうとこきゅうほう)
八級 Hachi-Kyu
  • Go Gyō (五行 ごぎょうのかた)
  • Tsuki Waza (突技, つきわざ)
  • Keri Gata (蹴型, けりがた)
七級 Nana-Kyu
Focus:
  • Kihon Happo: Kihon Happō: Kosshi Sanpō (基本八法: 骨指三法, きほんはっぽう: こっしさんぽう)
  • Mutōdori (無刀捕, むとうどり)
  • Tai Sabaki (体捌 たいさばき)
六級Roku-Kyu
Under Construction
  • Kihon Happo: Torite Goho
  • Hanbojutsu Kamae and Striking
五級 Go-Kyu
Focus:
Under Construction
  • Other Basic Techniques
  • Bojutsu Kamae and Striking
四級 Yon-Kyu
Under Construction
  • Escapes
  • Kenjutsu Kamae and Cuts
三級 San-Kyu
Under Construction
  • Nage
  • Hanbo Techniques
二級 Ni-Kyu
Under Construction
  • Nage Counters
  • Bojutsu Techniques
一級 Ik-Kyu
Focus: Shime Waza, Sword Anatomy and Kenjutsu Techniques
Under Construction
  • Shime Waza
  • Sword Anatomy
  • Kenjutsu Techniques
初段 Shodan
  • Refinement
  • Promotion to Shodan is completely subjective and at the discretion of the instructor.


Dojo Rules
  1. Personal Hygiene: Please note that you will be working within someone else's personal space. Foul body odor, bad breath, strong perfumes and such can be unpleasant to endure. Also, as we do an number of things that involve grabbing or striking with finger tips, please keep your fingernails trim and clean.
  2. Listen and Learn: When the instructor is teaching, please listen and refrain from talking except to ask questions.
  3. Questions: Questions are welcomed, but please keep questions relevant to what is being taught at the time. Any additional or unrelated questions may be discussed before or after class or over e-mail.
  4. Lateness: Please try to be at class, in uniform and ready to train a few minutes before class starts. If you have to be late, please call the instructor at (512) 656-2836, If there is no answer, please leave a voicemail. Please not that in the very, very rare case that no one shows up for class, unless otherwise notified, the instructor will stick around for about twenty minutes and then leave.
  5. Absence: If you know in advance that you are going to miss a class, please let the instructor know. If you find that you have to miss a class and have not previously told the instructor, please call the instructor at (512) 656-2836, If there is no answer, please leave a voicemail.
  6. Outside the Dōjō: Please be conscious of how you represent yourself and the Round Rock Bujinkan Dōjō when you are not training, especially at martial arts events, on the internet and in front of the media. Please do not engage in any martial arts activities where video recording or other types of media may occur without first consulting the instructor. Additionally, do not take on any "challenge matches" without first consulting the instructor.
  7. Drugs and Alcohol Policy: Please do not bring illegal drugs to classes or seminars. Additionally, please do not come to class or seminars under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If you have a prescription that you must take and it may impact your ability to train, please consult the instructor before training. Going against this policy is grounds for being asked to leave on a temporary or possibly permanent basis.
  8. Respect: The way we train is a very cooperative process. Yes, we do techniques that sometimes involve pain. When doing such techniques it is important to be respectful of your training partners and what you are applying to them. Remember: it their turn next.
  9. Appropriate Bodily Contact During Training: In the course of training, bodily contact is ineveitable. However, depending on gender, certain areas of the body are not appropriate for contact. Respect of such bodily boundaries is mandatory.
  10. Leave the Teaching to the Instructor: It is natural to want to help your training partner. However, unsolicited teaching can become problematic. Unless you are shodan or above, it is probably best to leave the teaching to the instructor.


Safety Guidelines
  1. General Notes: A necessary component of our training it the physical interaction between training partners. Therefore it is important to careful in how techniques are applied. When one first starts training it is best to apply techniques slowly and with minimal force. As one continues training a sensitivity to what a training partner can and cannot take will develop.
  2. Tapping Out: "Tapping out" is one way one training partner can let the other know that the amount of pressure or force being applied is too much. When one has a technique is being applied to a person, it is important for that person to communicate to his or her training partner when the force or pressure is too much. It is unwise to try to "tough it out" as this will eventually lead to injury. Tapping out can be done with the hand or feet. If the hands and feet or locked up then vocal communication is both acceptable and encouraged.
  3. Muscling and Speeding Up: There is a tendency with beginners to either speed up or use more muscle when a technique is not working. This can not good technique and can lead to injuries, either to your training partner or to yourself. If you are feeling that you are needing to speed up or put more muscle into a technique, stop and determine what is not working.
  4. Existing Injuries: Depending on the injury, one may be able to continue training or one may need to take a break from training to let that injury heal. If you are injured, it is your responsibilty to determination how best to cope with that injury. If you have an existing injury it is your responsibility to let your training partner know so they can take extra care not to make that injury worse.
  5. Medication: If you are taking any medication that severy impacts your balance and sense, you may want to consider simply watching the class or staying home.
  6. Hydration: In the course of training, it is likely that you will sweat a lot. It is important to keep yourse;f hydrated so that you do not become a heat casualty.
  7. Know Your Limits: While yes, sometimes it is useful to push one's self beyond one's normal limits in order to grow, one should be smart about doing it. Especially in regard to some of the more acrobatic actvities in this art, make a careful assessment of you abilities and the task at hand before proceeding and use good judgement.


Guidelines For Participation In The Bujinkan
The following guidelines are from Hatsumi-soke and can be found at www.bujinkan.com/guidelines.htm.
  1. The Bujinkan shall be open to only those who agree with and uphold the guidelines of the Bujinkan Dojo. Those not doing so shall not be allowed to join. Specifically: Only those who have read and agreed with these guidelines shall be allowed to participate.
  2. Only those able to exercise true patience, self-control, and dedication shall be allowed to participate. A physician's examination report shall be required. Specifically, individuals with mental illness, drug addiction, or mental instability shall be barred from joining. The necessity of such a report concerns individuals who may present a danger to others, for example, those with infectious diseases or illnesses, individuals with clinically abnormal personalities or physiology, and individuals lacking self-control.
  3. Individuals with criminal records shall be turned away. Trouble makers, those who commit crimes, and those living in Japan who break domestic laws shall be turned away.
  4. Those not upholding the guidelines of the Bujinkan, either as practitioners or as members of society, by committing disgraceful or reproachable acts shall be expelled. Until now, the Bujinkan was open to large numbers of people who came to Japan. Among them, unfortunately, were those committing violent drunken acts, the mentally ill, and trouble makers who thought only of themselves and failed to see how their actions might adversely affect others. Through their actions, such people were discarding the traditional righteous heart of the Bujinkan. From this day forward, all such people shall be expelled.
  5. Regarding accidents occurring during training (both inside and outside the dojo), one should not cause trouble to the Bujinkan. This is an extremely important point. Those unwilling to take personal responsibility for accidents occurring during Bujinkan training shall not be admitted. Reiterating for clarity, the Bujinkan shall not take responsibility for any accidents happening in the course of training, regardless of the location.
  6. All those joining the Bujinkan must get an annual membership card. This card not only preserves the honor of the Bujinkan members, it indicates you are part of a larger whole--one whose members come together with warrior hearts to better themselves through training and friendship. It evinces the glory of warrior virtue, and embodies both loyalty and brotherly love.
  7. The tradition of the Bujinkan recognizes nature and the universality of all human life, and is aware of that which flows naturally between the two parts:
    • "The secret principle of Taijutsu is to know the foundations of peace.
    • To study is the path to the immovable heart (fudoshin)."
    Recently, the Bujinkan has become truly international. Just as there are various time zones, so exist various taboos among the world's peoples and nations. We must respect each other, striving to avoid such taboos. We must put the heart of the warrior first, working together for self-improvement and for the betterment of the Bujinkan.
Those not upholding the above-mentioned guidelines shall be forced out of the Bujinkan.

Masaaki Hatsumi - Soke