Paul Johnstone: making traditonal martial arts

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Paul Johnstone: making traditonal martial arts meet reality head-on
INTERVIEW BY BEN STONE
Paul Johnstone is somewhat of an oddity in the martial arts scene. On one side, he has forged a career
on the front line with the Australian Federal Police and in teaching defensive tactics methods, formed
from his study of reality-based combat methods such as Senshido and the Israeli military system, Kapap.
On the other side, he teaches the ancient arts of Japan’s Bujinkan ninjutsu system — a style that has long
been the target of sledges about its impracticality from the reality-based training fraternity. In part two
of this interview, Johnstone tells how he melds these methods in his teaching and shares more of the
philosophies he’s forged in over 25 years in martial arts.
from all walks of life. It’s a very
broad spectrum, from training
the local Girl Guides to training
bodyguard teams, and special
police and military personnel
throughout the world.
What’s the most positive
thing you have experienced in
your travels?
First and foremost, it is the
people with whom I’ve had the
pleasure to meet and train, and
the openness and appreciation
that I have received, knowing
that I’ve helped them in some
small way.
The second part of this
answer is that it has
made me a much
better person who has
an open mind and
open heart. I look
at things completely
differently these days
in all aspects of my life, both
personally and professionally. I
have seen both the good and
the evil in people throughout
the world, and have seen
first-hand the effects of
violence on victims
and their families.
I believe in
networking with
other honest,
DARREN LEWIS
P
aul, where has your
martial arts/defensive
tactics career taken
you over the years?
I’ve been very fortunate
to have travelled throughout
Australia and the world to
further my own knowledge, and
to have had the honour to teach
both martial arts and defensive
tactics to people from various
cultures and backgrounds, and
st
DARREN LEWIS
PART 2
hardworking and dedicated
professionals from within
Australia and around the world,
and no matter what style or
system we train in or teach, we
can all help each other learn and
grow. Unfortunately, I sometimes
think that is lacking in 2009.
Japan’s Bujinkan chief
instructor Grandmaster
Hatsumi seems a somewhat
enigmatic man and, from what
I hear, most who go to Japan
these days do not train with
him, but with his assistants,
the Shihans at the honbu.
Have you trained with him
personally, and if so, how did
you find the experience?
I have had the pleasure to
have trained under Grandmaster
Hatsumi on a number of
occasions during my visits to
Japan and I have much respect
for him, both as a person and as
a teacher.
I first met Hatsumi Sensei at
the 1996 Taikai (training camp)
and was given the privilege to
take part in a demonstration
honouring him during his
birthday celebrations. The
demonstration was in relation
to the use of ninjutsu in modern
special forces unarmed combat
training and included Sensei
www.blitzmag.net
Mike Hammond, who at that
time had trained members of the
elite NSW Police State Protection
Group, and Sensei Alex Mordine,
who was a former US Military
Special Forces Officer who had
seen combat in the Middle East
and Grenada.
At the end of the night I was
introduced to Hatsumi Sensei
and during our conversation,
he placed his hand on my chest
and said, “Good heart”.
In 2005 I was personally
awarded my teaching licence
by Hatsumi Sensei and
congratulated for opening
a Bujinkan dojo in Beijing,
People’s Republic of China.
Hatsumi Sensei and said that I
was the first ninjutsu instructor
since Takamatsu Toshitsuga
(Bujinkan’s 33rd Soke) to teach
ninjutsu in mainland China.
We are very fortunate that
the Grandmaster is still alive
to seek further training and
knowledge, however, it is very
unfortunate that Hatsumi Sensei
has never returned to Australia
since the early 1990s to conduct
further seminars.
Many in the Bujinkan may
not be aware of the hard work
and dedication of Australian
Traditional ninjutsu has its
fair share of ‘dirty tricks’
gone full circle and there
has been a resurgence in its
popularity, and in its interest as
a comprehensive and effective
martial art. Furthermore, I
find that people are still very
interested in the esoteric
elements of the art and its
history and traditions.
While very different to
ninjutsu, reality-based selfdefence systems like Senshido,
Hock Hocheim’s Scientific
Fighting Congress (SFC) and
Kapap seem to be designed
to address the same sorts of
problems and have very similar
focus and content as each
other. Is that the case, and is
has gone
“I believe that ninjutsu
s been a
full-circle and there ha
larity, and
resurgence in its popu
prehensive and
interest in it as a com
– Johnstone
effective martial art.”
ninjutsu pioneers such as Mike
Hammond and Ed Lomax
to bring Hatsumi Sensei to
Australia in the 1990s. However,
after that all further attempts
were hampered by underlying
politics and egos from across
various sections of the Australian
Bujinkan community.
I believe that ninjutsu has
there any particular reason you
have not chosen to teach one
over the other?
As I previously mentioned,
while I am a teacher, I am really
just a student in life and believe
that we can all learn from each
other, no matter if we learn
from ourselves, our peers, our
students, other styles or through
life experiences. All realitybased self-defence systems
are designed for the same
problem: confronting violence
and surviving, both mentally and
physically, by utilising practical
and effective techniques that
will work under stress and do
not require fine motor skills.
Furthermore, the concepts
allow for the conditioning and
development of a positive
mindset.
I often recall the first day
I marched into the Parachute
Training School in Nowra
to commence my military
parachute course. There was a
large sign with the encouraging
words “Knowledge Dispels Fear”.
Several weeks later, when I had
both survived jumping out of
a perfectly good aircraft and
being awarded my parachute
wings, I reflected on what those
words really meant. Since then I
have always utilised those three
words both in my professional
and private life. Several years
ago while teaching in China,
I was asked to attend a large
demonstration of martial arts
skills from a special unit of the
People’s Armed Police Force. At
the completion of a spectacular
display of skills and fitness, I was
asked on the spot to lecture for
three hours straight to the 5,000
police officers in attendance.
Those three words really put
everything into perspective that
BLITZ Magazine
67
The Realist
afternoon. If you are confident in
your own ability and knowledge,
then it will overcome whatever
fear is placed in your path.
Over the past several years I
have included the word ‘shared’
as I now believe that ‘shared
knowledge dispels fear’. By
sharing the very best of what
Kapap, Senshido, ninjutsu and
Hock’s SFC have to offer, I am
able to incorporate that into a
comprehensive and effective
training curriculum that my
students can effectively learn
and retain while under stress.
Now, this question I ask
all instructors who teach
combative skills to foreign
armies or police: how do you
ensure your training is going
to the right people, and not
regimes who may employ it in
ways that abuse human rights?
Over the past 20 years I’ve
trained thousands of security,
close personal protection,
law-enforcement, military and
police personnel from various
countries. Not once during this
time have I considered what I
was doing as morally wrong and
nor have I questioned myself
or thought of my training as
being in the wrong hands. In
all cases, the type of training
I have conducted was for the
peace, security and stability
of that particular country, or
for personnel deploying to
dangerous regions throughout
the world.
So, do you have a specific
process that you use to
determine this?
Very much so. There are
particular organisations and
countries in the world that I
would never offer my training
to, no matter what the
circumstances were. I follow my
intuition, ensure my research
is accurate and at the end of
the day if I believe that my
skills would be used for the
wrong reasons then I wouldn’t
pursue the matter any further
and would turn around and
walk away. Those that know me
understand that I am a person
of the highest integrity, honesty
and most importantly, loyalty to
my family, friends, students and
to my country. Nothing in this
world is worth losing all of that.
What about China, a place
where there have even recently
been some human rights issues
to do with the put-down of
protests by people whose
homes were taken to make way
for Beijing Olympics building
works? Can you describe what
your role was in teaching
government forces there?
The training that has
been conducted in China has
previously been sanctioned and
approved by the Department of
Foreign Affairs, as well as other
government departments.
To give you a brief outline
where it all started, we go back
to 1999 when I was invited to
China as a member of a training
and education/law-enforcement
delegation to look at the training
and use-of-force policies used by
the Chinese police and military
units tasked to control the rise in
crime and the increase of deaths
and serious injury to police
officers. As an example, in 1995
there were over 500 Chinese
police officers killed in the line
of duty, and about 2500 injured.
In many cases, complacency
and lack of training was the
main reason and the training
curriculum was inadequate.
Both myself and Eddie
Wazen were asked to conduct
training in use of-force
procedures, defensive tactics
and officer safety. Initially, we
conducted training seminars
for over 7000 police officers
throughout China, including
the prestigious Beijing People’s
Police College (a similar
concept to the United States FBI
Training Chinese
security forces
Teaching traditional weaponry skills
68 BLITZ Magazine
DARREN LEWIS
Removing a blade
the Bujinkan way
Johnstone at
China’s
police traini
ng
centre in Be
ijing
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as we are currently planning
Academy), were honoured as
to bring Albert Timen and Avi
visiting professors and approved
Nardia out to Australia for the
by both the Chinese government
Kapap Instructor Training course
and Ministry of Public Security.
in November. We are also
Subsequently, after having
preparing to again bring Hock
an active part in the planning
Hochheim out to Australia again
and security for various VIPs
in February 2010.
and facilities during the 2000
In September we released
Sydney Olympics, we were again
our updated Edged Weapon
invited back to China to conduct
Awareness and Defence
further training, including Close
program, and travelled back to
Personal Protection, and have
China to train the Chinese police
been invited back each year
in Kapap.
to teach ninjutsu, Street-Edge
My student and friend
Defensive Tactics and Kapap.
Jason Watson is currently in
Several years ago Eddie
Afghanistan and is the senior
relocated his business to Beijing
instructor for our Street-Edge
and has now established a
training in the Middle East. He is
training and risk-assessment
currently in talks with US military
consultancy while also
personnel to conduct training
representing my ninjutsu and
programs for them in-country.
Street-Edge Defensive Tactics
We are also in the final
training school.
stages of implementing the
From the information we
Street-Edge Defensive Tactics
have received, there appears
Instructor Program for current
to be no evidence that the
instructors of both traditional
training we have provided for
and reality-based systems who
the Chinese has in any way
would like to complement their
been used against their own
current training curriculum. My
law-abiding people, and in
other long-term project is writing
particular those people that had
a book and developing a DVD
their homes and lives destroyed
on the implications of edgedby the government as a direct
weapon attacks and defensive
response to the preparations for
measures.
the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
But then again,
no-one can ever
be certain that
e of his
Johnstone with som
they have only
ts
den
ninjutsu stu
ever trained lawabiding people
and those that will
not abuse what
they have learnt,
no matter if it’s in
the finance sector,
business world or
martial arts.
So what plans
do you have for
the rest of 2009
— any seminars
or overseas
deployments
coming up?
The rest of 2009
will be a busy period
DARREN LEWIS
GETS YOU RINGSIDE!
The Realis
t