News and Articles

Ninja family flourishes in Moorpark

Date: 07 November, 2008

Dressed in a redandblack uniform, Madison Lilly transforms from a typical 11yearold girl into a ninja warrior.

Madison does her martial arts training at Woodard's Todai Dojo on Princeton Avenue.

"The training helps you in a situation where you would have to defend yourself," said the fifth-grader, who attends Walnut Canyon Elementary School in Moorpark. "We do drills. We learn how to defend against a knife or a gun."

Madi son and her parents, Brian, a manager at Countrywide, and Cindy, a sales clerk, joined the dojo two and a half years ago.

"Cindy thought it would be good to do, a motherdaughter thing. My son was too young then," Brian Lilly said. "My wife asked me if I wanted to do it. I checked it out and said, 'This is it.'"

The Lillys enjoy taking classes together.

Now that Madison's 6yearold brother Blake takes lessons, it's a real family affair. Ninja training isn't only about kicks and moves. It's about a positive attitude and learning to speak in public. "Mr. Woodard is fantastic. He taught me a lot about selfconfidence," Lilly said. "I give presentations at work. Without his training I don't think I would have been able to do it."

Matt Woodard Matt Woodard Matt Woodard is a 15thdegree black belt who teaches budo taijutsu, a Japanese martial art used by ninjas for 900 years. His academy has more than 250 students.

"The overall philosophy is to persuade others to never harm you or the people around you. It's a concept that's called 'warrior protector,'" Woodard said. "Anywhere a trained person is—a church, school or restaurant—is safer because of their presence. Their mind-set is they are able to help other people in need."

When Terry Urie turned 50 he started feeling his age and didn't like it.

"I always wanted to study martial arts," said the Simi Valley resident, "but I didn't want to be like the Karate Kid and go out and fight."

Urie found what he was looking for at the Woodard Academy and joined three years ago.

"The students test instead of actually fighting. As long as you know the material you advance," said Urie, now 53 and a black belt. "I've lost weight. The flexibility in my arms and shoulders has come back. It's been effective for me."

At seven months pregnant, Claire Aguilar finds ninja training good exercise.

"I don't do the rolling part now or jumping jacks. I do the warm-ups," said the 39-year-old Thousand Oaks resident. "It's a great exercise for people. I plan to keep going."

For many of Woodard's students, ninja training is a lifelong pursuit. Woodard began his own martial arts training as a 5yearold growing up in Ohio.

"I was a rambunctious boy. I needed some focus," Woodard said. "Back in the '70s, martial arts training was only for adults. My parents convinced the teacher to take me on, and I've never stopped training."

Madison feels the same way about her ninja training.

"I plan to go to 15thdegree black belt like my teacher," Madison said.

Woodard's Todai Dojo is at 14721 Princeton Ave., Moorpark. For information, call (805) 532-1794.