The Meditative Warrior’s
Junior Ninjutsu Program
&
Little Ninjas Program
Program Outline
What is The Meditative Warrior?
We are a Richmond based Martial Arts School, working on becoming a non profit.
Our Childrens Martial Arts Program has met with the approval of the Director of Middle School Education for Chesterfield. County
The Meditative Warrior is affiliated with a physical school ( dojo ) called “Shima Bujinkan Dojo” located in Shockoe Bottom. The Martial Art studied at the school ( dojo ) is called “Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu”.
What Martial Art is my child going to study?
Your child will be studying a version of the adult program called Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu.
Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu is a traditional Japanese method of self-protection. It is comprised of nine traditional "ryuha" or schools that form our curriculum in the Bujinkan. Over the centuries, these arts have been passed from one master to another. Eventually the Head of the Bujinkan Organization (Soke), Masaaki Hatsumi, inherited these arts.
We strive to preserve the historical accuracy of these traditional arts, as well as to translate this living Art
(Budo) into a modern context so that it is easily applicable for everyday living.
This system of martial arts is older than the popular Judo, Karate, or Taekwon-Do arts, and retains its warrior heritage intact. Our 900 year-old tradition is ideal for actual personal defense since it requires no speed or strength, but relies on instinctive and natural movements. We build upon timing, distance and balance. In fact, this system is sometimes referred to as the “Martial Arts of Distance”.
Our practices include "Taihenjutsu", or methods of rolling, falling, footwork, and body positioning skills, "Dakentaijutsu", or striking methods with the hands, feet and other parts of the body, as well as "Jutaijutsu", or grappling skills that include joint manipulation, throwing, and takedown skills. Our skills are taught as two man drills, that we call kata. Each kata is explored as a method of teaching a principle, which can be expanded upon in a variety of situations and applications. Students can adopt and adapt new ideas and techniques that will suit their particular body structure and psychological make up.
What are the benefits a child can receive from learning Martial Arts?
Below is an article written by Laura Saunders who is a successful freelance writer, mother of two and a martial arts practitioner, she has written articles for http://www.best-karate-equipment.com, your online guide to karate uniforms, martial arts sparring equipment, and karate training equipment.
“Admit it. When the going gets tough at home, we’ve all plopped the kids in front of the television and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, we can get started on dinner, maybe check email or sort that massive pile of laundry.
But when your five-year old yells at you “Mom, Kids Rule!” or your ten-year old horrifies you with language that would make a sailor blush, you realize there must be something amiss with what these “family programs” really teach our kids. And sadly, its happening all over the media today, from sports to cartoons, and our children are learning things that we, as parents, vowed we would never teach them. Old fashioned values like respect and self-discipline, seems to have been forgotten, replaced by the dreaded “bling bling” pop culture of today.
Just the thought of your angelic three-year old morphing into a designer-clad, smart-mouthed, money-worshipping, me-obsessed, lay-about is enough to make any parent consider that threatening military school brochure, but there is a solution out there to consider.
Martial Arts training.
You and your kids have all seen the flying kicks, battle cries and mighty chops of their favorite TV characters, as they beat the bad guys to submission – but, you may ask, how on earth can these acts of violence teach my child anything worthwhile?
First, know that what you see on television (save perhaps the Karate Kid) is a far cry from what real martial arts are all about. The fact is, martial arts training is based on non-violence.
Originating in Asia (mainly Japan, China and Korea, although Thailand and Vietnam have their own practices as well), martial arts range from a variety of types and styles, all of which are based on well-rounded, moral teachings. The beauty of learning martial arts is that it encompasses not just the physical aspect of the “sport”, but mental and emotional lessons as well.
Comparing that to other kid’s activities and sports, where fierce competitiveness and “winning at all costs” seems to be the order of the day, it’s not surprising that many children grapple with issues of self-esteem and misplaced aggression. “
The following are benefits that many Students can expect to receive.
- Improved ability to focus and concentrate
- Better grades in school
- More self confidence
- Higher self esteem
- Improved physical fitness
- Greater body awareness and control
- More respect for self and others
- More self-discipline
- Become more responsible
- Able to physically defend themselves as a last resort
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- Develop the habit of goal setting
- Positive outlet for energy
- Excellent character development program
- Make new friends in a positive environment
- Greater self-control
- More able to handle pressure in everyday life
- Able to be calmer in the face of conflict
- Less likely to fight in school
- Learn leadership skills
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What are the Belt ranks ?
We have the following ranks:
White, Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, Red, Purple, Brown, Brown with stripe, Black.
How much will this cost?
Dues are $50.00 per month, currently we accept cash and checks.
Additional Fees
Uniform. $25.00
Free Belts at each new rank.
Free Testing.
Free Junior Ninjutsu or Little Ninja Certificate.
What about Rank certificates, what if we move away?
Rank certificates are awarded by The Meditative Warrior for the Junior Ninjutsu Program and Little Ninjas program, may or may not be accepted at other martial art schools due to the unique nature of the Program.
However, since the core principles of Junior Ninjutsu and The Little Ninjas program are taken from the Bujinkan, each student is afforded the opportunity every 2 belt ranks to test for Rank in the Bujinkan. This ranking is separate from the Program and a charge of $50.00 is incurred. The certificate from the Bujinkan is a globally recognized certificate, and is honored in any Bujinkan school in the world.
Who is your Instructor?
Your child’s primary Instructor is Edward Gatti, a 2nd degree black belt ( Nidan ) and is a senior student of Doug Tweedy 5th Degree Black belt. Edward Gatti is a former County Corrections Officer in New Hampshire where he was a Field Training Officer ,taught at the New Hampshire He has also taken several classes in Law Enforcement and is able to bring this knowledge to class, to help best protect your children against harm. Edward Gatti first started martial arts training at age 10 in Judo. Over the years he has studied Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Kenpo Karate. Correctional Academy, and was a certified instructor in Pepper Spray and Straight Baton.
Co-conducting all the rank testing as well as providing additional instruction when available is Edward Gatti’s instructor Doug Tweedy, 5th Dregree ( Godan ) who has over 30 years experience in the Martial Arts.
Do you teach with weapons?
Yes, we do. We will be using the following weapons:
Bo Staff or 6ft staff.
Hanbo or 3ft staff.
Bokken or wooden practice sword.
Shoto or wooded practice short sword.
Tanto or wooden practice knife.
Fundo or short practice rope.
All weapons taught are provided by the instructor, no need to buy them.
Do you have tournaments and trophies?
We do NOT have tournaments and trophies.
Our goal is to teach our students to avoid conflict and situations where they have to fight, yet when they have no choice to be able to defend themselves, so holding a tournament where we tell our students to fight is contrary to the spirit of our Program.
In tournaments there is only one winner and as often is the case most children feel bad if they do not win. Our goal is to enable our students to feel good about themselves all the time.
Instead, twice a year we hold a family demonstration, allowing each child to demonstrate the skills they have learnt in a positive manner, and allowing their family to share in their achievements. At this time a trophy, medal or certificate will be awarded.
What is the class format?
Classes are 45mins in length.
Training will cover specific areas such as: stretching, rolling / tumbling, basic solo kata (drills), two person drills, self defense scenarios, meditation / stress relieving techniques along with a question and answer session.
Unlike many martial art programs, there will be a written assignment to be completed every twelve weeks. This will not interfere with the student’s academics. The assignment will be a short paper on a subject matter such as Persistence, Honor, Dedication and Commitment.
How do I register?
Packets are available by contacting Ed Gatti, contact information below.
Please fill in the Student Registration Form, the Waiver of Liability Form.
If you have any questions or concerns that were not answered here please feel free to contact Ed Gatti at either:
E mail: themeditativewarrior@comcast.net
or
Tel: 1 804 909 7380 .
The Meditative Warrior Inc
11692 Timberly Ct
Richmond VA 23238
