THE AUTHOR
(And martial arts instructor)
Paul Walton Bothma, born in January the 7th 1962 in the year of the tiger, in Wynberg Cape Town in the Republic of South Africa.
As a boy, never involved with any form of combat, the longing was there but not the funds, the closest I came to martial arts, was a book about kung-fu, my foster parents had bought me. I had practiced the moves, but never really liked the obscure moves, I however was fascinated by the nunchaku, I had made myself a pair out of broom-sticks and became very proficient with them, however to my mom it became a liability and she took them away. And there ended my training.
As time went by and school was completed, I joined up at the age of 18 to the services of my country, and enrolling into the South African Police force. In this period of time, after my training was completed I had volunteered to do specialized training in bush combat and counter insurgency, whereby I was sent on to the border lines of my and neighboring countries to protect the people of that area.
At this stage a lot could be learned of tracking, camouflaging and combat tactics as also on survival.
After completing various tours to the border line, I was posted to the Namibian country, at that stage it used to be called “South West Africa”.
Whilst serving my duties I started learning a karate form in Windhoek, ( name of style withheld ) much to my ideas of a karate form, I realized that people were enhanced to be very aggressive in general approach, Shouting and moving in harsh blockish forms, at further investigation I found my second sensei always to be in fights, and hands always to be damaged, as a police officer it did not take long to find out why, The sensei acted as a bouncer at one of the Windhoek’s hotels and was always in confrontation with someone, upon investigation of his background he was quiet a well known client at the Windhoek police department for being abusive and aggressive. To me this was not setting a good example to students.
Concerning the art itself, I still looked for something with more freedom of movement.
As years went by I saw movies of ninjutsu, and started looking for the teachers, I eventually found one in Cape Town, after a couple of years of training bouncing from one place to the next, only to realize that this was not a true ninjutsu instructor, although proclaiming to be one, on question he could show me Kung-fu certificates but no ninjutsu certificates. I left him.
It was in 1985 that I joined a Koga-Ryu ninjutsu school, headed by the South African Ninjutsu Federation under the director Shihan Barry Pictor, I studied the art in Bellville Cape Town RSA under Sensei Chris Engels.
The year 2000, after 20 years of service I left the South African Police services, to devote my life in learning and teaching the art of “ninjutsu”.
During the trials and tribulations I ended up running my own school the, “Cape Ninjutsu Federation” as from year 1991.
My my grades were granted to me by the South African Ninjutsu Federation as also by the Black Dragon Fighting Society, Soke Ashida Kim 10th Dan from USA.
Today I am still a devoted trainee and teacher of the ninjutsu art, and are continuously honing my skill on research and studies of knew methods and techniques, with eyes and ears open, attending seminars of other ninjutsu styles, constantly keeping in touch with present day adaptations. Although representing the Koga-Ryu, I have an open relationship with the “Iga” styles to. And also encourage my students to participate in what they have to offer on there seminars.
Currently on writing this book, I have “dojo” operating in the area of Parow, Rondebosch and Paarl and they are all in the Cape Town province in RSA.
Author – Shihan Paul W Bothma – 5TH Dan Koga-Ryu Ninjutsu
