[Alliopeti]

I was taught the kuji kiri. It is a series of finger knitting you do while meditating, each hand position allows you to manipulate your ki in different ways. I was taught this by my sensei before he even taught me how to kick or punch. If I asked him what type of martial art I was learning he would reply, "karate". Keep in mind I was 11 years old at the time which was a good enough answer for me. It was private instruction every other day at his apartment. Training lasted all day. Unfortuneately I only trained under him for a few months before moving away w/my family but my exploration of the martial arts continued. After moving I starting taking karate at a dojo in S. georgia. I soon realized that what I learned was far different than what I was currently being taught. My old sensei wore shoes when he taught me, my new dojo didnt. My old sensei made me meditate for long peroids of time using the kuji kiri I mentioned above. My new dojo had no meditation. My old sensei made me jog, and swim as well as all my other techinques in the pool. My new dojo did not. Only later on in life did I realize what I was taught, the shoes I mentoned earlier were actually tabi boots. And all the cross-training I did outside was to build endurance in multiple enviroments(land,water). I also found the exact type of medition I was taught in the book, Ninja Mind Control, by Ashida Kim. Also the last hand position of the kuji kiri is the hand position "enlightenment" which is the same hand position a kendoka uses in order to meditate.

I do not consider myself to be a ninjutsu practioner. All I know is what I've been taught. I have attended many martial arts schools, but I have continuned to practice the kuji kiri to this day. It has helped me through some of the worst times of my life. Not many ppl have had a 1st hand experence with ninjutsu, just thought I'd share.