Heart, Faith and Steel » nyc

Advanced Stick Fighting

Joe — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 08:00:31 +0000

In 2005 Hatsumi-sensei released his new book, Advanced Stick Fighting. Almost immediately, this book about the long staff was compared to his earlier book called Stick Fighting (publiched in the early-1970s) about short stick training. Both continue to be considered “must read” in the stick fighting community.

“I think it is good to push yourself to the extreme; to push your mind and body to the point of imminent death has a purpose during a time of war. The tradition of severe training in the martial arts aims to awaken inner power. However, when the time comes, change swiftly. This is tenkan, in other words, being able to control yourself.” — Masaaki Hatsumi

Way of the Ninja

Joe — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 09:00:44 +0000

The Way of the Ninja was released in 2004 and it was a instant hit. During a phone conversation with the publisher’s representative I was informed the first edition sold out so fast that it was totally unexpected. It had been well publicized, anticipated and received. The Japanese text was placed as an appendix in the second or third edition.

“One never knows when a fight might start.That is why in budo one keeps prepared, so that should a fight arise, one can settle it as quickly as possible. In a dangerous situation, you act swiftly, without any hesitation. That is the secret of winning.” –Masaaki Hatsumi

NYC Parking is a pain… less!

Joe — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:00:33 +0000

First off, I’m a native New Yorker! And like me, if you’ve ever driven around New York City looking for a place to park you know the frustration that Joseph and Mary had trying to find a place at the Inn.

You drive and drive and nothing. Find a spot, then find out that if you do park, a ticket will be affixed to your car in about 10 minutes due to some obscure law… that is only in effect for 2 hours every other Thursday. Or some such non-sense.

But get this, I found a web site that is also offers an iPhone App for parking in NY. Check it out: Primospot.com

Here’s a link to the area I was in on Sunday:

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