Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Hojutsu

I had the pleasure of hosting, and taking the 3 day Hojutsu class from Soke Jeff Hall, and Sensi's Norman Hood, and  (guest instructor) LT Col (ret) Dave Grossman, this past weekend.
Hojutsu is the Japanese Martial art of gunnery, Hall has modernized it and it is now referred to as The Art of Shooting"

While many are under the impression that being a "Martial Art" there is a lot of kung foo or judo involved, but at this level there  are some very minor movements, and turns, more of an introduction to the art, as one progresses they can get more hands on if they wish. As practiced today, Hojutsu is the combination of the Modern Technique and traditional Japanese budo.


Hojutsu trains in handgun, rifle, shotgun, sub-machine gun, and precision rifle; they also train in unarmed defense, various impact weapons, edged weapons, and ground fighting. However, Hojutsu is primarily a shooting art. Note emphasis is on shooting, and it  pushes the student to be  not only faster , but more accurate in shooting.
The favored platform is the 1911, but any caliber or brand of firearm is acceptable, even 22's, 2 students shot the program using 22's, as Soke Hall said 10 fast good hits with a 22 are more effective than a lousy hit with a 50 caliber.
The course of fire extends from 2 yards, all the way back to 50, with a good bit of the shooting done at 25 yards, but there was also plenty at  3-5 and 7 yards.
I highly recommend this course to anyone that is looking at challenging themselves, and pushing themselves to a higher level.
The instructors were excellent, they seemed to be everywhere, and most of the time encouraging, as well as giving them suggestions and tips on how to perform better, it really was one of the best courses I've attended.


The nerve I pinched in 2011 returned with a vengeance, so my shooting was not up to par, when it hurts to draw and fire, last month I shot over 90% in the Rangemaster Instructor course, but  was barely keeping it at 85% this time around. I earned an orange belt which was more an award for attending the course. but it is definitely a course I will consider taking again

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