Ballet and the art of Ninpo Taijutsu have much in common, grace, balance, rhythm, and...ummm...wait....nope, afraid that's it. Well if this article was about the similarities of Taijutsu and Ballet it would be over now, so luckily I decided to examine the differences between the two. Looking at the page strangely right now? I'm sure you are, you see I'm not referring to ballet, the dance form. I'm speaking of ballet, the non-realistic method of taijutsu that many of the American "Shidoshi" practice and teach. Now before you read any further understand that this article is not for those who cannot be honest with themselves. So if you are going to get your feathers in a ruffle over this then the article probably describes you or your teacher so simply skip over it.

The first point I'd like to address is the knee. Sometimes I have to laugh when watching the consummate skill of many 'instructors' throwing their students. It is rather simple to toss someone around with one hand when they stretch their punches out so far they grip the ground with their toes so they don't topple forward. IMPORTANT TAIJUTSU POINT NUMBER ONE: DON'T BREAK THE PLANE OF YOUR BIG TOE WITH YOUR KNEE.

The second important point I will mention is the use of striking or lack thereof. Taijutsu is a complete art, containing strikes and throws. But sadly, many instructors tend to leave out the hitting portion of the art when teaching beginners. Of course when doing the 'Kihon Happo', they teach a kick and a knifehand. Striking goes much further than that though. Many teachers separate the throws from the strikes, you can't do that. Now I know, at first you have to concentrate on each thing separately but after awhile the two must merge into one. Throws without strikes incorporated tend not to work in the real world. IMPORTANT TAIJUTSU POINT NUMBER TWO: REMEMBER TO HIT.

The third point I'm going to mention is the lack of stability in the footwork. Many people try to emulate Hatsumi sensei by trying to apply his method of taijutsu. This is rather difficult to do if you ask me, the Japanese Shihan can't even come close to applying the taijutsu like Hatsumi sensei does, yet there they are, the American 'Shihan" demonstrating on their student's they have taught to be perpetually off-balance doing the smallest motions and throwing people to the ooh's and ahh's of their awestruck 'students'. IMPORTANT TAIJUTSU POINT NUMBER THREE: NEITHER YOU, NOR ANYONE ELSE CAN PERFORM TAIJUTSU LIKE HATSUMI SENSEI.

The basic point here is to hopefully get to some practitioners that haven't been brainwashed by many of the great American Shihan to see through the illusions that these people create. Unfortunately many people become lost in this false reality presented by these so called 'teachers' and end up practicing ballet instead of Ninpo Taijutsu.

As a final note, I'm sure this is going to offend many people. I offer no apology for this, the Bujinkan needs a big shot of reality here in America so if you feel a need to respond to this please e-mail me directly and don't badger the editor.

Jeffrey S. Mueller is the Head Instructor at the Bujinkan Musha no Tomodachi Dojo in Bowie, Maryland. He has been training in Ninpo Taijutsu since 1988 and has traveled to Japan to train with Hatsumi Sensei and the other Shihan. He may be contacted via e-mail at: JeffM777@aol.com.