Type that into the search function on here, and you'll have days of reading about different peoples opinions about that. Simply, they are different organisations, that have common ground, basically Ninpo or Budo Taijutsu. The Bujinkan was the first, others have come after, some have different training methods, some include different schools, some are rated, others are not.
To discuss the particulars would take a while. Perhaps an analogy will suffice: Bujinkan is to To Shin Do....as cordon bleu is to McDonald's. - Mark Spada
OK, let's not assume that everyone asking newbie questions is a troll. If people are trolling they will eventually show their true colours and be moderated. Accusing every newbie of being a troll just makes us look aggressive and paraniod, which is not the impression we should be giving. If anything we should be polite and courteous and in the long run that makes the trolls look worse.
To be fair I asked this not long after joining MAP and didn't get any replies other than 'oh you won't get anyone answering that' and a couple of PMs. I had recently started with Bujinkan (Sep'09) and wasn't aware there were other kans or other independent groups, and also didn't know Stephen Hayes was not in the same org. Partly because I picked up on an interest only knowing what I'd read in the late 80s, my copy of History and Traditions from then and a taikai in Aug'89 as a complete novice.
well i think 70% of the replies were helpful and thanks for your advice korbudo i think i will be better to have two thoughts before posting the question
Toshindo has never been a sport to my knowledge. Toshindo 'was' just Stephen Hayes' personal interpretation from his training at the Hombu in Japan under Hatsumi soke, trying to break down the curriculum and make it more "teachable" to Americans, and implementing modern weapon systems into the training. Toshindo doesn't exist anymore. Hayes' current curriculum is his chain of Quest Centers. The old Toshindo system was primarily marketed towards men and security professionals, whereas his new system is more family-oriented, focusing on making his training accessible to children. The old methods of Toshindo are still taught I believe, but generally only at the shodan and above level for the more advanced students who express interest in it. That's not to say they call it Toshindo (I don't believe they do), only that the curriculum is probably very similar. As for personal opinion on your vague question, who are you and why do you want to know? Fair enough, but (I'm addressing DeathMetal here), please be aware that any guarded responses are the result of the fact that Hayes is probably the single most contentious subject in the taijutsu section of the forums here. So much trolling has been done in the past on the subject that those of us with the knowledge to give you an informed opinion about the subject will be reluctant to do so if you're brand new to the community.
From what I've seen on the Internet it looks like a version that was adapted to an American style, both in training with the added safety measures ( goggles and body padding ) to perhaps an extend to prevent lawsuits perhaps or allow for more heavier handed training without accidents. It looks interesting enough to at least if i'm ever near a quest dojo ( preferably the main one ) to take a trial lesson.
Couple of words from an outsider ... I would like to address the OP on why he is not receiving as much help as he could be. If the OP cannot be bothered to do the most rudimentary research on his own and then ask intelligent questions, why should he expect to have people do his research for him and take the time and effort to write it all up? Many people, especially those in their late teens and early twenties, have grown up in the instant information age. Many prefer to not think for themselves, and to expect others to give in-depth answers to any topic that they happen to have a small interest in. This becomes very tiresome to those that are truly enthusiastic about a subject such as martial arts training, and so the answers to non-specific questions can become very abrupt. I suggest you do your own research and learn what you can about it yourself. Then you'll be able to come and ask about specific things you would like to know, and would have a better chance of understanding the answers that are given. Just my opinions, and no offense intended.
When the entirety of your post is: ...you lose the interest of 50% of the readers. When you form sentences like: ...you lose the other 50%.
