Moving on, a question

[Dave the Boulder]

Hey everyone. First I just wanna say hi, newbie to the forum here!

I have a question for you all. I've spent the last ten years or so doing Bujinkan Ninjutsu and have gotten my second dan and although I absolutely love the art, the only school near me recently shut down due to the teachers health.

So I decided now might be a good time to choose a second martial art to compliment what I already know and I was thinking perhaps Kickboxing. Ninjutsu is not the most strike-heavy style and I figured it might be good to gain more strength in this area.

So would Kickboxing be a good choice?

 

[jobo]

Hey everyone. First I just wanna say hi, newbie to the forum here!

I have a question for you all. I've spent the last ten years or so doing Bujinkan Ninjutsu and have gotten my second dan and although I absolutely love the art, the only school near me recently shut down due to the teachers health.

So I decided now might be a good time to choose a second martial art to compliment what I already know and I was thinking perhaps Kickboxing. Ninjutsu is not the most strike-heavy style and I figured it might be good to gain more strength in this area.

So would Kickboxing be a good choice?

if you fancy doing kick boxing, then kick boxing would be a very good choice

 

[Oni_Kadaki]

One thing I'd consider when scoping out a striking style, be it Muay Thai, or something else, is stance compatibility. From what I've seen of Ninjutsu, they emphasize several rather unique stances, and another martial art may force you to operate from a different one. Just something to consider.

 

[Dave the Boulder]

One thing I'd consider when scoping out a striking style, be it Muay Thai, or something else, is stance compatibility. From what I've seen of Ninjutsu, they emphasize several rather unique stances, and another martial art may force you to operate from a different one. Just something to consider.

I did give that some thought. In Ninjutsu, the kumae is just a way to move around your opponant rather than a stance you use throughout the fight, moving from one stance to another with each step, so I don't really foresee that being too much of an issue, or at least not one that would be too difficult to work around

 

[JP3]

One thing I'd consider when scoping out a striking style, be it Muay Thai, or something else, is stance compatibility. From what I've seen of Ninjutsu, they emphasize several rather unique stances, and another martial art may force you to operate from a different one. Just something to consider.

I can get behind that idea. When I first was making the transition into Muay Thai out of TKD/HKD... the stance I'd be in wouldn't be nearly as controlled as I'd like as my muscle memory would take over and I'd end up fighting in a quartered, sidelong manner, instead of the MT more square way. It took a while but it got straightened out, or rather I should say angled out, as I got the two different systems to mesh.

 

[Dave the Boulder]

I can get behind that idea. When I first was making the transition into Muay Thai out of TKD/HKD... the stance I'd be in wouldn't be nearly as controlled as I'd like as my muscle memory would take over and I'd end up fighting in a quartered, sidelong manner, instead of the MT more square way. It took a while but it got straightened out, or rather I should say angled out, as I got the two different systems to mesh.

I think half the fun is trying to get two arts to mesh together like some kind of violent jigsaw!

 

[Buka]

Hi Dave, welcome to Martial Talk.

What you need to do is visit every dojo that's within a reasonable travel distance to you. Forget places an hour away, life won't let you go there on a regular basis. It just won't.

Then spend a couple nights in each place watching. Not one night, but a couple, as there's a good chance they do different things in different classes.

See what you like. Don't even try to picture how it will assimilate what you already have experience in, just see what seems the most enjoyable or intriguing to you.

And have fun doing it. Observing different Martial Arts in different places should be fun. Entertaining at the very least.

 

[Dave the Boulder]

Hi Dave, welcome to Martial Talk.

What you need to do is visit every dojo that's within a reasonable travel distance to you. Forget places an hour away, life won't let you go there on a regular basis. It just won't.

Then spend a couple nights in each place watching. Not one night, but a couple, as there's a good chance they do different things in different classes.

See what you like. Don't even try to picture how it will assimilate what you already have experience in, just see what seems the most enjoyable or intriguing to you.

And have fun doing it. Observing different Martial Arts in different places should be fun. Entertaining at the very least.

That seems like good advice. Thanks!

 

[Gweilo]

Welcome to MT Dave, like yourself, I also trained in Bujinkan, blending this art with others does need a bit of thought, myself I tried Hapkido, blending these 2 arts was difficult but, achievable, but knowing what I know now, I would have chosen an art like Judo, BJJ, or Sambo if you wanted to improve you take downs or ground work. As a 2nd Dan you should have the ability to disrupt your opponents balance, and have nice fluid movement.I found Bujinkan very good at leading an opponent into a favourable position and close quater situations, but mediocre in complex takedowns and ground work, also Bujinkan can be suceptable to attacks from distance or crafty feints, I myself found TKD practioner difficult to deal with, hence the Hapkido. You know yourself hopefully, so choose an art that will compensate for your believed short comings. All the best.

 

[Dave the Boulder]

Welcome to MT Dave, like yourself, I also trained in Bujinkan, blending this art with others does need a bit of thought, myself I tried Hapkido, blending these 2 arts was difficult but, achievable, but knowing what I know now, I would have chosen an art like Judo, BJJ, or Sambo if you wanted to improve you take downs or ground work. As a 2nd Dan you should have the ability to disrupt your opponents balance, and have nice fluid movement.I found Bujinkan very good at leading an opponent into a favourable position and close quater situations, but mediocre in complex takedowns and ground work, also Bujinkan can be suceptable to attacks from distance or crafty feints, I myself found TKD practioner difficult to deal with, hence the Hapkido. You know yourself hopefully, so choose an art that will compensate for your believed short comings. All the best.

Thank you! Some good points there. I always found Ninjutsu to be rather lacking in strikes. We have 16 Hidden Fists but always seemed to use only basic punches and shuto (not sure of the spelling there). I am hoping to find something more strike focused and figured Kickboxing of some kind might provide that.
Sadly this town I live in has very little in the way of options. Its mostly TKD schools and sadly the ones of those I have tried out seem to be treated more as a business than somewhere like-minded people can go to train together

 

[Brian King]

Welcome to martial talk. Where about do you live?

Regards
Brian King

 

[Dave the Boulder]

Welcome to martial talk. Where about do you live?

Regards
Brian King

The northwest of the UK

 

[Headhunter]

Thank you! Some good points there. I always found Ninjutsu to be rather lacking in strikes. We have 16 Hidden Fists but always seemed to use only basic punches and shuto (not sure of the spelling there). I am hoping to find something more strike focused and figured Kickboxing of some kind might provide that.
Sadly this town I live in has very little in the way of options. Its mostly TKD schools and sadly the ones of those I have tried out seem to be treated more as a business than somewhere like-minded people can go to train together

Just because a place is a business it doesn't mean it's bad teaching

 

[Dave the Boulder]

Just because a place is a business it doesn't mean it's bad teaching

True, but they have been bad classes too. I remember seeing a student asking a TKD teacher why a move in their pattern was only used as a block when it could easily serve as a strike? The teachers response was simply "because I'm the teacher and that's how it's taught." rather than giving and actual explanation to a good question.

 

[JP3]

True, but they have been bad classes too. I remember seeing a student asking a TKD teacher why a move in their pattern was only used as a block when it could easily serve as a strike? The teachers response was simply "because I'm the teacher and that's how it's taught." rather than giving and actual explanation to a good question.

I'm not saying this is why that teacher said that, but it just may be that he/she didn't know himself/herself. It takes a certain amount of teaching experience to be able to admit ignorance in the face of questions, so as to elicit the search for an answer. I use a thing I call "Let's go into lab mode" so we could figure things out. It's not a perfect metaphor, but it did get a different process going in class, sort of like the difference between "lecture" and "lab" while in college.

 

[Dave the Boulder]

I'm not saying this is why that teacher said that, but it just may be that he/she didn't know himself/herself. It takes a certain amount of teaching experience to be able to admit ignorance in the face of questions, so as to elicit the search for an answer. I use a thing I call "Let's go into lab mode" so we could figure things out. It's not a perfect metaphor, but it did get a different process going in class, sort of like the difference between "lecture" and "lab" while in college.

The guy had apparently been teaching for years. My old teacher used to refer to training as playtime and pretty much treated it the way you described lao mode. We trained hard but we had a good laugh while doing it and I have such wonderful memories of training there. So sad it had to come to an end...
Really miss training like that and wherever I end up I hope it has that similar atmosphere!

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

True, but they have been bad classes too. I remember seeing a student asking a TKD teacher why a move in their pattern was only used as a block when it could easily serve as a strike? The teachers response was simply "because I'm the teacher and that's how it's taught." rather than giving and actual explanation to a good question.

Another option besides what @JP3 said is that the student may have asked the teach that question a dozen times this week, just to be a pest. Ignored all the actual answers, and it eventually reached "because I said so" status. More than likely I wouldn't go there after that either, though.

 

[Oni_Kadaki]

I think half the fun is trying to get two arts to mesh together like some kind of violent jigsaw!

You, sir, win the thread.

 

[Dave the Boulder]

You, sir, win the thread.

Why thank you!

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Hey everyone. First I just wanna say hi, newbie to the forum here!

I have a question for you all. I've spent the last ten years or so doing Bujinkan Ninjutsu and have gotten my second dan and although I absolutely love the art, the only school near me recently shut down due to the teachers health.

So I decided now might be a good time to choose a second martial art to compliment what I already know and I was thinking perhaps Kickboxing. Ninjutsu is not the most strike-heavy style and I figured it might be good to gain more strength in this area.

So would Kickboxing be a good choice?

For starters, I'll just agree with @jobo (don't get used to it!) that if kickboxing interests you, it's a good next move. I'd say much the same about almost any MA you were interested in, because your personal interest will carry you through frustration and boredom.

That said, let's also look at a generic person (not necessarily you) looking to add to their Bujinkan training. From what I understand, many Bujinkan places don't do much working against a resisting opponent, so anything that gives you some of that will be a great compliment. If it were me, I'd be looking for significant striking (kickboxing, as you said, will give you that) and something to expand the utility of the grappling (some BJJ, Judo, catch wrestling, etc.) by working with folks who are actually trying to stop you.