Ninjitsu or Ju Jitsu

Hi everyone

I have a Ju Jitsu and a Ninjitsu school in my local area and I'm not sure which to take. My main aim is self defence in the steet, not competition, I did Tae Kwon Do for 6 years but didn't find it very useful in real life situations and I just wanted an opinion from the more experienced martial artists out there on which MA would be more effective.

Thanks
Aaron

You're not going to get an easy answer on which is more effective. However, in this specific case, you will hear that it is harder to find a _legitimate_ "Ninjitsu" school. That doesn't mean impossible of course.

As for which is more effective? whichever one does the most realistic training and motivates you to learn. That will vary from school to school of the same style as well.

I know what you mean, I have visited the Ninjitsu school, it didn't seem bad but the instructor didnt seem very confident about what he was doing or teaching if you understand what I mean. The reason I ask is because whilst Ju Jitsu as far as I'v seen can be very effective, in a street fight with multiple attakers going to the ground just means your gonna get kicked in the ribs.

The trouble is I find alot of MA's tend to contain alot of stuff that in my opinion is completley useless, in Tae Kwon Do whilst the side kicks to the knee and general punches could be useful most of the stuff like reverse hook kicks are useless in real life. To be honest if I got into a fight I would barely use any of my TKD training, although it would still help (superior reactions, blocking and technique) the actual moves involved are not as far as I'm concerned.
I'm asking from more of a technical point of view, in the hands of equally skilled martial artists which ma would be better in real life.

Thanks for the reply
Aaron

hey Aaronh
i study 'ninjutsu' well bujinkan budo taijutsu to be more precise, as to how effective it is on the street i think it depends on the way it is taught!

as jpoor said find a legitimate ninjutsu school! as a sort of guie line look out for schools using the name ninjitsu rather than ninjutsu.

those that use ninjItsu are not always the real deal! in my classes we learn a lot of traditional techniques that can be applied to modern situations with great effect

as for jujitsu you will find that some of the techniques in ninjutsu are similar for example trows and joint locks more like the Japanese art than the Brazilian type which mainly involves ground fighting. o

ne good thing i find when training is that we are encouraged to adapt and 'play' with techniques to see what would be effective and how different situations can develop, we also train with resistance sometimes!

i would suggest that u go to both classes and join in see which one u feel suits your needs! bear in mind being a good martial artist, as with every thing, takes a lot of time and practice!

Thanks for the replys, I am thinking of possibly taking kickboxing with Ju Jitsu so I get an all round good system of grappling, punching and kicking, I did kickboxing for 2 years and after TKD its very simple so I should have no problem learning both.

I appreciate the replys any addtional opinions/advice will be well recieved

Thanks again its nice to see a friendly martial arts forum rather than the usual more arrogant ones i've been to previously.

Hi Aaron,
Seems like you're getting some pretty good advice. I would recommend if you haven't read it already, pick up a copy of Living the Martial Way by Forrest E. Morgan. I think it would be a good guide for the kinds of questions you have. It isn't style-specific, so it's great for any martial artist. <end plug>

I would also recommend caution against training in 2 schools at once until you've at least gotten to a "black belt" level in one of them. You may run the risk of decreasing the effectiveness of your training in both. Not that it can't be done, but do so with caution.

Thirdly, beware under- or over-estimating the effectiveness of any style of martial art without having trained in it for a good while first. You may find down the road that your intial assessment of the art doesn't match up to what you know of it after gaining a greater understanding of its strengths and weaknesses.

Good luck. Just remember to pick the school that feels right for you.

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Thirdly, beware under- or over-estimating the effectiveness of any style of martial art without having trained in it for a good while first. You may find down the road that your intial assessment of the art doesn't match up to what you know of it after gaining a greater understanding of its strengths and weaknesses.

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I agree good advice Ian!

let us know how u go on!
btw where u from/ looking to train?