Road to Asia (MA seminars)

[Transcendent Sunchips]

This weekend, the Japanese Candian Cultural Center was hosting this 2-day event called Road to Asia. Among asian things, they have martial arts seminars. My dad checked it out today. They have Aikido, Kendo, Arnis, Iaido, Judo, Karate, TKD, Shorinji Kempo, Naginata...and finally...ninjutsu.

My father checked out the FMA seminar then the ninjutsu. What he told me about ninjutsu basically summed up as a Seminar of Disaster. Luckily, he filmed some parts, but he was just too disgusted to film the entire thing. My dad didn't have anything positive to say about the ninjutsu and looking at his face, he hasn't been this disappointed since that time I got a 0 in my midterm for grade 9 art. From our conversation, here are some quotes:

"The students look like unhealthy dweebs"
"Their instructor looks like an unstable wierdo"
"They throw the shittiest (generic strike) I've seen"
"I know I can kick their asses" (coming from an injured old man doing Aikido)
"They're only good at making poses for pictures" (Oops, he really did have somthing positive to say)

Anyways, I'm going there tomorrow to check out the judo and meet my former judo instructors. I'm also going to stick around for the ninjutsu and hopefully get tape of this train wreck.

If anybody in Toronto is interested, Sunday Nov 7th is the last day and it runs from 11am-6pm. The Judo seminar starts at 1:30pm. Ninjutsu on Sunday will begin at 3:30pm. They'll also have Aikido, Kendo, Iaido, and Naginata seminars tomorrow.

Address: 6 Garamond Court (Don Mills/Eglinton)

I'm going to try to tape the ninjutsu tomorrow. If I don't tape it at least I'll have my father's footage. I will bring a copy to Friday's Throwdown. If somebody can host it, I will give it to them.

[TaeBo_Master]

how did you get a 0 on a midterm?

[Mayhem]

I thought a Naginata was a weapon, not a MA?

[Transcendent Sunchips]

I was too lazy to put my name on my sketchbook, thus my teacher didn't know whose drawings they were. So according to her, I didn't hand in any work that entire half.

[Zeddy]

The naginata is a weapon, but as I understand some people practice it solely by itself.

Refer te no kage.

[Kayne]

That huge list, and they left out Jujitsu. And ninjitsu got in. Appauling.

[j416to]

Naginata-do is a modern kendo-like sport fencing. They duct tape a thin curved piece of bamboo to the end of a long oak dowel, and then spar with kendo armor and skin protectors. That's what they're suppose to be doing at the Toronto JCC, except that the person leading the naginata-do classes doesn't have a black belt, so all they've been doing for the past year is drills, no sparring, just drills.

[j416to]

I could make several disparaging comments about the martial arts being taught at the Toronto JCC, but since my 85 year old Aunt still performs obon dori there, and my Mother use to be the head of the Montreal JCC, I'll keep my mouth shut.

But what I will say is this, it's called the Japanese Cultural Centre, and thus they're more concerned about promoting a positive image of Japanese culture, than anything else.

[IzzyDaHedgehog]

Are these Japanese Cultural Center things a chain? Because there's one 5 minutes from my house, where I take BJJ, and there's another one in downtown Chicago (haven't been there myself). But mine is only about 1500 square feet of tatami mats and then some locker rooms, not a large enough building to host an event on this scale.

[UnarmedBoxer]

if jackie chan, jet li, or donnie yen gave seminars or decided to host one would you go?

[liuzg150181]

Naginata-do is a modern kendo-like sport fencing. They duct tape a thin curved piece of bamboo to the end of a long oak dowel, and then spar with kendo armor and skin protectors. That's what they're suppose to be doing at the Toronto JCC, except that the person leading the naginata-do classes doesn't have a black belt, so all they've been doing for the past year is drills, no sparring, just drills.
There are more female than male taking up naginata-do,so it is a good way to hook up to japanese babe.

[ashent]

JCC? I thought you meant the Jewish Community Center! lol!

[j416to]

Are these Japanese Cultural Center things a chain? ....

They're not commercial chains, but rather community centers that were organized in various cities across North American, by Japanese-Americans and Japanese-Canadians. They were built after WWII, to preserve what was left of their culture, a culture that was a mix of Japanese immigants and their North American born children.

[Transcendent Sunchips]

Ok, I just came back.....oh man.

Judo was actually a JJJ seminar. Emphasis on those "SD" tactics. There was a cute japanese girl.

Ninjutsu...what a fucking disgrace that was. First off, those guys started about half an hour late. The cast composed of the following:

- 2 geeks you used to lock into lockers in HS
- 1 enthusiastic fat guy
- 1 a freakishly tall goth guy with an ugly goth gf
- 1 black guy from a '70s blaxploitation movie
- 1 Mid-age white guy sensei

Together they look like a bunch of guys who play D&D together in the white guy's parent's basement. I think they just started this MA (& I use this term loosely) and made shit up as they went along. Throughout the seminar, they even asked for volunteers to defend themselves after being shown 5 minutes of these techniques. yes folks, learning ninjutsu is that easy to learn.

They for some ungodly reason trained using weapons like naginatas, katanas, bos, knives, and this half-sai. They surround one guy and one guy would just do BS techniques that even the RBSD guys would laugh at. Even if I carried a naginata wherever I went and was suddenly found myself in a pentagon of katana wielding attackers, I wouldn't be able to defend myself after training with these guys.

Their session was only 1 and a half hours long. At this point, they've used up 45 mins which includes starting late. So, they take a break. These guys take their wooden knives, holster it behind their belts, and walk to the food area. The break was supposed to be 15 mins. I guess they took 15 minutes in ninja time, but our time was half an hour. When they finally started again, they did some unarmed crap. More made up moves plus a useless "submission hold" was applied. They asked for some volunteers to execute these moves. We left after this. However, this one girl had a pretty nice ass so I video taped some shots of it. I don't know how long they went for, but I had to leave because it was already past the hour and a half.

The highlight of the whole thing was that feeling that I probably have the runs after eating some of the food. For an hour and a half seminar, I have 20 mins worth of crappy video. I'll bring it out on the Throwdown for all to laugh.

[Aesopian]

There are more female than male taking up naginata-do,so it is a good way to hook up to japanese babe.

I must look into this... I need to make use of my new-found cauli ear as a Japantang attractor.

[PizDoff]

I used to live near there, across from the Ontario Science Centre actually, the ghetto....
Ain't thar be another JCC in Scarlem?