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JUNBI UNDO TAISO
By Shinsei (Roger Sheldon). 11th January, 1994
 
Junbi Undo Taiso are the warming up exercises of our system. The term is more often given as Junbi Taiso, Junbi Undo or simply as Undo or Taiso. Both the words Junbi and Taiso refer to suppling and warming up exercise while the term ‘Undo' means exercise physical movement; motion; opposite to rest; sport exercise'.
 
After the preliminary courtesies, a Shinseido training session will normally begin with a fifteen minute warm-up period.
 
Much has been written about warming-up exercises, and during recent years a great deal has been learned about the effects of certain exercises. When I started training in martial arts in 1974, the warm-up exercises were very hard and destructive to the joints. This was not well understood then as it is now.
 

Placing excessive and undue strain on the joints and to repeat a vigorous exercise fifty to a hundred times in a percussive jerky way is bad practise. To go beyond reasonable limits for the sake of proving tenacity, courage and staying power is also not a good idea.  However, to disregard such things was the norm when I began training.  Today, the Shinseido teacher is acutely aware of the effects of extreme physical exercise.  The training has become easier in one way but more difficult in another.
 

The nature and manner of performance of physical warm-up exercises should be carefully controlled and to explain their variety and nature is beyond the scope of this short introduction.
 
What is important is that you learn to be the wise judge of your own capabilities.  This means that you should never attempt to cling to the old martial adage that '... it is a great loss of face to lag behind the pace’.  You must learn to work your martial art for yourself and yourself alone.  You must learn to be self-sufficient and sensitive to your body's needs and abilities.  If the class decide to do fifty techniques and without falling prey to an attack of lethargy and idleness you know that you cannot do more than twenty, then you should always stop - regardless of what the teacher says.
 

This is a fundamental precept in Shinseido - to learn to think and act for yourself and to ask whatever questions you need in order to further your understanding and learning.  Be serious about the warming-up session, it is important, especially if you are not familiar with or well trained in the techniques of the system.  Long term practitioners can effect many explosive movements from a completely relaxed and rested situation but without relatively long term training, you may well sprain a joint or strain a muscle unless you warm-up first.
 

It is easy to cheat on the warm-up session, however, listen to any instructions carefully! watch what the teacher is doing and try to copy him or her.  If you are unsure how to work an exercise, please ask - another martial adage states, '... it is but a moments loss of face to ask, but a life long loss of face to remain ignorant.'
 

There are three primary aspects of Taiso
 

Exercises for agility and flexibility

Exercises for strength and power
Exercises for the cardio-vascular system