Budo

守破離: Shu Ha Ri and the Road to Mastery

rjhartungiii–Dojo, Training–

Many who have been training for a period of time, may have come across certain Japanese phrases that describe the road to mastery. Japanese phrases like Shu-ha-ri and Ten-Chi-Jin are often used to describe the progression. With “守破離” Shu-ha-ri, each kanji character represents a stage of development and requirements. The “守” Shu stage of development requires diligently studying the fundamentals, learning strategies, developing the mind and body, applying the techniques and kata without deviation.

On Randori: Drills

rjhartungiii–Dojo, Training–

Randori translates into free exercise or sparring, but in the Bujinkan not all dojos utilize randori as a part of their regular practice. In this article, I will discuss my methodology and approach to randori, but first here are a few words on randori in general.