Learn Ninjutsu – Basic Tutorial for Ninja’s Bobi No Kamae “Defensive Stance”
To master anything, it’s important to have a solid foundation—a solid base from which to build your expertise. And if you want to do more than learn ninjutsu – if you really want to be able to use your skills for more than impressing junior students in the dojo or onlookers at a demonstration – then you need to focus on some key parts of the ” the mastery equation.
One of these ‘pieces’ is the concept of kamae (‘attitudes of mind/body/spirit’) – the postures or stances of Ninpo-taijutsu, the ‘bodily skills of the ninja’.
Unlike the conventional “stances” seen in conventional karate and other martial arts, ninja kamae are not static stances from which to strike with arms and legs. In fact, they are the exact opposite.
Ninja Kamae are “living” things – states of being that reflect in outward form what is happening in the shadow warrior’s heart. Just as our bodies reflect our inner emotional state when we are angry, happy or bored, so the basic ninja poses correspond and relate to what we are thinking and how we feel about the situation we are in.
One of the foundational ninpo taijutsu kamae introduced to intermediate students on the path to black belt is Bobi no Kamae. Like all proper kamae training, students learn more than just how to “stand in that position.” They also learn the feeling behind the shape and the psychological and strategic application of the shape.
Ninja Master Plan Bobby no Kamae
Bobi no Kamae means “defensive posture/attitude” in English. Derived from Koto-Ryu – one of the 9 primary lineages that make up modern Ninjutsu training as passed down through Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi’s Bujinkan Dojo.
As an aspect of Koto-Ryu (“The Overthrow of the Tiger School”), Bobi has certain qualities and was developed in a certain context that matches the overall strategic and philosophical perspective that this lineage has on combat and combat survival. And although this pose is often confused with the Shoshin no Kamae learned as part of a student’s training in Gyokko-ryu’s Sanshin no Kata, they are actually two very different “stances”.
This is very important when studying genealogy. Knowing “why” something was developed allows you not only to implement it correctly, but also to develop the mindset of a warrior, who thinks about solving a situation from a strategic rather than a mechanical step-by-step point of view.
Like every other kamae, Bobby was not chosen as such. It is assumed in response to our feelings and intentions that arise from the situation, the environment and the movements of the attacker. This means that beyond the most basic levels of training – your kamae is not chosen by you, but by the situation you find yourself in.
That being said, to assume the physical “form” of Bobi no Kamae, start by profiling your torso to your attacker. Do this by stepping back with your right foot so that your feet are about hip-width apart. Place your feet in a universally stable “L” position with your lead foot/toes pointing toward the attacker’s center (spine).
Then place the back hand, in this case the right hand, on the right thigh, like a boshi-ken (“sword tip” or “stick fist”). The leading hand is extended to the opponent, with an open hand and fingers “tucked” into his heart.
There are many more details to taking this kamae, but the important aspect is the inner movement that creates this pose. And that feeling is “I’m ready for you!”
Many people find it difficult to reconcile the idea of ”defense” with the attitude of this kamae. But we must remember that while the translation may be simple, the actual condition is more dynamic than mere words can describe. Rather than seeing this in terms of simply ‘defending’ which can mean a fearful or ‘hiding’ covering attitude – a better translation might be ‘on the defensive’ or ‘On the defensive’ as in the case of defensive players in a sports team.
In this sense, the attitude is not one of fear, but of “stopping” – having the attitude that you will act to prevent the adversary from succeeding.
As you can see, the ninja method of self-defense is much more than just learning a bunch of punches, kicks, techniques, and in this case…stances. And that’s just one of the ninja’s defensive poses!
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