What are both the pros and cons of training in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu?

Aye, I did a bit of kickboxing there and a lot of rolling. Would love to go back......

 

i'll have to disagree. it's only because many people don't watch fights; a whole lot of fights. only with a proper frame of reference will someone be not easily hoodwinked by MA charlatans. an untrained person, when pushed into a fight will either freeze, go "wail" with wide swings (which is the skeleton form of sumo striking) or adopt a boxing/kickboxing attitude. why? it's because subconsciously, they know in their gut that boxing/kickboxing works. they've seen it happen, they don't want to get hit with it, and they'll want to hit their enemy with it 'cuz it hurts.

a video record of success. way better than sensei's anecdotes in convincing the subconscious.

a prospective student of MA who knows what he's getting into (violence that can maim and/or injure) has the responsibility of looking for this kinda stuff. it's their own life that's on the line (unless that said one doesn't take responsibility for their own life). on the other hand, if one views MA only as a fun hobby, congrats, you won't need to research and think about this, just go play patty-cake on the side.

 

If you were going for a perfect trifecta of arrogant, patronizing, and unproductive, you get 10/10

 

arrogant? yes.
patronizing? kinda.
unproductive? NO.

aside from combat sports, most MA nowadays are unproductive. martial arts chases after effectiveness in the field of violence, or the illusion of it. if one says MA is their path to "spiritual development/refinement" then better tell them to pursue painting or do charity works. Both are spiritually fulfilling, and there is a tangible product at the end of it.

aside from combat sports/prizefighting (which you gain the purse money and accolades) and war (which you gain political power and resources/wealth), which field of MA produces something tangible? those "traditional" in which most (if not all) are demonstration arts? you get paid for that or what? if someone again says "spiritual/personal___" then why are these people wasting much time bickering on social media (including this one)? again i ask: what's the product?

 

Well, if you want to talk tangible, each year in the USA, 17,000 people are murdered compared to 600,000 people who are killed by heart disease. Of the murders, 11,000 are killed by firearms, where boxing and BJJ are not really likely to change the outcome, leaving at best 6,000 murders where hand-to-hand combat skills are "productive." So in terms of what's the most productive part of martial arts training for extending your life...sweating your butt off is about 100 times more productive than becoming an elite deadly warrior.

Also, what my older son has gained in coordination and body mechanics (he's autistic and has proprioception issues) and what my younger son has learned about hard work and perseverance and confidence, are also tangible. Not numerically quantifiable, but tangible (and being a deadly fighter isn't numerically quantifiable either). I also think my relationship with my kids has tangibly improved since we started all studying martial arts together.

I'm not here to bash BJJ; to the contrary it's on my bucket list as an art I'd really like to cross-train in eventually. But saying anyone who isn't on a path to earn purse money from professional fights is wasting their time in martial arts? That's silly. There are a lot of benefits to being involved in recreational amateur sports/athletics (which is exactly what martial arts are for most people, whether you're talking BJJ, contemporary wushu, Olympic taekwondo, or Bujinkan), and so long as people have a realistic understanding of their art's strengths and weaknesses, that training is a good thing. Saying that anyone not on the path to professional MMA fights is "playing patty cake on the side"...yeah, still can't agree with either the intent or the tone.

 

The best effect judo/bjj/wrestling//boxing has is at the grass roots level, where lots of people get fit, and get some tangible skill.

 

Thanks for the answer. Are you a Bujinkan practitioner or instructor?