Guidelines for Training

Tenshin-ryu has an overwhelming number of techniques. There are also many training methods. Within the confines of limited time, deciding on a daily training menu becomes a critical issue.

First of all, it’s important to make use of idle time outside of long, concentrated periods. Training doesn’t always have to be done in formal Ppractice attire (Gi) or for extended durations. In reality, even during a two-hour training session, it’s impossible to maintain full concentration the entire time. For example, if you can manage multiple short training sessions of five minutes each, it might even prove more effective than a single two-hour session.

If you don’t have a sword or obi, you can use a wooden sword, and if you don’t have that, you can use a fan. If even a fan isn’t available, you can practice with an imagined sword. Many people tend to fall into the mindset of “there’s no point unless I do it properly, so I won’t do it at all.”

Though I spend much more time in the dojo compared to most people, I still have to carve out my own training time within my daily life. Amidst various tasks, I practice swings or footwork while boiling water or letting coffee steep. During small moments of waiting, I rehearse techniques with a fan or even empty-handed, as long as I’m not worried about people watching.

Once someone has managed to secure training time using such time-management techniques, they often face another serious issue: the question of what to train on. This is a problem not only in martial arts but also in restaurants or retail stores. It’s easy to increase the number of menu items, but it’s not always beneficial. Holding too much stock of items or ingredients increases costs, and having too many menu choices can confuse customers, leading to indecision.

In sales, this often risks lowering the customer’s desire to buy. Similarly, many people frequently ask, “What should I do for my daily training menu?” Recently, I was even asked, “Did the samurai in the Shirindan (士林団) have their own personal training time?”

Since there are no historical records and Tenshin Sensei has no memory of it, any answer would be speculative. However, apart from duty-related training, they likely didn’t have much time for concentrated practice either. Therefore, they probably utilized idle time as well.

In that sense, recommending a training menu to someone who can do an hour of self-practice daily is a difficult issue. The conclusion is that you should not create a routine daily menu. As mentioned earlier, Tenshin-ryu transmits an enormous number of techniques and training methods. Even in the old days, it would have been difficult to cover all of these.

However, the fact that it is designed this way should be taken as an indication of how training should be approached. In the martial art I once studied, there were also numerous techniques. I was overwhelmed and didn’t improve at all, even after 10 years of practice. However, after thoroughly focusing on mastering the basics and revisiting beginner-level techniques, I improved dramatically in a short period. This is why the foundational training, called “shitaji-geiko (下地稽古)” in Tenshin-ryu, is so important.

As the Tenshin-ryu saying goes, “Build a strong foundation and construct a castle.” There were times I envied schools with fewer techniques. I felt that by digging deeply into fewer techniques, one might reach a profoundly deep level. Ordinarily, digging 50 holes is likely to yield greater depth in each hole than digging 500.

However, in martial arts, things are different from literal digging. Many of the “holes” share their depth. When you return to a hole you had previously dug, it may have deepened on its own. Conversely, if you lock yourself into a routine, it may block progress in other areas and create blind spots.

Therefore, in Tenshinryu, we basically recommend practicing the menu that you are currently passionate about. This means practicing what you feel like doing at that moment. You can do it just for that day, or continue for three days, a week, or even a month if you wish. What’s important is not falling into the comfort of a routine, which gives you a sense of accomplishment for merely practicing.

While it’s perfectly fine for training to be enjoyable, once it becomes completely goal-oriented, it may hinder your progress. Especially for foundational training, it’s good to practice thoroughly, but performing as many different techniques as possible helps prevent martial arts stagnation or fatigue, and allows for steady improvement by training from multiple angles.