The Bujinkan’s method of training typically involves two or more training partners exploring techniques under the observation of a qualified Shidoshi (instructor). However, some of us may not live near a certified Bujinkan Dojo, or maybe we have to travel frequently for work, or for any number ...

What is martial arts fitness? Is there a place for fitness in the Bujinkan? There have been arguments for/against this since I started training in the Bujinkan in 1977. Budo Fitness can be easily misunderstood. Most of us probably envision a lot of knuckle pushups, hundreds of kicks, split stre...

At Bufestivus 2014, I taught a segment on wilderness survival. We’ve gotten a bunch of emails asking for notes on that lesson, so here they are, complete with a few pics from my training with Tom Brown and a fire-starting video! Phil Legare & Tom Brown \Four survival imperatives: Shelt...

I was in Australia recently to teach several seminars on ShinkenTaijutsu and Budo Taijutsu. On the night of my arrival in Adelaide I put my Masters Degree in National Security Strategy (National War College) to the test and led an interactive lecture on the lessons learned from the Melian dia...

We’ve been discussing the topic of rank lately in our webinars and during the black belt seminar, so I thought this would be a good time to write a short piece on what an authentic Bujinkan menkyo looks like. Pictured below is a copy of an authentic Bujinkan Shodan Menkyo with explanations as t...

Recently I tested out 2 more tactical pens (pictured), the Colt Defender and the Night Armor Tactical Pen w/light. I took each of these to work with me for a week and then flew across country and used them during a Bonenkai seminar last weekend. During the seminar a number of students played wi...

There have been a number of these unfortunate events over the last few years. Virginia Tech, Columbine, the Denver movie theater, New Town, Connecticut and the US Navy Yard to name a few. Analysis of these events show that those who flee at the first sign of trouble are the most likely to survi...

The Mutsu Bay dojo and my farewell test — So we trained in parks, on the beach and at the mountain dojo for about two years while Sensei Fukuda built a new beach hotel and campgrounds called Kokumen Kenko Shukusha. We pleaded with him to also build a Hombu dojo on the campgrounds. He did fi...

The tactical pen is a great non-weapon option for legal carry at work and on travel. I believe three key components comprise a tactical pen. First, it has to be an actual writing instrument. Second, it must be designed to look like a pen and be carried or worn as a pen. Third, it must be design...

Mountain Training , Demonstrations and Being Japanese — So it was in my early days of training in Chugoku KuKempo that it was pretty tough. I mentioned earlier about the mountain training we did in both summer and winter. In winter we had the snow and ice and cold to deal with. In summer it wa...