The very first stance you learn in ninpo is ichimonji-no-kamae.
And if you are new to ninpo, it might look silly to you. I readily admit my first thought was 'WTF...?'
Not only did it look a bit silly to me, but it felt awkward too.
But I practise it at home several times per week, and of course in class. And now after 2 months, I've noticed that it actually isn't that silly.
There are several advantages to that stance, but my main observation is that it is a transitionary stance. I.e. it is often something you go through from one movement to another (from block to attack for example).
By learning this stance, you sort of have a 'zero' point between different techniques. If you learn to execute things coming out of this kamae, and use it as the 'end' position after a technique, you will eventually be able to chain various techniques together in one fluid motion without having to interrupt or worry about how you go from one thing to another.
Then again I have only been doing this (ninpo) for 2 months so I may be wrong and there will probably be more to it than this. But so far this is my main observation and it made me change my opinion on 'weird' looking kamae.
These things were developed in an era when MA were still tested in life or death personal combat. So if some of the stuff survived hundreds of years in multiple ryuha, there is probably a good reason for it to be in the curriculum, and we shouldn't discard it just because we don't immediately see the point.
And if you are new to ninpo, it might look silly to you. I readily admit my first thought was 'WTF...?'
Not only did it look a bit silly to me, but it felt awkward too.
But I practise it at home several times per week, and of course in class. And now after 2 months, I've noticed that it actually isn't that silly.
There are several advantages to that stance, but my main observation is that it is a transitionary stance. I.e. it is often something you go through from one movement to another (from block to attack for example).
By learning this stance, you sort of have a 'zero' point between different techniques. If you learn to execute things coming out of this kamae, and use it as the 'end' position after a technique, you will eventually be able to chain various techniques together in one fluid motion without having to interrupt or worry about how you go from one thing to another.
Then again I have only been doing this (ninpo) for 2 months so I may be wrong and there will probably be more to it than this. But so far this is my main observation and it made me change my opinion on 'weird' looking kamae.
These things were developed in an era when MA were still tested in life or death personal combat. So if some of the stuff survived hundreds of years in multiple ryuha, there is probably a good reason for it to be in the curriculum, and we shouldn't discard it just because we don't immediately see the point.
