Hi. I'm new to all this. I wanted your opinion on a couple of things ninjutsu-related. It may be a long post though. For the first question, some background. I'm a South-American that works on the day to pay for his studies at night. There are only 2 ninjutsu dojos in the whole country (Colombia), and both of them are on different cities than mine. If everything goes well i'll graduate next year, and maybe even move to the capital of the country, where there's one of the dojos i mentioned. So, it'll be at the very least 6 months before i can start training. So, the question is, what can i do to train myself in the meanwhile? Second question, related to the first: In ninjutsu.com a Richard Van Donk sells a video course that promises to take you to 1st dan without even having a sensei. Your opinion/experience on this? Third: A friend got a book called "Knife Throwing Techniques of the Ninja", by a Michael Peters. From my inexperienced point of view the book seems credible and useful, but i wondered if somebody here had seen it or can attest to the quality of the material (or lack of it). Fourth: As far as i know ninjutsu has a high lethality on it's techniques due to it's combative roots. I wanted to know that if you're trained enough you can, say, inhabilite an opponent without causing him permanent injuries or death, as i don't really want to end up maiming or killing a mugger or something like that, just defend myself and anybody that's with me at the time. Fifth: I once read that training in martial arts helped you to be more resillient to common diseases like colds and stuff like that as your body get stronger. Is that true? That's it for now, too many questions for one post
1. It may be worthwhile to post this on a general discussion forum so's us non-ninja's can answer, and 2. I lost count...
Second question, related to the first: In ninjutsu.com a Richard Van Donk sells a video course that promises to take you to 1st dan without even having a sensei. Your opinion/experience on this? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- He may be the bestest Correspondence/ By Video teacher in the world, but it sounds like a Crock of Fermented Excrement to me. Surely stuff like this would give Ninjitsu a bad name? But Hell, if you can't get to a dojo, then anything that helps your studies, may be of worth it. But no Video course should make promises like that. Besides Dick Van Donk? Come on someone is pulling our plonkers or Donkers in this case. Regarding yr training, if there is not a ninjitsu class near you, then get yrself to another Martial Art in yr city and start training in it, even if it is not yr first choice, just so that by the time you maybe get to go to Ninjitsu in Bogota, you'll at least be fitter, more co-ordinated and have a grounding in basic techniques...
Questions in order: #1) Practice rolling. Forward, backwards, side, diving. Ukemi is the term for it and it means various things - breakfalls, recovery, absorbing. If you don't know how to roll properly, find someone to help you learn. Dang, gotta go back to work. Be back to finsih in a little while.
Okay, I'm back. #2) Opinion only. While Mr. Van Donk may be an accomplished martial artist in his own right, you can not learn Ninjutsu from watching a video. If that were the case, I'd be the Grandmaster, instead of Hatsumi. Now, please remember that Ihave not seen these videos, and this is opinion only. You need a teacher, someone to give you feedback. You need a fellow practioner, higher or lower rank, to give you feedback. How do you know if your technique is good if you don't get feedback whether physical or verbal or emotional. How di you expect to get the "feeling" fo rthe technique, without experiencing it? So. nope, I wouldn't put much stock in anyone's videos promising anything. #3) No opinion. Haven't seen the book. Name rings a bell, but that's about it. Opinion on learning knife throwing from a book, yes. You're feedback results each time the knife leaves your hand. Target, hit or miss? A teacher can help you get rid of bad habits, but a book can still set you on the right path. #4)"I wanted to know that if you're trained enough you can, say, inhabilite an opponent without causing him permanent injuries or death" Yes. Of course. Even though the techniques are combat oriented, YOU decide in all cases how far to take the technique. Your opponent may influence your decision, but ultimately the final decision is your's alone. Only when it is ABSOLUTELY necessary, should you take a life.
In response to Question # 2, I will tell you right now that you cannot learn ninjutsu through videos. I have the entire collection of Mr. Van Donk's home study course that I use solely as a reminder of certain techniques or placemeny of the hands, feet, etc. during a certain technique. Sure there are some things like ukemi that you might get the general idea of by watching it on tape, but let's face it, tapes cannot give you immediate feedback. You need that feedback to prevent yourself from forming bad habits, which could occur simply because you didn't perceive something correctly in a video and then practice it wrong a hundred times because of such. I'd definitely steer clear of videos for now, though RVD does have a video specifically for rolling so if you take Brad's advice and practice your ukemi, you may want to test that one out, though I guarantee that the more intricate details will not be explained to you. For that you need a instructor. For Question # 4, I definitely agree with Brad. You learn to control your opponent and the entire situation. Is your opponent using lethal force? Than you may be forced to as well if you find that you cannot subdue them otherwise. But yes, you definitely learn to take control of a conflict and end it on your terms. Hope this helps you. Good luck!
Good feedback Thanks for the replies Well, my common sense was telling me that those videos were not exactly a good idea, but wanted information from somebody with more experience than me anyway. A web search on the book gave me the publisher's page (at: http://butokukai.com/product191.html and the author also made a shuriken book too at: http://butokukai.com/product194.html), but no good reviews (the most detailed was: "Good illustrations, especially grips"). I'll have to ask my friend on the practice knife that came with the book And is good to know that the art is not necessary lethal (i was picturing an image of somebody trying to surprise me from behind, me breaking his spine in 3 different places and then "Ooops!" ). You don't know with all the hype around ninjutsu (by the way, is there a page or something that shows the difference between real-life and movie-and-games ninjutsu? i know that real-life ninjutsu doesn't have people flying, walking on walls, jumping on top of houses in one go, dissappearing in a puff of smoke and the like, but i don't know what's really possible under the limits of reality). Kurohana: You suggested practicing the rolls, right? Apart from the video that SilentNightfall mentioned, do you know any source i can use to learn to do that (books, webpages, etc.)? i remember when i tried to do one of those rolls many years ago and failed because i was close to breaking mi neck and ended in pain on the floor thinking that it wasn't such a smart idea That suggests too that i would benefit from that training I don't know much athletic people (i'm a computer guy, and the athletic expertise of all my friends combined wouldn't really be a lot as we computer people tend to be kinda unathletic, one of the reasons i want to train), so if it were something i could do alone it'd be great.
As Sokklab said try another martial art untill you are able to start at ninjutsu. Judo is very good for learning rolls and breakfalls as is Aikido and Ju Jitsu. They will certainly get you in shape. You will also get feedback from instructors. Any martial art will get you in shape and give you a feel for things, try a few if you want, and stick with the one that you feel comfortable with, untill you get a chance to try ninjutsu.
Do keep in mind, however, that other arts do some things differently and it may be hard to adjust from doing it say...the aikido way to doing it the ninjutsu way. However, if you are going to do another art in the mean time, Aikido follows very similar principles in a lot of things that they do. Otherwise, just try picking up ukemi until you can train. Six months isn't an incredibly long time and starting another art only to leave it right away seems disrespectful and a waste of time.
Aikido rolls are very different then ninjtusu rolls. Ninjutsu rolls are about landing and using the ground to roll. Aikido start rolls before then hit the ground. Why? Aikido rolls are taught with falls as another way to fall. Ninjutsu rolls are part of Shinobi-jutsu and designed to everything from falls to escape to basic movements. Note: I got a lecture by a 1st dan in my Aikido for doing a ninjutsu drive roll in class. We were doing rolling over a person for was on all fours (about a 1 or 2 feet off the ground.) So I didn't want to get hurt so I did a "real" roll. He gave me a lecture on how that was wrong and showed be the correct way. The noise of he feet and hands on the ground on the exiting on the roll made me glad he was on a mat because any other surface would of hurt him a lot.
I too studied Aikido for awhile. However, when doing my ukemi, the instructor was very pleased. Yes, it was slightly different, but I made no (or little) sound and recovered safely each time.
We are always much quieter as well Judo/Jujitsu people make a lot of noise yet I am pretty darn quiet As for the video's mentioned - you might be able to get a good insight and some good technques from it but many you will find hard I think - as was said you would be better doing another MA like Aikido first of all then use the video's to bolt onto this then refine it all in a Taijitsu class. The restrain Taijitsu techniques do work very well so you should be able to control the mugger, also it will improve your awareness etc as well to anticipate potential danger.
I'm in a bit of disadvantage here because, as far as i've seen, there are almost no martial arts dojos in this city, there's not even a "Martial arts" section on the yellow pages, only 2 taekwondo dojos listed under gyms, so i'd have to keep looking and asking around, but for the looks of it seems like i won't be able to choose the martial arts class i'd go to in the meanwhile. Do you realize now why do i want to move? So is either getting into a taekwondo class or start practicing the ukemi as suggested (or both, wouldn't hurt i think). The first is self-explanatory, but on the second, apart from the video that was mentioned earlier in the thread, what other suggestion do you make? is there a webpage/book/somethingelse i can use to get ideas for practicing the ukemi?
The Rolls are pretty easy to do There must be a Judo club or somthing near buy? They are everywhere on the planet, try local councils and schools etc as clubs often use school grounds for training. It may be the advertising is just a little slow in your neck of the woods. If you have someone to train with the vids might help but there would be pretty pointless if its just you.
I did Judo for 8 or 9 years before starting Ninjutsu, and didnt find adjusting to the ninjutsu way of doing things very hard. But it did get me very fit and gave me a good grounding I feel.
Idea Ok, i think you guys underestimate the backwardness of this place (meaning i don't really think there's a jujitsu or aikido club in here), but i know who to ask already, so i'll be doing some research Anyway, i came out with an idea that should've been obvious from the beginning: contacting the instructor of the Bujinkan dojo i'm hoping to go to once i move. Yeah, i hate when i miss the obvious ideas I mean, who could be in a better position to directly help me on that respect? maybe somebody in the same city, but that's not the case Anyway, i'll contact him today (found the webpage and email) and i'll be posting any progress here. I'll get the "Rolling made easy" Van Donk video as soon as i recover some spending capacity (beginning of semester can be hard for the wallet) and start practicing. But i still hope i could find written lessons (books, webpages, etc.) for that, as i think it's better than videos as long as it has some minimal illustrations. Ah! one i forgot before: is there a need of masochistic (or sadistic if you're the teacher ) stretching exercises like those on the Kickboxer movie or something? i imagine that flexibility is a must in any martial art no matter the origin, but as i don't know much about the style itself of ninjutsu i couldn't really say how much would be the importance, or if it's something that's automatically developed by doing katas and similar training, or if it'd be worth it for me to train on that too.
Flexibility can definitely add you in your training, but it is not a necessity. Ninjutsu adapts to you and your body type, no matter how flexible. No where does it say that you must be able to do a split to do ninjutsu. I would say stretch to gain flexibility if you are truly interested in gaining the benefits of such. I, personally, don't soend too much time on this, but then again, I'm a busy guy and devote my training time to more important things.
You wouldnt As the styles are very linked - the Nagiwaza school throwing etc will be perfect from your Judo stuff. The rolls are slightly different and there is less strength empasis on throws in Taijitsu as you can use strikes to soften people up. Still its one of the best matching styles to Ninjitsu.
Legs. Cannot stress enough. The legs are VERY important in Taijutsu. Stretch them, massage them. From the toes to the hips. Keep them warm. Do squats (high rep low weight). I have found the Tai Chi warmups to be perfect for this.
