Richard J. Van Donk

[Enson]

since so much was imput was given on mr. hayes i was wondering what are your thoughts about "RVD"?

i have seen his add on every black belt magazine and was wondering what his skill level is and if he is everything he claims to be?

if you get a black belt under him does that make you a bujinkan shodan or does that make you a rvd shodan?

is his school/dojo/course certified by hatsumi sensei?

thought i would submit my question to the forum for some expert opinion on bujin arts. i tried doing a search and it didn't come up with much.
www.ninjutsu.com

 

[althaur]

I was able to meet him once. Nice enough guy. Very helpful. His skill level? Better than me. I think a number of people got miffed about the video stuff. Rightly so in my opinion. You can't learn from a video. It should be a tool to assist in your training with an instructor. Great for jogging your memory but not for teaching you nuances. AFAIK, his shodan is from the Bujinkan. He stays current on his training and his membership. He isn't everyones cup o' tea. I'm sure others can chime in with better info for you.

Josh

 

[Enson]

he claims you can go up to godan with is home study course. he also goes into a big report on how it will teach you better than a dojo.:idunno:

 

[Kreth]

Well, since I seem to be on a roll trashing "living legends"... I've met RVD. To be quite honest, he struck me as the used-car salesman type. From what I've seen of his videos (both Bujinkan and the Filipino style he inherited), and his movement at Tai Kai, etc, I was not impressed.
Unfortunately, since he is a Bujinkan shidoshi, any rank he gives is recognized by the Honbu dojo, including video students.

Jeff

 

[r.severe]

Donk shihan is a very nice guy.
From what I have seen he is effective.
But he is NOT Hayes shihan and doesn;'t carry the knowledge Hayes shihan has on Japanese martial skills.
His movement is his own and it works for him.
I feel it is a reflection of what he sees in Hatsumi sensei.
That's my opinion.
I personally do not care for his system of Bujinkan methods but from what I have heard they have helped a great deal of people in their studies.
One thing is for sure.. he puts his information out.. and doesn't hide.. this is more than I can say for 99% of the Bujinkan.

Bill Atkins is another wonderful martial artist in the Bujinkan too.
He has done a great deal for others throughout the USA.

Jack Hoban is another good guy.

Sean Askew is great when he escapes his vortex.

The list could go on and on...

Just because you see them on a cover of a book or magazine doesn't mean much.

ralph severe, kamiyama

 

[Shogun]

he claims you can go up to godan with is home study course.

Well, you have to get Godan from Hatsumi Soke.

 

[Enson]

i have not seen his techniques but he says he is 14th dan so i assume he is pretty good. i would like to go to one of his seminars to see for myself. i really enjoy his website. i find it pretty informative and when i ask my japanese clients about ninjutsu that is the site i show them.

 

[Deaf]

I have not met the guy personally however my shidoshi has had the opportunity to meet him and has stated that the guy is a very nice guy and that his skill is good.

I'm not a big fan of video training solely for rank but more for a supplement for training. Has anyone viewed the RVD series tapes? What are your thoughts on them?

~Deaf~

 

[Deaf]

Sean Askew is great when he escapes his vortex.


ralph severe, kamiyama

Ummm care to detail what you mean by this. Please feel free to PM me since this is off topic.

Michael

 

[Kalifallen]

I believe Richard Van Donk is a 15th Dan in Taijutsu but a 10th Dan in Ninjutsu. What's the diffence? Taijutsu is the combative art you learn. Ninjutsu is the stealthing, camoflauge, concealment, survival tactics, etc.
He is a good teacher, and yes, too 'informative' on his dojo.
He teaches Bujinkan and he and his wife visit Hatsumi at his dojo in Noda, Japan. They're still learning.
His dojo is the ABD (American Bujinkan Dojo) and there is also an international one too. When you get the certificates for passing a level/rank you get Hatsumi's and Richard's signature on it. Purely Bujinkan ninjutsu teaching, which means it is traditional.
Tapes are good but I hear Hayes' are better. Easier to learn from I mean.

Side Note: On March of 2005 Richard is having a TaiKai/training camp in the Santa Cruz mountains (California, South Bay). If anyone is interested look on the ninjutsu.com site under seminars and see if it interests you. I'm going.

 

[Cryozombie]

I'm going to agree with Deaf...

I hear that RVD is very skilled... however I think that his Video Training course should be a supplement as oppsed to a "way of training"

 

[Grey Eyed Bandit]

I believe Richard Van Donk is a 15th Dan in Taijutsu but a 10th Dan in Ninjutsu. What's the diffence? Taijutsu is the combative art you learn. Ninjutsu is the stealthing, camoflauge, concealment, survival tactics, etc.

Well, this could be interesting. You seem to have understood the technical differences between taijutsu and ninjutsu, that's a good start Anyhow, something seems amiss here.

Ninjutsu, as taught in the Bujinkan, mainly exists in the three schools of Togakure, Kumogakure and Gyokushin. Official Grand Master of these schools is a Japanese gentleman named Hatsumi Masaaki. There are a few others who have menkyo kaiden in said schools (reportedly), but they are not allowed to give out menkyo to others without permission from the Japanese gentleman named Hatsumi Masaaki.

It also happens to be the case that this Japanese gentleman does not give out ranks directly related to any of these schools or their "expertise" (i.e. ninjutsu) because all of the grades in the Bujinkan are Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu/Bujinkan Ninpo Taijutsu, depending on how old your grading diploma is.
To summarize, if the Japanese gentleman in question has started handing out menkyo kaiden in "ninjutsu" (he gave Arnaud menkyo kaiden in tachi waza, at least) it would be very appreciated if you were to point to the source of this information.

 

[jibran]

This came up on Kutaki; the poster e-mailed Mr. Van Donk about it. Van Donk Shihan's response was that his judan menkyo reads 'ninjutsu' and his judan fu-i menkyo (a.k.a. 14th dan) reads 'budo taijutsu'

 

[Shizen Shigoku]

jibran: "This came up on Kutaki; the poster e-mailed Mr. Van Donk about it. Van Donk Shihan's response was that his judan menkyo reads 'ninjutsu' and his judan fu-i menkyo (a.k.a. 14th dan) reads 'budo taijutsu'"

Nimravus: "...all of the grades in the Bujinkan are Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu/Bujinkan Ninpo Taijutsu, depending on how old your grading diploma is."

Yes, for instance, my latest menkyo (sankyu) gives my rank in budo taijutsu; my first one (nanakyu received back in 1999) says ninpo taijutsu. I guess RVD got his judan back when it was called "ninjutsu."

To further clarify: RVD does not have two separate ranks in two separate arts. He is now 14th dan in budo taijutsu (the art formerly known as ninpo taijutsu, formerly known as ninjutsu).

 

[Kalifallen]

it would be very appreciated if you were to point to the source of this information.
says, Nimravus.

um, I'm a little confused, but I got the main info on ninjutsu.com. Bits 'n pieces are around the site. HSC area, about the dojo area, etc.
Still, I'm not too such what the question was that you were asking. It seemes like you were just making statements.

 

[midnightfox00]

According to www.ninjutsu.com, you do not learn the Ninjutsu styles until after you reach 1st Dan...Now I have been dieing to learn the Bujinkan martial art because I was informed it is the closest thing to Modern day "Ninja" training in today's modern world. I am now confused on what I really want to train in...and where exactly I can do it...

I was actually pretty excited about this train at home DVD that RVD has...because that would be the closest dojo to me...sadly...for the bujinkan art. But I now understand that I will either need to drive 300 miles per training session or be SOL to learn what I have wanted to learn for quite sometime.

It saddens me to know that I am still no closer to achieving the training I desire. If anyone has any better suggestions for a first time student on what I should do to learn the art of Ninjutsu, other than RVD's DVD's, ...please email me...same as my name on here @yahoo.com...I have spoken with a few people on here but I really just want to start my training before it's too late.

Thanks for the information...

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Midnightfox00 there are multiple Dojo's in Illinois try looking in the yellow pages at www.winjutsu.com . I imagine there are several that are closer than 300 miles.

Here is the list of Dojo's from winjutsu on their yellow pages to help you out. If one is not near then ask them if they no anybody in your area.

Illinois
Bujinkan Bushigokoro Dojo
Bujinkan Chicago Dojo
Bujinkan Funin Dojo
Bujinkan Hayashi Shugyo Dojo
Bujinkan Jishin Dojo
Bujinkan Mugen Sougen Dojo
Bujinkan Rockford
Bujinkan Shingitai-Ichi Dojo
Illinois Bujinkan Dojo
Ryu Bujinkan Dojo
Shori Bujinkan Dojo

Good luck!

 

[stephen]

I was actually pretty excited about this train at home DVD that RVD has...because that would be the closest dojo to me...sadly...for the bujinkan art. But I now understand that I will either need to drive 300 miles per training session or be SOL to learn what I have wanted to learn for quite sometime.

What town do you live in...I think I've met or trained with all the instructors of those dojo in Illinois....

I might be able to help you out.

 

[midnightfox00]

What town do you live in...I think I've met or trained with all the instructors of those dojo in Illinois....

I might be able to help you out.

Danville, Illinois...I am 70 miles west of indianapolis, like 200 miles south of chicago, and about the same from st. louis...

If you want you can email me as well...@yahoo.com

 

[elder999]

From what I've seen of his videos (both Bujinkan and the Filipino style he inherited), and his movement at Tai Kai, etc, I was not impressed.

Actually, I've heard from a few de Cuerdas people that his inheritance of the style is a blatant canard on his part, and a comparison of his video to their movements bears this out, but who knows?