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Note from the Editor
Dec 2011:
The internal grading is something of the past and the National grading is around the corner. It’s going to be a tight squeeze to get the hours to grade so keep up your attendance and your fitness, there will be no mercy. Good luck if you are grading. We believe in you.
As the year winds down and people run around to get everything done before the festivities brings everything to a grinding halt and every one descend into lazy decadence, I urge you to not let that be the long and short of your December holiday. The weather is fine and it a perfect time to look and feel good. Keep the focus you worked so hard for during the year and come back bigger and better next year.
Enjoy our news letter and please mail me if you have any suggestions.
Embrace the Shadows
Brian Minnaar
editor@ninja.co.za
The Score
The September internal grading was a huge success. Most of our dedicated students added a stripe to their belts again and we had some new ninth kyu graduates. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate those who graded successfully in September. Drop me a mail if you want and tell me how you experienced it.
The weather has heated up since our last edition and life took a few interesting twists and turns. Some students had to postpone their training due to tougher life situations while others reaffirmed their commitment to Ninja SA and their personal growth. Our black belt numbers are growing and the excitement is building to see them in action at the National Grading.
Another exciting event was the ASP baton and Eskrima course. Two of our senior students, Chris and Andre, dedicated their time to Ninja SA to share their knowledge with the rest of us in an exciting biathlon of weaponry at Emmerentia dam. Thank you gentlemen, your presentation and execution were spot-on and left us excited and hungry for more knowledge. Allan Minnaar joined us for this special occasion and took a couple of excellent photos and some of them adorn this very news letter. Take note, he will join us for the full Grading in December so get the weights out from under the bed and start buffing up for that special photo to accompany your next certificate.
I have as yet not heard any positive noises about Sensei David joining us in December, but I have to say it will be a great shame if he’s not with us to see how much we have grown in the last year. The school is about the students and the tight knit comrady between us. We are all training to be teachers one day and pouring ones knowledge out into the new generation is the ultimate achievement.
Ninja Phil
No laughing matterHi Ninja Phil,I have a problem in class with my fellow students not listening to the Sensei and horsing around. What should I do?Thanks -Disgruntled.Dear Disgruntled,
It’s difficult if your fellow Ninjas are not paying attention in class and makes things difficult for your Sensei. I suggest you lead by example and work harder in class, that way you will gain the respect of both the Sensei and your class mates and when they miss behave, you kick them back inline. Don’t be dragged down by those less serious Ninjas, you are already better than them.
Shy shinerNinja Phil,I am very upset with the way my friends makes fun of my black eye I got from class the other day. I tried my mother’s makeup, but that seemed to make it worse, please tell me how to hide my shiner.-Crazy monkeyDear Crazy Monkey,
I hope you learned your lesson. Always keep your hands up!! And listen mate; if you got that shiner in class while training, you are trained to take a punch. Man-up and wear your scars like medals and if your friends think it’s a joke, invite them to class...
KunoichiDear Ninja Phil,Thank you first of all for answering our questions with such patience and zest for your job, you are a true legend. I recently joined a Ninjitsu dojo and find the boys much stronger than me and very intimidating. The Sensei seem to single me out and I struggle with my Kiai-Chan LeeHi Chan Lee,
Thank you for the kind words of flattery. A girl in class... well I must say you have a daunting task ahead of you. You better learn how to be the odd one out, because that’s not about to change. But there is good news; you could be the second female to grade black belt if you persist. The Ninjas of old had a separate dojo for woman and its legend that these female dojos produced formidable and deadly female ninjas that would match their male counterparts blow for blow. Focus on your strengths and work on your weakness and keep your chin up girl, we are all routing for you! As for the Kiai, just scream at the top of your lungs, it is your greatest weapon.
If you have any question you would like to ask the big guns, email them to us and we might just publish our response in the next news letter. Remember we also have a forum on Ninja SA site and I am happy to answer your question there as well.
Interview a Black belt
What is your full name and Title?Brian Ronald Charles Acton K.O.T.J.
How long have you been involved in Martial Arts and what was your
first style and in which art was it?I have +/- 22 years worth of martial arts training. My first style was Judo. I was 6 years old.
When you started Ninjitsu, what was then single biggest motivation for
your perseverance?It was easy for me. I felt like I always understood the techniques being taught better than any of my fellow students. I was also very fortunate to have trained under Sensei Adrian Fitzgerald who seemed to have a never ending supply of techniques to teach. Added to that, the techniques were always amazingly simple often with devastating effects if carried out correctly.
Who was your super hero when you were a boy?Superman. Clean cut, straight laced, saves the day.
Who is your Super hero today?Lobo. Bounty hunter for fun and profit.
Who or what inspires you?Kancho Joe Grant-Grierson. The few lessons I had with him still guide me today.
If you had enough resources to change the world, what would be the
first thing you do?Wow. Tough one. Assuming I don’t have to put money in a certain Youth leader’s trust fund to get a contract... I would probably want to clean the oceans of plastic.
What is your favourite board game and why?Chess. Makes people think I'm smart. Suckers!
What is the single most irritating thing?Tax
What are your hobbies?I collect comics and graphic novels, I follow conspiracy theories, enjoy sci-fi movies, hate walks in the park, and play an obscene amount of playstation. Sometimes I even give my kids a bit of attention.
What is your vision for Ninja SA?Grow our Black belt numbers at each school to at least 10 attending black belts each night. Have one or two of them focus on training the green belts and the rest, attack each other harder and harder, helping everyone to perfect their abilities more and more. The harder we train the easier it gets.
What do we need to do to realise your vision?More students to stick around after achieving black belt.
How can this news letter help?We need students to plan their future according to how good they want to become. Do students just want to learn the basics? Or do we take the basics and perfect them. I want the students to become so confident of their abilities that there is no situation they can’t handle.
What is the one thing people will remember you for?My humour hopefully.
How many black belts have past under your teaching?2.
If there is one thing you can say to anyone who ever reads this news
letter what would it be?Before you criticizesomeone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way you will be a mile away and you will have their shoes.
What is it about Ninjitsu that kept you from moving on to another Art?I've haven’t stuck on Ninjitsu. On days that I don’t train Ninjitsu, I've been involved with Krav Magra, Spas Hopak (? - Ukraine martial art), Kobujitsu, Eskrima, Tai Chi, Jujitsu, and even spent a few days trying Systema.
At the end of the day I find that I can pick up techniques from other styles quite easily thanks to my Ninjitsu background, and then I can tweak the techniques so that they are useful from a Ninjitsu point of view.
What do you say to people who believe "their" art is better then what Ninja SA has to offer?All arts have their own strong points and weak points, but most arts share the same basics. Punch, Kick, block, deflect, throw, sweep, lock, grapple. We teach some really awesome dirty and deadly techniques, and I'm sure that other arts probably have some of the exact same techniques. If someone says their art is better and have a few really good techniques that we haven’t seen yet, then we will do the ninja thing - we will steal their techniques and improve on them. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
What is your first thought when you know "now you have to fight"?Destroy all! Leave no evidence!
Is there anything else you would like to add?I want all students to start training harder. Push yourselves to your limits in class. And mentally prepare yourselves to stick around with Ninja SA at least up to 3rd dan. We are going to raise the bar. And most of all make sure you enjoy every last bit of it all.
Eskrima, then and now
The history of Eskrima is veiled in a sketchy past with details passed on from father to son for centuries. We have very little solid facts on record, but one thing is certain. Eskrima is one of the most deadly fighting styles around. It’s an art forged out of the hardships of the Filipino worrier, forced to fight for survival against rival clans and invading foreign forces, pushed into training for constant vigilance against insurmountable odds.
It is said that the Malays settled on the islands in about 200 B.C, they introduced the long knife as a weapon. In the centuries that followed tribal warfare and the threat of constant invasion shaped and moulded a culture hell bent on survival. A wealth of foreign martial arts influence, ranging from salat, Chinese as well as Indian Martial arts was introduced to the islands through the ages and it’s out of this melting pot of creativity that Eskrima was shaped.
By 1518 when Ferdinand Magellan convinced king Charles I from Spain that Moluccas, then known as the spice islands, could be reached by sailing west and that the Moluccas belonged to the Spanish side of the demarcation line drawn according to the Treaty of Torsedillas, Raja LapuLapu and his men met them on the beach with fire hardened sticks, killed Magellan and send the rest of the conquistadors back to Spain with their tails between their legs.
Eventually the Spaniards came back with more men and guns and occupied the islands changing the name to the Philippines named after Prince Philip who later became king of Spain. The Spaniards forbid the practice of indigenous martial arts which forced Eskrima into the shadowy underworld. It only resurfaced in 1898 when Spain was defeated in the Spanish-American war and found its way into the rest of the world by the 1960. Thus it’s still a much unexploited art in terms of availability of training and people qualified to train Eskrima.
The Filipino culture, their religious believes as well as their fighting style has changed forever due to Spain’s long occupation of the islands. Spanish fencing for instance is called esgrima. The Weapon positions, blocking and striking techniques have been changed and enhanced specifically to take advantage of the different handling qualities of the stick and the lines of attack it afforded them. This spilled over into the knife which became more aggressive in terms of blocking, parrying, checking, scooping, thrusting and slashing. This in turn led to the creation of "Olisi y baraw", which is the stick and dagger.
The thing that really caught my attention about Eskrima is the training approach. Students are immediately given weapons to train with and only once the weapons have been mastered will the student be taught how to fight unarmed. Progression through the ranks isn’t based on time spent in the system, but rather based on ability and the observations of the instructors. The three key elements to learning Eskrima are fluidity, rhythm, and timing and with the absence of sudden jerky movements the hardest aspect to learn is the flowing skills. Respect for the instructors and all other martial arts schools are a very important part of the training and the spiritual side of the student is developed in parallel with the physical side.
I must say that Eskrima really excites me, its ability to be publically displayed as well as its functional aspects makes for a great addition to any martial artists arsenal of weaponry and fighting philosophy.
The Japanese word for...
I have picked 5 Japanese words that I want you to learn. But there is a catch. You have to do a bit of searching to find them. The correct answers will be entered into a draw and the winner will get a Ninja SA Cap worth R80. Mail your entries to
editor@ninja.co.zaPerson born before another
The way of war
Science of war
The skills of horse riding
Chain-sickle
Grading Attendance Requirments
Ensure your attendance is up to date, Remember if you dont attend class, or are not marked as atteded by your instructor, you will not be able to grade.
Please see your attendance here :
Ninja SA Attendance page
Choose a Dojo
when joining a dojo in South Africa you get your first two weeks free! To find your closest dojo please follow this link
Dojo listing Dojos available in South Africa and the United Kingdom.
Linden Dojo Opening Feburary 2012
Linden Dojo is opening its doors for the first time in February 2012.
Please feel free to come and join in for the opening evening.
For more info visit
Linden Dojo
| Head Sensei: | Sensei Stuart Watt-1st Dan |
| Assistant: | Senpai Richard Pickstock |
| Contact mobile: | 0799279672 |
| Contact email: | stuart@ninja.co.za |
| | |
| Location: | Linden |
| Directions: | Blairgowrie Scout Hall: CNR of 1st Ave Linden and Windeena rd Blairgowrie. Just up from victory park shopping centre. |
| | |
| Training Days: | Tuesdays and Thursdays |
| Training Times: | 19:00-21:00 |
Earn your Black Belt
Have a look at our syllabus break down, and see how you can earn your Black Belt First Dan grade. Ninja SA teach a very structured but dynamic art. Join us now and start your training, there are 9 levels to Black Belt we estimate it will take you three years to earn your 1st Dan grade. Follow this link to see what you will learn each level
The 9 kyu levels
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