Good self defence training online..

[Arath]

Hi, this is a non-commercial, or rather, a semi commercial post.
Some months back I was talking online with an american girl whose a friend, and she was telling me how she was frightened of her boyfriend when he gets in a temper. As this boyfriend is 6 foot something and she's much smaller, it really irritated me (I hate bullies). Anyway, I suggested that she join a self defense class - the exercise would do her good, and she'd be much more confident dealing with her boyfriend. But it turns out that all the good self defense classes in her area are too expensive for her.

Okay, so I'm going to try to do something about it. Now, I'm in the east, and I'm an experienced martial artist - so I talked to a few other martial arts teachers here, and we've decided to float an online course. It's reasonably cheap ($100 for a course lasting about 3 months) and it'll teach you everything we can about defending yourself in a bad situation.

However, we're not doing this just for the money, but more to help people like the girl I mentioned, so, ANYONE who needs good self defence can also get the course for free by writing to us at [email protected] . The only thing we ask when you request the course for free is that 1) you genuinely are placed in situation where you are under imminent threat (i.e. you return home late at night, or have an abusive partner), and 2) you genuinely cannot afford the cost of the course, or of a good self-defence instructor in your area. That's all.
Please be honest when your request the course for free, because that way we can reach the maximum amount of people who REALLY need it. And if like what you see and CAN pay the cost of the course, please pay it, because we're already teaching over 62 students for free, so every cent that comes in helps us continue with this. Every person who pays for this course helps us to offer the course for free to many more people. We're already giving a lot of our time to this, and would like to increase that, and help the most people possible.

And the training is GOOD - very detailed, and VERY PRACTICAL, with easy to execute and highly effective moves. It's also very personalized, with a master always available (even on a daily basis) for advice via e-mail or even instant messenger. All the Sensei are very patient men, so the training will be thorough, even online.


You can visit our site at http://darkninjaclan.com/

We have a simple site, so any suggestions you might have as to how we could improve things, or reach out to more people, are definitely welcome. Write to us at [email protected] with the message title 'suggestions'

 

[Wild Bill]

:lfao: :lfao:

 

[KenpoTex]

:lfao: :lfao:

My sentiments exactly...geez.

 

[Kacey]

:lfao: :lfao:

My sentiments exactly...geez.

While I have my doubts about the ultimate effectiveness of on-line only training, I find the rationale behind it to be empathetic and kind; some things, such as environmental awareness and first responses (such as leaving the area, calling for help, taking another route, etc.) can be taught on-line. I will reserve judgement on this one.

 

[ArmorOfGod]

I agree with Kacey that the sentimate sounds kind and well-meaning, but has anyone been to the site?
http://darkninjaclan.com/SelfDefense.htm

Wow.

I particularly like the opening: "I am Ninja, one of the last remaining true Ninja on this planet. I am from the East, and I am setting up this site for one reason alone - to provide the best possible Self-Defense Training I can, as cheaply as I can."

AoG

 

[ArmorOfGod]

Still, who knows.....

AoG

 

[Lisa]

Thread moved to pro shop as per MartialTalk guidelines.

 

[Jade Tigress]

Mod Note

Please keep the conversation polite and respectful.

Pamela Piszczek
MT Moderator

 

[Rich Parsons]

While I have my doubts about the ultimate effectiveness of on-line only training, I find the rationale behind it to be empathetic and kind; some things, such as environmental awareness and first responses (such as leaving the area, calling for help, taking another route, etc.) can be taught on-line. I will reserve judgement on this one.

Kavey et al,

While I do not argue about arts and styles, I agree that the idea is good to offer something over nothing, but (* and yes But means a disagreement or opposite or ..., from what has already been said *) the cost of $100 for three months of online instruction.

Have the person read here, contact those like myself who would e-mail them and or call them to give them the talk about awareness and environment and being smart.

I would also direct them to a local school for instruction in person as soon as possible, not looking to make myself some money, but if the safety of a person is what I am concerned about I direct them and help them as I can, even if it means money for someone else I know or do not know.

But that is just me, and how I would have handled the issue.

:asian:

 

[Arath]

Okay, thanks for those here who have been supportive..

The fact is, I really am ninja, and it came about in a rather nasty way - I was stabbed in the face with a spike when I was ten, and my parents were determined it would never happen again, so they searched ryu after ryu until they were directed to this one. Since then I've not only been in countless real-life encounters (the east is more violent than you think) but have also taught self-defence for free to hundreds of students - teenage girls, women, men who need it because they have jobs that require them to come home late at night, etc.

The reason I've moved to the online site is that despite holding free classes, etc. I was reaching only a VERY limited number of people, and I would like to reach out to more.

What I've done for the online training is consult with my teachers, and out of the hundreds of techniques we know, select the ones that are most effective and most EASY to execute, and then put these together into a course. The training is VERY practical. There is almost not one technique in the course that has not been tested in real combat on the streets by myself or one of my students - so the things I'm teaching work in the most brutal arena of all - the street.

See, Ninjutsu is an assassins art. What that means is difficult for the western mind to comprehend. But it is EFFECTIVE to the nth degree, because it HAS to be. Most blows in ninjutsu are killer blows - we've actually had to tone down the techniques to a great extent for this course. But someone who takes the course WILL be able to defend themselves.

A lot of people have a problem with the $100 price. Well, that price is only for those who can afford it, while those who can't get it for free. That seems fair, doesn't it. I am an honest man, and I'm banking on the fact that (despite what people in the west seem to think) the majority of the human race is honest. If we let criminals and scammers and those in the minority affect how we think, then we have failed to protect (and defend) ourselves in the most basic way of all.
Self defence is carried out on various levels, mental and physical - a teen resisting peer pressure is as much defending himself as someone engaged in an actual encounter with eight men.


Once again, for those who've been supportive, for those who've given me the benefit of the doubt, you have my thanks. I hope to help many more people this way than one man can alone. I'm not charging the $100 price for myself so much as to be able to pay more qualified Sensei, to make this grow until we're reaching thousands, if possible. Each sensei can handle just so many students, and I expect (or rather, want) 75% or more of our student to be trained for free, so the money to pay the sensei has to come from SOMEWHERE. I don't want to charge the free students, because I want to reach those who genuinely need help and genuinely don't have money to pay for it. And that's the whole aim of this.

 

[terryl965]

Arath let be fair here almost all MA have killer Blows and Ninjuitsu is no different. I have been involved in MA for over forty year and I can tell yout this, you can show techniques to the masses, but the problem lies is the masses do not have you there to make sure they are delivering the techs. the exact way it needs to be done. Feed back is what is missing in my humble opinion, without it one cannot grow to a level of being effective.

I do wish you the best in your endevours and I hope and prayer that the people taking your online course fully understand what you are trying to teach.

I know we would all love to train everybody to be effective, but the truth is not everybody can learn and have the abilitys to be a MA'ist. With that being said I leave for now and wait for other to responsed in a polite and intelligent manner.

 

[Arath]

As an example of a real-life street encounter, I was recently walking down the street when I came upon a large (about 6 foot five) guy kicking a much smaller victim who was on the ground. Without even thinking about it, without any emotion whatsoever, I just touched the big man on the chest with an application of Ki, combined with some simple body movement, and he flew 20 feet and slammed into the ground. This took no effort, indeed, I was being as gentle with him as I could.
Then he slowly got to his feet and looked at me - he looked into a mirror. There was no anger here, no fear, no rush of adrenalin - those things are things I remember from long ago - they do not affect me now.
As I said he looked into a mirror. Whatever happened to him now was up to HIM. If he attempted to draw a weapon I would cripple him. If he attacked me, I would stop him as gently as possible. If he backed away, he would be unharmed. He backed away.
I waited till the bully had left, and checked to see that the man on the ground was not seriously injured, and then left. I did not wait for gratitude - what I did was not done for gratitute, but because it was the right thing to do.
All through the encounter the training took over so perfectly that my mind was elsewhere - I could have composed a poem while dealing with this bully. I did not use one thousandth of my capability when dealing with him.
What is written on the site may seem strange to you. It is not strange to me. It is only simple truth. I am an honest man. I have never needed to be dishonest.

 

[Arath]

Hmm, you are quite right of course, there's nothing like having a 'hands-on' instructor. However, with sufficient patience, I think that relatively good training may be achieved online - as a martial artist yourself, you know that there are blows and techniques that require little strength or physical capability.
I think that it's most important to guide a student into the correct mindset - and THIS can be done through meditations, through techniques of awareness.
Also, in one of the first lessons of the course I tell the student to take on a training partner if possible, at no extra charge, and share the course material with them freely. This doubles the chances of them training successfully. I also tell them to 'measure' their blows against a bag, or how to even make a simple makiwara board or punching bag themselves, if necessary. I teach them how to develop striking power.

This is the combat section - besides this is the more 'normal' self defence hints of awareness of surroundings, not falling into a pattern of movements when travelling, how do deal with a shadowing vehicle. Those are normal techniques taught in SD - where my course differs is in training people to deal successfully in a worst case scenario - to get out of a situation where one is cornered by a gang and has no escape. Online or in my dojo - I want my students to escape an encounter alive, and in good health, not dead heroically.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Arath let be fair here almost all MA have killer Blows and Ninjuitsu is no different. I have been involved in MA for over forty year and I can tell yout this, you can show techniques to the masses, but the problem lies is the masses do not have you there to make sure they are delivering the techs. the exact way it needs to be done. Feed back is what is missing in my humble opinion, without it one cannot grow to a level of being effective.

I do wish you the best in your endevours and I hope and prayer that the people taking your online course fully understand what you are trying to teach.

I know we would all love to train everybody to be effective, but the truth is not everybody can learn and have the abilitys to be a MA'ist. With that being said I leave for now and wait for other to responsed in a polite and intelligent manner.

I will take the high road here and just say I agree with Terry

As an example of a real-life street encounter, I was recently walking down the street when I came upon a large (about 6 foot five) guy kicking a much smaller victim who was on the ground. Without even thinking about it, without any emotion whatsoever, I just touched the big man on the chest with an application of Ki, combined with some simple body movement, and he flew 20 feet and slammed into the ground. This took no effort, indeed, I was being as gentle with him as I could.
Then he slowly got to his feet and looked at me - he looked into a mirror. There was no anger here, no fear, no rush of adrenalin - those things are things I remember from long ago - they do not affect me now.
As I said he looked into a mirror. Whatever happened to him now was up to HIM. If he attempted to draw a weapon I would cripple him. If he attacked me, I would stop him as gently as possible. If he backed away, he would be unharmed. He backed away.
I waited till the bully had left, and checked to see that the man on the ground was not seriously injured, and then left. I did not wait for gratitude - what I did was not done for gratitute, but because it was the right thing to do.
All through the encounter the training took over so perfectly that my mind was elsewhere - I could have composed a poem while dealing with this bully. I did not use one thousandth of my capability when dealing with him.
What is written on the site may seem strange to you. It is not strange to me. It is only simple truth. I am an honest man. I have never needed to be dishonest.

Although I applaud the assistance you gave to the alleged victim

But to be truthful, this concerns me... a lot. I maybe reading this wrong, but you sound as if you are taking a violent confrontation way to lightly.

I too have had to use this stuff in real life applications and it did and does effect me and I certainly would not be writing a poems about it.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Okay, thanks for those here who have been supportive..

If you thought I was attacking you, you may hit the little red triangle in the upper right corner of the post, and report it to the moderator.

The fact is, I really am ninja, and it came about in a rather nasty way - I was stabbed in the face with a spike when I was ten, and my parents were determined it would never happen again, so they searched ryu after ryu until they were directed to this one. Since then I've not only been in countless real-life encounters (the east is more violent than you think) but have also taught self-defence for free to hundreds of students - teenage girls, women, men who need it because they have jobs that require them to come home late at night, etc.

Many things in this paragraph just ring un-true to me. The web site even with your face covered, does not seem to be of someone facially scarred. Plus if you had been truly stabbed with a spike, that would explain a lot, and I am sorry if it truly happened to you.

You speak of countless encounters, where as I have not had many recently, and yes, I would have a problem counting ever time I had to talk to someone in a situation, those real situations with guns/cars/knives/bats/golf clubs/etcetera I can recall and could put a number to the most of them and be close. But in all honesty the total number does not make you any better be the number high or low.

The reason I've moved to the online site is that despite holding free classes, etc. I was reaching only a VERY limited number of people, and I would like to reach out to more.

And to make more money if possible.

What I've done for the online training is consult with my teachers, and out of the hundreds of techniques we know, select the ones that are most effective and most EASY to execute, and then put these together into a course. The training is VERY practical. There is almost not one technique in the course that has not been tested in real combat on the streets by myself or one of my students - so the things I'm teaching work in the most brutal arena of all - the street.

Nice to see you are able to stress the right words in such a fashion that it seems you know Englsih very well, as well as your website is put together nicely.

Also note I never did state the techniques you teach or worthless, only that I questioned the value of teaching across the internet.

As to the Brutal arena and the streets, I would like to see you try some stuff on the streets around here in what is considered one of if not most dangerous cities in this country.

See, Ninjutsu is an assassins art. What that means is difficult for the western mind to comprehend. But it is EFFECTIVE to the nth degree, because it HAS to be. Most blows in ninjutsu are killer blows - we've actually had to tone down the techniques to a great extent for this course. But someone who takes the course WILL be able to defend themselves.

Yes, Please tone it down. It would not be good to kill your students.

A lot of people have a problem with the $100 price. Well, that price is only for those who can afford it, while those who can't get it for free. That seems fair, doesn't it. I am an honest man, and I'm banking on the fact that (despite what people in the west seem to think) the majority of the human race is honest. If we let criminals and scammers and those in the minority affect how we think, then we have failed to protect (and defend) ourselves in the most basic way of all.
Self defence is carried out on various levels, mental and physical - a teen resisting peer pressure is as much defending himself as someone engaged in an actual encounter with eight men.

I have a problem for $100 course over the internet.

Once again, for those who've been supportive, for those who've given me the benefit of the doubt, you have my thanks. I hope to help many more people this way than one man can alone. I'm not charging the $100 price for myself so much as to be able to pay more qualified Sensei, to make this grow until we're reaching thousands, if possible. Each sensei can handle just so many students, and I expect (or rather, want) 75% or more of our student to be trained for free, so the money to pay the sensei has to come from SOMEWHERE. I don't want to charge the free students, because I want to reach those who genuinely need help and genuinely don't have money to pay for it. And that's the whole aim of this.

So you plan on paying more sensai to teach your system?

 

[Arath]

Hmm, you seem to be getting some things wrong..
When I thanked those here being supportive, I was thanking them, not criticizing you in any way. I don't owe you the slightest ill will, you've done nothing that deserves criticism.

Some details about the stabbing incident - the spike entered my mouth as I opened it to yell, and penetrated to the back of the neck. It was a nasty injury - I remember being able to put my finger in the wound up to the second digit. It is only pure luck, chance, good fortune, whatever, that I'm here to write this.



About that encounter with the big guy, that you think I take lightly, I might mention that I've been a mercenary and soldier in several theatres of war - this is not the kind of situation that would bother me. There was a time when I indeed would 'get the shakes' or be afraid in combat, but by now I've been in SO much combat that my mind takes on a sort of automatic processing of threat value. In this case, had this man even thought of drawing a gun I would have sensed it and attacked him before his hand began to move to reach for it. See, there are trainings and there are trainings. Massive training coupled with experience, successful experience, breeds confidence. It's the advantage a veteran soldier has, is all.

About my english - my father is Japanese and my mother is Irish. And I love reading. My mixed racial heritage used to make me a common target. The world is still a violent place you know, especially racially, etc.

Money. You mention that a lot. It has little meaning for me. I've spent 10 years of my life in a warrior temple where money isn't even used. Money is unimportant to me. If I may quote the bible 'All things are pure to the pure.' Similarly, money is an important point to those who...

About any more criticism - well, it is a free world and I will not be goaded. I am an honest man, honestly trying to help people, and not only have I helped hundreds in local (free) Self Defence classes, but I already have over a 100 students online who I'm teaching for free. So much for wealth. I don't need much money in the east, things are cheap here - I sleep on a mat on the floor (truly) and I eat two simple meals a day, and that's all I need. No gadgets, nothing. You speak to a warrior priest, an artist, a philosopher, and you speak of money. If people can't pay $100, they can pay whatever they want - $50, or $25 or nothing at all - depending on their resources. It says so both in the post and on the first page of the site. You STILL have problems with this system? I find that both interesting and significant.


Hmm, every one of your points seems to focus on money. About paying the teachers - I intend for every student, whether they pay or not, to have a LOT of personal attention. For this, there must be a limited number of students per Sensai. I have no shortage of Sensei, as there are many masters in the Ryu, but these men need to be given SOMETHING if they are to spend their entire day aiding students.


Remember, I come from a different world, almost. Money is NOT the same to me as it is in the west. I am a very pure being in many ways, and I do as much good as I can BECAUSE there is evil in the world that NEEDS to be balanced with good. THIS is my motivation. You think you know violence - I have seen terrible things done in my life, sometimes things I was unable to interfere with or stop - acts of mass genocide, with one racial group trying to obliterate another with mass burnings of victims, with mass rapes. You do not know violence, my friend - come to some parts of asia, of africa, and learn what true violence can be, and on WHAT SCALE it can be. It is BECAUSE there is so much darkness in the world that it is NECESSARY to do as much good as one can to balance this.

Who was it that said 'All that is needed for evil to triumph is that men of good will do nothing.
If I charge those who can pay for the course, it is only because I recognise that money is a part of the world outside the temple, and that if this is to grow into something that can aid many more people, it's going to require some resources.

 

[Xue Sheng]

About that encounter with the big guy, that you think I take lightly, I might mention that I've been a mercenary and soldier in several theatres of war - this is not the kind of situation that would bother me. There was a time when I indeed would 'get the shakes' or be afraid in combat, but by now I've been in SO much combat that my mind takes on a sort of automatic processing of threat value. In this case, had this man even thought of drawing a gun I would have sensed it and attacked him before his hand began to move to reach for it. See, there are trainings and there are trainings. Massive training coupled with experience, successful experience, breeds confidence. It's the advantage a veteran soldier has, is all.

I am assuming this is the only part addressed to me so I will respond to this.

Okie dokie, this tells me all I need to know got to go, Bye

 

[bydand]

See, Ninjutsu is an assassins art. What that means is difficult for the western mind to comprehend. But it is EFFECTIVE to the nth degree, because it HAS to be. Most blows in ninjutsu are killer blows

Assassins art? come on, put away the comics and look to real history. Most blows are killer blows? Wow, must have missed this part the past many years training in Ninjutsu myself. Sure, it is an effective art, and one that I found to work great for me, but get off the comic-book/ movie version of the art.

You keep saying you are an honest man, and have in several posts now. Personally I have found that if somebody need to keep telling me they are honest, there goes a big red flag. Honesty shows through, it is not something that needs to be announced; except by hucksters, trying to peddle their wares. Sorry if that is a bit too sharp, but....

Man I can't wait for Don the read through this thread, I'm just going to sit by the side with some popcorn and watch.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I for one could not endorse what you are offering over the internet. It is always best to work out with an instructor for feedback. Of course I also have doubts about your ninjutsu ryu. Good luck none the less.

 

[Arath]

Thanks to all who've given me the benefit of the doubt - including Brian. Despite your doubts, thanks for wishing me luck.


To the ninja who recently posted - if your cynicism makes you happy, you have my blessings.

If you REALLY take a good look at the interior pages of the site, you'll see that this is a century-old offshoot of the original japanese ninjutsu, and several of it's aspects have changed. But I guess you didn't look through the interior pages of the site. Anyway, this version of ninjutsu is an assasin's art, and yes, we rarely learn anything other than killer blows, as these blows are effective even if slightly off target, or delivered with less than full power - or if delivered by a weaker person, they almost always stun but do not kill. So yes, we specialize in killer blows. I haven't even started on how we use a steel version of the humble yawara stick - that's far nastier.

These days I've developed so much power in my attacks and utilization of the Ki that I rarely strike a person, preferring to merely touch them with simple body dynamics and applications of the Ki that sends them flying into a wall or crashing to the ground, rather than hit them. It's simply too risky to hit them unless they draw a weapon. I try to be as gentle as possible. It is necessary.
If you are ninja and have not developed such power despite years of training, I would seriously suggest you look elsewhere. Ninjutsu (the aspect of it that I practise) is a lethal art. As I said, I'm a soldier - I've killed using the art, in combat. Have you? Have you gone up against opponents armed with Kalashnikov semi-auto rifles? Nope. I have. And yes, I used firearms in these situations, but I used a great deal of my ninjutsu training as well.

To be honest, these persistent attacks have me bored me stiff. Why don't we both save them, hmm? Save the theories for a real battlefield somewhere - then come and talk to me if you survive, and I'll be more inclined to listen. I suggest a two year stint in the middle east or war torn africa to test your training. And yes, before you say it, I've been there.

Again, to those who've been understanding, my thanks. To cynics - sticks and stones may break my bones, and a bullet might even kill me, but words..

Take care, all, and walk safe. Always.