1. How is ninjutsu compared to other arts like karate or judo? Ninjutsu is an art that finds it’s roots dating back over 900 years, so it is verifiably among the oldest of martial arts you can find still being practiced today. Ninjutsu is a very comprehensive art that you can spend you’re lifetime learning and still never master, unlike some arts where you can learn everything in 5 years or less. Ninjutsu is an art that involves throws similar to the those you’d see in judo, flowing movements like that of aikido, joint locks and grappling similar to that of jujutsu, punches and kicks like those seen in karate and weapons work like you’d see in most samurai traditions. You’ll also find metaphysical areas in ninjutsu such as meditation and sensitivity exercises. Many arts only focus their training on a few specific areas. In ninjutsu you will learn never stop learning.

2. Will I get hurt training? As with any physical activity, there is always the possibility of injury. But that is reduced by the degree of care taken in instruction at the school. No student is ever asked to do something they can’t or don’t want to do because it is beyond their ability level at the time. The students, and instructors, are responsible for each other's safety while training, and consistently meet that responsibility. There is contact involved in this martial art, so it is not like point karate where you don’t actually touch your opponent(s).

3. Do you take part in tournaments? No. Ninjutsu is not a sport. It is a highly comprehensive martial art that doesn’t follow specific rules. The first reason we don’t participate in tournaments is that they have rules that limit your ability to perform what you are taught in our classes. For example, some tournaments don’t allow for the use of throwing techniques and others don’t allow you to hit the head or knees. These limitations in a tournament would hamper your ability to effectively fight using the tools you were taught in our school. On the street, there are no rules. The second reason is that tournaments and competitions for weapons do not go over well with the judges if you use our weapons techniques. Our weapons techniques are battlefield tested and are not designed for showmanship. They work very effectively although they may not look pretty enough to win a competition. In other words, our weapons techniques had to work or you’d die. That’s a lot more important to us than winning a trophy. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it just depends on what you're looking for. The third reason is that to be properly conditioned for a tournament you need to train like a championship boxer would for a fight. Thus you’d have to put in many hours of training to build up your endurance, strength and stamina in addition to putting in all the time spent sparring. While we never turn students off of the idea that they can enter tournaments on their own, we just don’t have the time to train them to win trophies.

4. Do you do sparring? Unlike a lot of other Bujinkan schools, yes we do and here is why. We feel it is important that you know what it really feels like to get hit and how difficult it can be to execute what you’ve learned in this realm. If you’ve never been in a fight, this is good training ground to understand what can happen and why you should or should not do something in a given situation. Too many people get overconfident that they are training in martial arts and think they are invincible. Additionally, how do you know that you can really handle a judo throw or a fast series of kicks and punches unless you’ve been there. Therefore, we feel that sparring is an important aspect of your training and we do incorporate sparring in our training. Experience is a great teacher. We do it several times throughout the year in various ways but it is not something you will do every class or every month. Again, it is only for the students interested in this kind of training and is scheduled outside of normal class time.

5. Do you offer Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced Classes? We take a different approach than most of the schools here in the United States. We teach our classes like Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi does in Japan. That method is that everyone is part of the same class. Thus, it is possible for you to be training with someone who just started and someone who is a black belt with over ten years of experience. What this does is that it gives you a chance to train with people of all abilities. In this art we all have something to teach each other. Never be intimidated that the person you’re working with has more experience than you. You’d be surprised at the number of people in martial arts who can have difficulty when a monkey wrench is thrown into their training. Furthermore, it is always good to train with people of all sizes, shapes and abilities to better round out your training. Don’t be intimidated, we typically take beginners and have them learn some basic moves for part of the class with an advanced person and then bring them back to the whole class so that they are part of the action. This way you get training on two levels. One for your beginning level and one to plant a seed in your mind that will grow when your abilities do.

6. What equipment will I have to purchase? You will need to purchase a black martial arts uniform. For the cost of the uniform please speak to an instructor. A high quality uniform is chosen because you need to have a uniform that will stand up to the training and not tear during execution of throws and grappling techniques. All uniforms come with a white belt. Additionally, you will have to purchase a basic training package that includes the training weapons most commonly used in class like a hanbo, knife, training rope and bokken. This is so that you are prepared to train for each class no matter what is being taught and you are required to bring it to each class.

After your first year, once you know some basic punching and kicking combinations, you will be required to purchase sparring gear if you wish to spar. Remember, we don’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do. Additionally, from time to time you will need to purchase items based on the training for that year. For example, if the theme of the year was Kukishinden Ryu, you may be required to purchase a bo staff in order to learn the bo katas associated with this ryu. In any case, students will be given ample time to purchase what they need and they can obtain any needed training materials through the dojo.

7. What should I wear on the first day? We encourage everyone not just to visit but to try the training and decide for themselves. Anyone can sit on the side and play devils advocate, but it's another story to actualy be able to perform as well as feel how the taijutsu works. If you would like to train, but do not know if you want to join, wear loose workout clothes. If you already have a uniform from another school, you can wear that if you would like but if you intend to become a student of the dojo, you will need a plain black uniform.

8. Etiquette -- what should I do when I enter the school? Nobody expects you to know all the proper formal behaviors when you walk in the door, so don't be nervous. Act courteous as you would in any other setting. When you join, you will be given a sheet with the rules of the school. When in doubt, follow the senior students or instructors, and remember, new students aren't expected to know the school's rules until they've had a chance to learn them!

9. What about belts? There are three colors of belts. White, green and black. The green belt is broken into a section of 9 kyu levels. This is much like the other colors you may see in other martial arts but we don’t go through the process of awarding different colors. It is a natural human response to think that a person of one belt color is better than another. We eliminate that here because we are all on the same level and can learn from each other. Thus, you may never know what another green belt’s rank truly is until they are promoted. Promotions are awarded when a student achieves the required skills for their particular level.

10. How long will it take me to become a black belt? Becoming a black belt in our dojo requires that you possess the skills necessary for that level. This is really a case by case basis as everyone learns at a different rate. Typically you can expect that to be about 5-6 years but it requires that you attend classes regularly. We do not hand rank out like candy, you will earn it. We are not interested in the quantity of students but rather in the quality of what they know.

11. What about membership fees? There is an annual membership fee to join the Bujinkan Dojo. Students are required to join the dojo to support the Grandmaster. Membership provides certification of the student's rank directly from Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi. The fee is $30 per year and it is due each January. This fee is not part of regular class tuition as this money is sent directly to Japan and you receive your Bujinkan Membership Card.

12. What about all these things I see about ninjas in the movies, can I really do that stuff? First and foremost, movies and television are entertainment. While some of what you see on tv and in movies may be fact based, it is often over exploited for the sake of entertainment and is often more of a fantasy than a real application. We do not wear masks to train and we don’t turn invisible by snapping our fingers.