About Mu-shin

The things we are most skilful and proficient at, we do without thinking.

Mu-shin the meaning

The things we are most skilful and proficient at, we do without thinking. Walking, driving, and cycling are second nature activities, absorbed into our muscle memory (subconscious). You can call upon them without the delay of thinking.

The Japanese samurai called this concept ‘mushin,’ roughly translated as ‘no mind.’ The samurai could react without thinking, eliminating hesitation and executing techniques at speed, under the extreme pressures of battle, seamlessly and to powerful effect.

The journey starts somewhere

The school bully had no idea what was about to rain down on him. He had me pinned to the wall with his fist raised. You may have seen the legendary Shaolin Five Rings style in kung fu movies; well, I had the ‘Five Claires’ style at my disposal!

Growing up in the ’80s, ‘Claire’ was a popular girl’s name. I had five Claires in my class, and they all ran to my aid that day. ‘Don’t hit him; he’s only little!’ I heard one of them say, while another held back his fist to prevent it from striking my face.

I avoided a beating that day, but in all honesty, I was completely overpowered. I was only eight, but the experience changed my life! Unable to recruit the Claires as my lifelong bodyguards, I decided then and there that if anyone ever tried to physically dominate me again, I would be ready. Thus began my journey in martial.

– Stuart Kirby (Founder of Mu-shin)

Four decades later, this journey continues. Having travelled the world and been fortunate enough to train with some of the top senseis (teachers) globally, I’ve witnessed extreme levels of skill—especially among senseis who have been training daily for over 60 years of their lives.

During my seven years in Japan studying karate and aikido, I learned that size truly doesn’t matter. Ingenious drills are the key to perfecting technique. Speed, power, and instinctive reaction follow.

Armed with multiple black belts and diverse experience in karate, aikido, jiu-jitsu, judo, kickboxing, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, I selected techniques for a new and innovative self-defence program. These techniques are not only simple to execute, but highly effective. Moreover, they can be quickly embedded into muscle memory to ensure seamless, instinctive execution -capturing the essence of mushin.

and never ends!

However, this extensive training did not stop me being humiliated recently when I fell victim to an investment scam, and I realised threats to our wellbeing can come in many different forms.

Like all experiences in life, there was a lesson to be learned and I used the frustration to study why these criminals had been successful in duping me. I learnt how they use things like urgency and FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) tactics to achieve their goals. It motivated me to create courses that equip people with an effective and instinctive response to all threats, not just physical.