The Key
Ken Harding

Imagine you have lost your keys. You have some idea when you had them last, and where you were when you lost them. You would not, for instance, look for them in the basement if you knew you haven't been down there in a week. You would look in the last place where you were. It would sure help if you could narrow down which room your keys were in.

This is, in some way, like training in Taijutsu. It's like looking for something you've lost-- searching for the key to how it all works. Anyone can find the key to this art. But you have to look in the right place.

Think about it this way also. Imagine you need a hammer. You keep your hammer in the toolbox that's in the basement. That's where you would look if you needed it. You wouldn't go looking for your hammer in the kitchen, if you know it's not there. This art can be deeply and correctly understood, but only if you go about training in the right way... if you look for the answers in the right places.

For example, trying to understand our techniques with the use of speed and power is like looking for the keys in the wrong place. You won't find the solution there, because that's not where the answer is. It is like looking for your keys in the kitchen when you left them in the bedroom... it doesn't matter how long you look, you won't find them. They just aren't there. In other words, it doesn't matter how long you train—if you're training in the wrong way (with the emphasis on speed and power, not paying attention to your actions), you won't be correct, and you never will be.

You can study in this martial art for five years, but if you haven't kept the proper ideas in mind, you still won't have the key to understanding. You will certainly be better than you were when you started five years ago, but there will be a lot missing from your skills, and you won't understand Bujinkan Taijutsu. It doesn't matter how long you train if you don't train correctly. I have seen people who have trained in this art for fifteen or twenty years, and sometimes I just have to shake my head and hope for them.

How do you find the key to this art? What is the right "room" in which to look? It is paying attention to the proper mechanics of body movement, and discovering the true source of power-- the motion of taijutsu-- and learning to move and think naturally. It means staying focused on using your body in the best, most effective, most natural way. It means staying open to learning, even if you've been training for ten years. Don't go wandering off into different rooms looking for what you seek--life's too short to waste time.

When you attempt to perform a technique for the first time, you are entering unfamiliar ground. Even if you think its similar to what you already know, you can't be sure. Be careful about making that kind of assumption. Even if you think you know it, treat it as if you don't-- approach it like a new and unknown situation, and what you will be doing is re-learning it. This is a chance to understand it more deeply and completely, no matter how well you think you know it. Just like walking on a mine field, one false step can ruin it for you. You must proceed carefully, keeping your eyes wide open and taking each action with a lot of thought.

It's even more like stepping onto a frozen lake. You can't even be sure what's going to happen on your very first step. You might fall through the ice. So, what is your first step like? It is very careful, very soft. You test the surface of the lake to make sure it can support you. You take a few steps, and get a feel for it. Once you know it's safe, you can move about with more confidence, moving more normally and growing more natural with every step. But this is a gradual process, just like training.

What you don't do is take a big jump right off the ground onto the ice, slamming your weight down with both feet before knowing whether or not it can hold you. This would be just like trying a technique out for the first time, going too fast, using too much strength-- trying too hard to make it work, without any thought towards actually understanding it. This is the wrong way to go. You're going to fall through. Don't train this way. When I see people doing this, I know that they will not get the technique, and that they will miss the opportunity to expand their knowledge and ability. Your first attempt should always be your slowest, and your softest. That is the only way to guarantee that you will avoid the mistakes, and see the correct methods.