I am stuck between MMA and Ninjitsu.?

Question

Before I go into my reasonings I know people are going to come in here saying ARE YOU STUPID!? GO WITH MMA. If you are going to do that please don't. I want to actually have an intelligent non arogant answer here. Okay now to my reasonings. I have always been interested in Martial Arts, but due to constantly moving, transportation issues, and other things, I have never been able to. Well I get a car tomorrow and I want to start taking classes. I don't want tae kwon do and there are a few karate dojos around my area, but the ones I am most intersted in are a MMA school and a Ninjitsu school. I want MMA because i like the sport and love the training to get into it. But to be honest the biggest plus for me in MMA is that it will help me lose weight. I want to lose some weight and MMA will help me alot. But with Ninjitsu its more of what i think as a real martial art. Granted MMA will help me fight, but with Ninjitsu I will learn more of an art that I have always had an interest with.

Answer 1

I have been studing Martial Arts for over 40 years.I started with Shotokan, then Judo,Then kung fu, boxing and Gracie Jiujitsu. I did this in an effort to find the perfect art. One that is good at any distance or position. What I found is that There is no one style that's better than others. For those that tell you MMA is fighting , no it's not. There are alot of things you can't do in MMA, finger jab, bite, kick to the groin etc. These things alone change fights. Pick the Art that fits you best because once you start you will be at it for the rest of your life.

Answer 2

personally i hate MMA but i cant deny its very practicle if you get into a fight. but i think ninjitsu is really fun and a know a few people who do it now and they are getting really good at it.

i would do ninjitsu if i had the choice.

Answer 3

Most answerers here are S****y. It depends on the school and the person, not the SYSTEM. Check the Ninjutsu school, see if it's practical, like it? Enjoy.

Same thing applies to MMA.

You can't expect things to be already be in a school just because it's that style. Most schools are Mc Dojos and Take-My-Doughs. I been fooled by one in past experience, don't make the same mistake.

Answer 4

You will be able to practice Ninjitsu longer than you will be able to compete in MMA. Ninjitsu is great because it teaches you what to do in a variety of self defense situations, whereas with MMA you get accustomed to fighting in a controlled environment on a mat.

Answer 5

go with MMA! you'll kick some ***!

Answer 6

when i studied to be a ninja in college i thought i was wasting my time. my mom wanted me to be a doctor instead. mma is pure fighting. albeit great for self defense, but seems like your seeking a little more. ninjitsu teaches fighting techniques as well as a balance of mind. don't be a knuckle head like the rest.

Answer 7

Try both places and see which you enjoy more. It seems like each will offer you something that you're interested in, so it sounds pretty good either way. Still, the only way that you can find out whats better for you is by trying both.

I could be biased because of the fact that I'm yet to come across a good Ninjutsu school (plus, Human Weapon has made me even more skeptical), but I'm pretty sure that MMA will make you a much better fighter. A better fighter in the ring, street, wherever. Factually, though, Ninjutsu divides its time between hand to hand, weapons, unarmed vs armed, and falling/rolling/stealth techniques. MMA focuses entirely on hand to hand; and because of that, its better at it.

But, if you could find a good Ninjutsu dojo that implements alive training (resistant drilling and hard contact/intensity sparring), you'd definitely be able to handle yourself. Against your average guy, you dont need to be a champ in the cage/ring/circle/octagonal ring/arena of the month.

Plus with Ninjutsu, unlike MMA, you get the cultural aspects along with the techniques.

So again, try both, definitely go with whatever you enjoy more.

Answer 8

Go with Ninjitsu.  Any form of Martial Arts will help you lose weight as they all can be extremely physically demanding.  I think you will have a lot more fun with Ninjitsu.  Most people will never get into a real fight in there entire life, so dont use that as a reason why you should take one or the other.  Either one will show you how to correctly throw a punch and basic defense, which will allow you to beat 90% of the people out there in a fight anyways.  I have found through my experiances at the MMA place where I train that the guys who come in there strictly to learn how to defend themselves or because they like watching it on T.V. usually dont stick around for longer then a  month.  Like I said, any Martial Art is very physically demanding, so if you are not totally interested in it, you wont want to punish yourself by going every day.  The fact that you have said "with Ninjitsu I will learn more of an art that I have always had an interest with" should answer you question for you.  Go with Ninjitsu.

Additional info--

Unless you are planning to compete professionally, Ninjitsu will be just as practical for your needs as MMA would be.

Answer 9

You have to look at your goals, do you want to train MMA or do you want to learn Ninjutsu? If you're looking to lose weight and want to learn to fight in a ring then go with MMA. If you want to learn a martial art that can save your life than learn Ninjutsu.

I'm not knocking MMA with that comment, I'm just letting you know that Ninjutsu was designed for fighting people in real life and not a ring, you can't do Ninjutsu techniques on a guy in the ring.

Don't buy into what many people are saying that if it doesn't work in the ring or octagon than it doesn't work in the street. In MMA you'd be training to fight with rules, time limits, a ref, the same weight class etc. There are none of those in real life.

But if you want to get fight and learn some boxing, wrestling and Jiu jitsu skills than go with MMA. It's all up to the individual. Some people want MMA and some want an authentic martial art, we all have different wants and needs so only you'll know the answer.

Answer 10

Go with ur heart, i personally think ninjitsu is much better

Answer 11

Hi there

You simply have to go with your heart and train in what you think is right for you at this time. Your choices and reasons for training may change over the years  as you gain more experience.

Don't decide on which one you want just yet. Try both and see which school has the better instructor. The art doesn't make the fighter. The fighter is the person and that will always be so. Both styles have their pros and con's and both do suffer from crappy instructors the same as all styles. But one is a martial art the other a sport or martial sport if you want to call it that. There are benfits to be had from both.

I have trained in many different arts over the last 17 years. The style I'm doing currently i wouldn't have picked when I first started. Its all about experience and direction and what your goals are. Everyone is different so no one can give you the answer you seek. The choice is yours to make.

Your training will always bring you back full circle but each time you end back where you started you will have a better understanding and appreciation for the next.

If you hit a bag for the next 20 years or grapple but rely more on strength and body mass rather than technique what have you learned?

If you do kata perfectly for the next 20 years but do it parrot fashion without ever using its principles what have you learned?

Its all good just depends how you learn and when you apply  it!

Training correctly regardless of the art is what is key!

Best wishes

idai