That's it. I'm out of the Bujinkan.

**Virus** · Posted On: 4/21/2006 10:12pm

Just notified my instructor that I'm leaving the Bujinkan. I'm going to be a judo fighter instead. It's not without some feeling of sadness, as we were more like a group of friends that got together and trained than a dojo. Attendance hasn't been great lately and I think I've pretty much broke the dojo by leaving. He'll now have to get all new students.

The primary reason I'm leaving is becuase the art is not alive, by that, I mean most techniqes are practiced against a static, unresistive partner often with an unrealistic attack. This may be ok for introducing a new technique, but not once in my six years, with four instructors was the issue of building up the resistance ever been raised. The idea just basicly doesn't exist for the most part. Like Matt Thornton says, I suspect they do dead technqiues and stay there becuase that's the only way they can get them to "work". Now, yes, there are technqiues within the Bujinkan, along with almost all traditional Japnese Jujitsu systems that work. Staples of wrestling and judo such as hip throws, shoulder throws, osoto gari are all there, but they are trained dead like everything else. How is one to know which are the high percentage techniques and which ones are for showing off at demos without the compass of aliveness? You can't know. This is a major flaw in not just the bujinkan but all traditional systems. The lack of aliveness taints the whole system. It leads to the retention of bad technique, incorrect technique and fanciful nonsense technique. It will do this becuase there is no filter system, no quality control and as such, no evolution of the art. I see alot of stuff that looks awsome in demos, looks great in the classroom, but watch how uke never moves his feet, or his limbs, he plays dead and goes with anything that is done to him. I've seen videos and demos of people get away with the most outrageous bullcrap becuase they do not have to face resistance. If they are confronted with this, they say "Well, it teaches flow" "It show what's possible" It's the old Chambered-punch-leads-up-to-the-right-cross syndrome ie: total crap. It's the very opposite of specificty. There's no point learning 50,000 variations and henka of a **** technique. The idea of being flexible in your application if a technique based on your circumstances is a great, and necesarry idea, and I think that's what they are trying to achieve but they have gone about it the wrong way. You can get that through sparring, rolling and live grappling.

There are other problems too, in summary:

The grading system is meaningless.

Many people like to dress up in black gis and tabi, knock sticks together and throw rubber shuriken. Sorry but if your going to do that, at least do it live or it's nothing but martial LARPs.

The is so much politiking and bitchfighting we make a political party look like a love-in.

The senior instructors are not really that good either. They know a lot of neat looking tricks but none of them step up and show they can fight.

People are told things like "You don't need strength and power" yeah you don't NEED it, but it's bloody good to have it and you should have it if you plan to be a good fighter.

I could go on, and probably will but I need to use the little boy's room now.

**SFGOON** · Posted On: 4/21/2006 10:26pm

Congratulations, I know it's hard to leave something you've given so much time to. I hope you're able to find what you were looking for in your next martial art.

**shinobi_jebus** · Posted On: 4/21/2006 10:54pm

why dont you do some alive training with your bujinkan training mates out of the dojo?

**Virus** · Posted On: 4/21/2006 11:55pm

Originally Posted by shinobi_jebus

why dont you do some alive training with your bujinkan training mates out of the dojo?

That's always been an option. We were talking of using some focus mits and randori after each class, but there is only really one guy there that would be a good match for randori and he's often not there. He spends more time at capoera, which I think he does for the chicks. I think that an art which has always been alive would be a better place to go and do randori. The coaches know from experiance what problems students are likely to face and can correct accrodingly. As I said, someone who trains for 20 years in partner compliant patterns will be a fantasic coach for teaching you partner compliant patterns. My instrcutor knows this; he doesn't even claim to teach people how to fight, he teaches an art in itself. Which is great, it's a very beutiful thing but if you wanna fight then there is better training elsewhere. For all the limitations of sport training, such as rules, banned techniques, time limits ect. I still think you are better off there. I like to think that my six years of BBT, which I really enjoyed, will stay with me forever. If there is any good to be taken from the system I hope I will retain it, with bad habits ironed out by sparring. My instrcutor just texted me back, saying he understands. There is no ill between us and he is a great guy. I wouldn't train bujinkan with anyone else. Most of the guys I have been training with were great people. Thier hearts were in the art, some of them traveled to Japan to live and take up serious training with Hatsumi and his shihan.

I now scrub the word "bujinkan" from my style field.

***Plasma*** · Posted On: 4/21/2006 11:58pm

Congrats dude! I believe there a support group for ex Bujinkan Ninjers. Its called a real Martial Arts.

**broken fingers** · Posted On: 4/21/2006 11:58pm

congrats...

**shinobi_jebus** · Posted On: 4/22/2006 12:11am

if the style wasnt for you it wasnt for you i guess, i dont think ill be leaving just yet allthough i havent been in too training for a few weeks now so i better kick myself up the ass and get back to training or ill be the next ex bujinkan guy here.

**Virus** · Posted On: 4/22/2006 12:12am

Thanks for your support. It's something my head told me to do for the last 10 months or so, but I didn't get around to leaving becuase I was attached to the people and the art. I usually listen to my head rather than my heart, my head says "Heart? Gay"

As I said, I'm a certified Black Belt in Ninjitsu and I always will be. It may be a bunch of crap but that **** sure does sound cool. ;)

**shinobi_jebus** · Posted On: 4/22/2006 12:18am

ninjutsu with a u dude hhahaha

**Virus** · Posted On: 4/22/2006 12:48am

I was wondering if ex-bujinkan guys like Mongo who have been in the bujinkan can share thier story on leaving? What went through your head at the time and led up top your decision?