Bujinkan FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu

BEGinners’ questions

  • Our beginners course starts every three months, but you can start by filling out right away by filling in the contact form here to book a trial class!

    If you already know the basics, you can become a member whenever you want!

  • If you start after the 15th of the currently ongoing month, just make a payment for the following month.

  • Basic training for beginners is held every Monday from 5 pm to 7 pm, but you are also welcome to join other classes. Basic training on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays focus also on basic techniques, but they are also popular amongst older students, as the basic technique training is a life-long practice that should be maintained and improved. It’s a good idea to also train with more experienced students, as they can contribute to your training.

  • To participate our adult classes, you have to be at least 16 years old. We also offer classes for youth aged 11-15 yrs & 15-19 yrs and classes for children aged 4-6 yrs & 7-10 yrs. Read more about our classes here.

  • Yes, you can! Many of our students have started without a background in other combat sports or martial arts.

  • No. The most important thing is that you do your best every time. You will improve fast and gradually become stronger, more resilient and flexible.

  • Yes. You can start training at any age regardless of your strength or size. In training, you will learn to adapt the techniques to your individual physique.

  • In Bujinkan, all genders train together. Bujinkan is not a martial art based on strength. Instead, it gives you an understanding of the opponent’s unique physique and build. Different body types will have an effect on how the techniques should be executed. This is why it’s beneficial for all to train with different partners and of a variety of ages, genders and body types.

  • When you come to your first class, you can just wear loose-fitting workout clothes. It is advantageous to have both long pants and long sleeves as well as socks on, as many of the techniques depend on the clothing. If you enjoy the training, you should eventually buy a proper gi, which is the uniform we wear during training. We train in a black gi with a belt. On our feet, we wear tabi, which are a kind of sock-shoe with separate space for the big toe.

  • Our students can get a discount at a local budo shop. You can ask for advice to get the member discount from our teachers.

  • You don’t need protective equipment for regular training. When we do more intense and freer training in the form of scenario training or free sparring (randori), it is beneficial to have appropriate protective gear. This is, however, not relevant for beginners.

  • No. The dojo has plenty of training weapons that you can borrow for training. If you want to be able to train at home, you should have a tanto (training knife), hanbo (3-foot staff), rokushaku bo (6-foot staff), jo (4½-foot staff) and bokken (wooden sword). However, this is not relevant for beginners.

  • No, unfortunately not. Our dojo is not overwhelmingly large, so we do not have a dedicated changing room and shower. However, we have a toilet where you can change clothes if you are not comfortable changing in front of the other students.

  • You don’t have to speak Danish to join. Although the majority of our members are Danish, we do have a number of international members as well, and all our teachers are happy to teach in English as well as Danish.

BUJINKAN questions

  • All training sessions start with the students lining up behind the instructor and kneeling in the seiza position. To begin with, we perform a formal clapping and bowing routine.

    This is usually followed by a warm-up, after which the day’s training session begins. The training can either focus on a single technique and its adaptations and variations or consist of a series of different techniques from a specific school.

    The nature of martial arts is to be chaotic and unpredictable. Therefore, a true teacher will not hold two identical training sessions, but will constantly vary and adapt the sessions.

    Therefore there is also no risk of falling behind if you miss a training session. Sooner or later, you will become familiar with all the relevant techniques.

    We conclude the class by gathering for another clapping and bowing routine.

  • No. Bujinkan is a secular and worldly practice. There are no religious prerequisites in Bujinkan, nor are you expected to adopt a particular worldview or behaviour outside the dojo. However, the principles behind our training are based on ancient Japanese philosophy, and there are certain spiritual perspectives that are incorporated into our way of organizing the training.

  • Yes, Bujinkan is a comprehensive system that includes all elements of combat.

  • Yes. Physical training, meaning body strength, mobility and breathing technique are an important parts of your training. 

  • Yes. We practice many forms of falls, also called ukemi. Ukemi is the act of receiving a large force and using your body in a way that minimises the impact and damage to your own body. This type of training allows you to get on and off the ground without getting hurt and injured.

  • Bujinkan contains several of the same elements as, for example, karate, namely what is called dakentai-jutsu and koppo jutsu in Japanese. These are techniques where you hit the opponent with great force, such as punches and kicks. However, Bujinkan is a much larger system and contains many more combat elements. Punches and kicks only make up a small part of Bujinkan, which focuses more on controlling the opponent rather than simply inflicting bodily harm. The emphasis placed on mental and personal development and balance also sets Bujinkan apart from many other common martial arts and combat sports.

  • No. Bujinkan has not been turned into a sport but is still trained as a martial art. This means that we do not have weight classes, safety rules, or safety equipment and that we are allowed to perform all types of techniques. Therefore, Bujinkan is practised exclusively as controlled training, as the real application is too dangerous for civilian practice. We do, however, practice free sparring, called randori, but still with consideration for each other’s safety.

  • In Bujinkan, we have different grades that are marked by belt color, an emblem on the left breast of the gi and stars on top of the emblem. Furthermore, Bujinkan is split between kyu and dan grades.

    KYU GRADES

    10th kyu white belt
    9th to 1st kyu
    Belt: green for men, red for women
    Emblem background: red
    Emblem border and symbol: white

    DAN GRADES

    1st to 4th dan
    Belt: black
    Emblem background: red
    Emblem border and symbol: black
    1st dan: no stars
    2nd dan: one star
    3rd dan: two stars
    4th dan: three stars

    5th to 9th dan
    Belt: black
    Emblem background: red
    Emblem border: silver
    Emblem symbol: black with a silver border
    5th dan: no stars
    6th dan: one star
    7th dan: two stars
    8th dan: three stars
    9th dan: four stars

    10th dan
    Belt: black
    Emblem background: orange
    Emblem border: light blue
    Emblem symbol: green
    11th dan: one star
    12th dan: two stars
    13th dan: three stars
    14th dan: four stars
    15th dan: five stars

  • The grading tests the students’ ability to perform and implement the techniques as well as their ability to stay calm and perform under pressure. We do not have a set curriculum, and students never know exactly what to expect during the grading. In that way, you could say that we test as in life. You never know exactly what skills you will need tomorrow.

  • There are no set rules for grading. At the moment we organise grading twice a year. 

    We will also hold a grading after the Beginner course.

  • To order emblems and stars, you need to go through your dojo leader – Shidoshi. To be valid, the emblems and stars have to be ordered through Hombu Dojo.

  • A seminar is a training day or weekend where we train together for several hours and delve into a specific topic. We hold seminars several times a year both with our own teachers and teachers from abroad.

  • No. However, if you usually come on fixed days, it is a good idea to inform your teacher if you are unable to attend. If you have forgotten, it is also a good practice to tell your teacher why you were absent last time. This builds a stronger bond between you and your teacher, and your teacher will know that you are interested in learning.

  • We are rarely closed. However, there usually are a few day breaks from training during Christmas, which will be announced on our internal forum for members. The children’s classes follow the standard school holiday calendar and are closed, for example, during the winter break.

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