Tucked into a south Durango dojo in Bodo Industrial Park is a space dedicated to a craft so ancient it dates back to the feudal era of Japan.
There, a group of about a dozen people dressed in all black practice a mix of flips, grappling, weapons training, kicks and punches. The patrons of Durango Ninjutsu – Wandering Dragon Dojo at 158 Bodo Drive are practicing the tradition of ninjutsu – a martial art long practiced by the Japanese shinobi – assassins, scouts and spies.
Norman Dehm, the lead instructor, offers his 23 years of martial arts experience free of charge to students passionate and committed to learning the esteemed practice.
Dehm, who previously had schools in California and Denver, moved to Durango in 2010 and studied at Durango Kenpo Karate before eventually asking the instructor if he could teach his ninjutsu system. The instructor agreed, and Dehm now offers ninjutsu classes at the dojo Tuesday and Friday evenings.
For Dehm, who also goes by Taisho, ninjutsu is more than a class he teaches twice a week.
“What I’m teaching is a little more traditional and archaic,” Dehm said. “It’s a culmination of Japanese history, of 1,000 years of their military lifestyle. It’s not a sport-oriented system. Everything is very practical. We don’t go and compete in competitions or tournaments. Ninjutsu is pretty comprehensive. There’s a lot of information. It’s something you can’t just come to occasionally and pick it up. It does take a lot of years to wrap your head around the whole topic.”
Ninjutsu itself is a unique art, and Wandering Dragon Dojo is the only location in Durango where the practice is offered. It’s a malleable craft and allows individuals to express themselves in whatever way suits their psyche and physical-self. It allows its participants to express themselves as artists, because while there is an aggressive fighting side to ninjutsu, there is also a graceful and creative aspect.
“What makes the art unique is that we train in a four-dimensional space,” Dehm said. “We train to the different elements of earth, water, wind and fire. Those represent different emotional and physical states. So, if you are a slighter build but you’re quick; or you’re a big, strong guy but you’re heavy; or you’re a really athletic, wiry man or woman, the art will tailor itself to those attributes.”
For Dehm, however, the ultimate goal is to create a space where students can come and leave their troubles at the door. He wants to push everyone emotionally and physically to dig deeper and find their peak.
“That’s what I’m focusing on because I have a hard time reconciling the fact that I am teaching people how to hurt other people,” Dehm said. “I want to make that the least important topic in the school. I almost want it to be a byproduct because we’re building people up to be solid and secure in their life.”
Dehm’s tactics are paying off.
“I’ve been practicing Ninjutsu for almost a year and a half and it’s changed my life,” wrote Spenser Snarr, a Wandering Dragon Dojo student, in an email to The Durango Herald.
“The community becomes more like family the longer I spend as part of it. It has enriched my life far more than I could describe with these words and I would trade nothing for it,” said Jason Greely, another student.
Dehm’s wife, Sarah Choszczyk, also attends the dojo and, like Dehm, has been attracted to martial arts her whole life.
“Our system is 100% engaging. People learn how to get into their body,” Choszczyk said. “They learn how to punch correctly. They learn how to kick. They learn how to wrestle and be handled by other people, which can be anxiety-inducing. It’s hard to be handled by someone. It brings someone a little more into their body. It’s a very engrossing art.”
As the school has grown, an interesting development Dehm noticed was the culture shift as more women began to join the school.
“It took on a whole new personality,” Dehm said. “The school changed. It was more educational for me because the women really taught me what it was like to see the world through a woman’s eyes in our culture that’s male dominant, chauvinistic and patriarchal. I understood it before, but I didn’t really get it. ... I’ve learned a lot, and the men that are in the school are learning to remove that toxic masculinity. They’re learning to be better people and the women have become tighter, stronger and more bonded. It’s just really changed the face of it. It’s become more of this beautiful endeavor rather than just go into the arena and learning how to beat up on each other.”
Make no mistake, though. The women like to get physical in the arena, too.
“The ladies at our school are tough, and they’re all really driven. ... We’re doing stuff physically, but we’re training our minds to be more disciplined. We’re trying to connect our minds with our bodies and remember these movements and connecting how those movements might be useful if you do get in a scary real-life situation,” Choszczyk said. “So it differs from going to a self-defense class. It really is this beautiful history, storytelling and all-encompassing environment, but you can actually build skills that can help you in a situation if you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
apush@bcimedia.com
