In this video, Ali Abdul Karim Hanshi, speaks on the fundamentals of Taijutsu. Taijutsu is the hand to hand combat system of the ninja.
I don’t know anything about his lineage, or his affiliation. Frankly, I don’t care. If I were in Brooklyn I would seek him out; not because of the art but because of the man.
There are plenty of people who feel as if the art is a relic. A study in physical anthropology. I say, when an art is seen through the prism of modern street violence, it can’t help but evolve. It’s how I feel about ninjutsu, and it’s how I feel about Xing Yi, which I currently practice with Allen Carroll in Decatur. Traditional methods have merits, but it takes a worldly teacher fully express them.
I will be showing different clips from his school throughout August. I want to show that a Black man can be a warrior without being a thug. Too often those concepts are interchanged. They couldn’t be further apart.
Hopefully I’ll have an opportunity to interview him along the way.