Ninjutsu Uncovered

BUTTERFLY Have you ever been stopped in your tracks by a beautiful butterfly dancing across the sky, flying then settling on a flower then without warning flying again? We were in Berwick on a family weekend away and I was taking a walk on the battle mounds that fortify Berwick from the raiders of old and the caravanner’s of recent times (I don't know which one is more scary looking?) when I saw a beautiful butterfly just flying and landing then off again seemingly enjoying itself and feeling on top of the world and basking in the sunshine! When I watch people come into the gym they are like little caterpillars just inching their way along a leaf to spend their time munching on the edge of it learning that it needs to eat a lot to grow, just as the student has to learn the basics to progress, but also be watchful that the birds don't eat them if they are not careful! Just as students get side-tracked by Belts, ego's and injuries that stop them progressing! The ...

What did you start Martial Arts for? Self-defence, discipline, Bruce Lee or wanting to become a ninja ( that’s me) as you travel along this path of Martial Arts at some time or another someone is going to ask you to help them with a technique ( unless you are really bad and stay that way) So it natural for you to help people that are having problems. So at what point does that change, when does the ego arrive? “These minions are beneath me i will not help them “or in some cases" you have no more to teach me, I am amazing and everyone else is rubbish!" I had a case a few years ago in Ninjutsu were a young lad that went to Japan as an 8th Kyu came back in under 2 months as a black belt then informed me he had transcended my teachings and i had no more to teach him! Wow the rise of the ego! I tried explain that just because someone gave him that belt (or paid for it) i may have a little more training to offer him! My coach and Mentor, t...

Have you ever thought you should have taken better care of yourself when you were younger, it is true to say being young is wasted on the youth! I still get an amazing buzz when I train in Martial Arts, any martial arts or conditioning I still feel like a kid, racing to get to a space on the mat to try out my new move but in doing so I have created an over trained, overworked (underpaid) body. When I stop to think of the stupid things I have done in training and the injuries that they have caused (to me not others, well maybe a few other people lol) you would think I would have learned my lesson, well no I have not, I still want to do everything and more, even when I am tired and sore I still push myself until I hurt something else. I know this does not sound the rattling’s of a normal human being but I have found out that we all push ourselves in our chosen pastime, as example up and down the country thousands of overweight men running around as if they are A...

Behind every successful man….IS AN AMAZING WOMEN You have heard that saying many times and the fact is it is so true in my case. My beautiful wife Kerry and I have been with each other for 17 years now and married for 13 (no chance for parole) she is my soul mate, lover, Mother of my children and best friend. The AFC is seen as many things too many people but sometimes one of the most important people involved in the AFC is not given the credit she deserves Mrs Kerry Louise Atkin. When asked what her role at the AFC is she normally tells you she is head of admin, while this is true to a certain extent she is much more than that….. Kerry organises all of the day to day running of the gym and does the accounts much better than I did ( I was too helpful to people that said they had no money to train but went out all weekend ) She still has a heart of gold as she sometimes ends up paying for the postage and package for Gi’s for the kid...

The best laid plans….. When is it when you set your goals for the coming months that somehow it is never as straightforward you think it is going to be! January started out with the annual pilgrimage to North Shields complete with hoards of people out for a good day and some characters that come out that have not been out since stars wars stopped casting for characters! A great day was had by all and I had no hangover the next day! Result Christmas and New Year had been a heady mix of eating and family get together’s mixed lazy lounge pants days and family movies and games like cluedo and the game of life! Speaking of life it was getting nearer and nearer for the time to get back to the gym then on the Sunday before D-day my body decided to shut down and give me full on man-sized Flu! Complete with priests and bells to bring out the dead I had to even put a cross on the door to warn every one of the plague. I usually am unable to go to work due to injury rather than illness, for ...

Christmas is coming… So this is Christmas, what have you done, another year over……. Just as the song goes we reflect on what has happened to the year, to me it has been a helter skelter ride for the AFC and me. The year started off at a good pace head down and running into the year getting the scrap pack fighting fit, mixed fortunes for some of the members were Micky “3rd Degree “Burns lost the European title to the great Mark Weir and Paul “The Pit Bull” Gibbs won his fight against a tough oppent trying out the Nsac rules he said he is never going back to semi when you can hit them in the head on the ground! True Pit Bull style! Next up was helping to organise the first trip for Eddie Bravo, Famed leader of 10th Planet Ju-jitsu to Newcastle. The course went amazingly well and of the 60 or so people I was so proud that the AFC made up half of the numbers on the mat! The down side to the seminar, due to being a little kid in the present...

New path! Hi there good you found me this is to be my new home for my blog, it is all exciting and new (in other words I have had a few problems sorting this out!) Firstly I would like to thank Sue Warton (Blog editor for Martial News) for helping me stay on the web as she said it would be a shame to stop a good thing! I agree I love doing these blogs and ranting about one thing or another it is like a form of therapy (the other form is punching people!) wait I do both!! Speaking of the latter, no I have not stopped training or given up martial arts (I am not in a cave meditating) as some people think, I just have to teach in a way that does not require me to be in so much pain and discomfort. It will take a while to stop joining in the fun and at the moment some thinks that I love the most I can’t do (like sit ups and groundwork) much to my frustration, but I will work round it and eventually get back to doing everything I like to do but with more of a measure of restraint. People...