Welcome to Gaia! ::

Advice For New Members

I've listed 5 points that I felt members should be aware of, and adhere to.

1. Don't be afraid.
One thing that I've been noticing about the members that have been joining (or wanting to join) is that they're intimidated by the aggressiveness in the Guild Home description. While all of that is true, there are many less-aggressive members as well (like me). As long as you back up your statements with facts, and don't make any outrageous claims, we won't attack you.

2. Don't be shy.
If you applied and were accepted, be active. Post your Guild Profile, which is mandatory, and reply to as many threads as you want. You were accepted for a reason. If you were voted in by only a small margin, go ahead and prove to us why you deserve to be in here, and earn our respect. If you were voted in unanimously, enlighten us with your knowledge and theories. We want active members and new opinions. Inactive members will eventually be removed from the guild.

3. Don't tell us what we want to hear.
This has happened on multiple occasions. Things get boring after a while if you're surrounded by people with the same opinions as you. If you happen to have the same opinion as us on multiple topics, that's fine. But don't just say things like 'Tae Kwon Do sucks!' because that's what you think we want to hear. Everyone will know that you're just a wanna-be, and you'll be making a fool of yourself. Also, if you conform your application to fit our opinions, you're going to be rejected. It's happened before, and most likely will again. If you have an opposing view, state it so that we can have an intellectual debate.

4. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
If ABG members were chosen based completely on their martial arts skills, I wouldn't be here. ABG members are chosen based not only on existing accomplishments, but also ability to learn. Quite a few members have been accepted solely for their apparent open-mindedness. If you have any questions about martial arts, don't be afraid to ask. That's how you learn, and I know that if I'd never bothered asking, I wouldn't be much better off than Bullshidoists.

5. Share the knowledge.
If you happen to have extended knowledge of a certain style(s), then go ahead and tell us about it. While some members may know a lot about many styles, there are still many of us who have a lot to learn. So go ahead and amaze us with your seemingly neverending expertise. However, I don't want any short histories filled with commonly known information. If you're going to give us a history, make sure it's based on reliable sources, and preferably with names and dates. Also, don't just google something and post it word for word.

Misconceptions about Ninjutsu

Being as ninjutsu is my main style, I felt I should alert prospective and new members that we do not ridicule ninjutsu. Anyone who does will be crucified by me.

Ninjujistu is kewl!!!
People like this are the reason for the negative connotation of ninjutsu. (Yes, someone has actually spelled my style 'ninjujitsu') After seeing too many of the posts above, most people decide that they represent the practitioners of ninjutsu, whilst most of them are probably just pale, pimply, nerdy Naruto obsessors who don't know anything about the actual style. (I have nothing against Naruto fans, as I am one myself. Just don't go around claiming you're a ninja. The last authentic ninja died in 1972.) And for the record, I didn't choose to study ninjutsu because of Naruto, or because I wanted to learn 'l33t n1nj4 t3kn1qu3s!!!111!1' It is these kinds of people that the guild makes fun of. They are not making fun of the actual style.

Ninjutsu is just watered-down karate.
No. It isn't. If you believe this, you deserve to have a bo shuriken stabbed through your eye. First of all, ninjutsu is not watered-down anything. Our style incorporates weapons that aren't taught in karate, and last time I checked karate didn't cover grappling. Some of the strikes may be the same, but quite honestly, not many martial arts don't teach the same basic strikes, namely the straight punch, jab, hook, hammer fist, palm heel, etc. I've never studied karate so I can't make an in-depth comparison, but the concepts in karate and ninjutsu are definitely different. We don't learn the traditional karate blocks, among other things. Also, when did karate-ka use shuriken? Although there are some ninjutsu dojos that don't even teach this, there are still schools that do.

I'm a ninja! I'm self-trained in the arts of stealth and espionage!
This annoys the hell out of me. You're not a 'ninja' unless you study ninjutsu, and even then you technically aren't a ninja. If you ever hear me refer to myself or anyone else as a ninja, it is either because they really were a ninja (when talking about history), or I'm using it simply as a way to describe a practitioner of ninjutsu. Just as a practitioner of karate is called a karate-ka, a practitioner of ninjutsu is a ninja. It just gets tiring, typing 'practitioner of ninjutsu' all the time. So just for the record, if I ever refer to myself as a ninja, it's just because I'm lazy. I'm not claiming to be like the ones of old.

This also leads me to an ABG taboo - teaching yourself how to fight, whether through books, movies, or any other way, just means you're a moron. There's nothing wrong with teaching yourself if you test your techniques against people whose skills are not questionable. But no, teaching yourself kenjutsu by watching Seven Samurai, and then sparring with your friends, does not count. I'm sure your style is very effective (when fighting an inanimate object) though.

Ninjutsu is only taught in secluded areas of Japan.
Although I'm sure some people would like to believe that, ninjutsu is taught throughout the world, in various countries. While there are McDojos in every style, just because a style is taught in a certain country does not mean that it is Bullshido.

Ninjutsu vs. Ninjitsu
I've heard two explanations for the spelling differences. One is that the spelling is determined by the region of origination. The other is that ninjitsu is an incorrect spelling, and that jutsu and jitsu have completely different meanings. I'll leave it up to you to decide or find out for yourself which one to believe.

Ninjas are the Real Ultimate Power!!!
Yes. Yes they are.

Basic Ninjutsu Information
While we're on the topic of ninjutsu, I figured I might as well list a few basic facts.

There are only three legitimate branches of ninjutsu:

-Bujinkan, the oldest and largest branch. Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi
-Genbukan, the second oldest and largest branch. Incorporates Kokusai JuJutsu Renmei. Grandmaster Shoto Tanemura
-Jinenkan, the youngest (formed in 1996) and smallest branch. Grandmaster Fumio Manaka

Ninjutsu is probably the most varied martial art there is. It teaches strikes, kicks, and sparring, throws, chokes, locks, and grappling, as well as weaponry, such as the bo, hanbo, jo, tonfa, sai, bokken, katana, naginata, shuriken, etc. That's about as brief as I can make it.

Bullshido Ninjutsu Dojos:

(I'm just going to post the list I got off a website)

Ronald Duncan's Koga Ryu Ninjitsu
Ashida Kim's Koga Ryu Black Dragon Society
Carlos Febres Nindo Ryu
South Africa's Koga Ryu
Koga Ha Kosho Shorei Ryu Kempo
Shinobi Kai
Five Rings Ninjitsu Association
Ninjukai Taijutsu - World Ninja Society
Dai Tengu Shinobi Bugei Kai Honbu - Tengu Kaze Dojo
Tew Ryu

If anyone has extensive knowledge (with reliable sources) on ninjutsu history, feel free to let me know by posting in one of the ABG threads or PMing me.

I would also recommend The Art of War. Although it was originally written for generals directing battles, I believe that one can learn alot from the strategies written within.