Customer Reviews

heart of the Bujinkan Volume I

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The DVD is 20 mins long, with a bonus feature at the end, which is 17 mins long. Amazon has it stated that it's 40 mins long, but this is not the case, unless of course you want to include the informal bonus material. The 20 minute version demonstrates the basics of the martial art, which everyone should first master; and the bonus feature is simply showing one of his training sessions. Half way through this bonus feature / class training session however, there's a minute and twenty seconds where I got a black screen with no sound, which then returns to normal. Either this is bad editing on their part, or I just received a faulty copy. Overall I liked the DVD and will find it useful. The camera is filmed at a good distance, (just showing his entire body); many times he repeated every technique from the opposite angle so that you could better see what was being done; and his voice is loud and clear. Improvements could be made however. For example, there were a few cases where the instructor demonstrated a technique, and stopped to say that "it's this bone of the hand that you are trying to break", but he did not provide a clear close up of what he was doing, as there was only one camera being used!!! The person filming tried to zoom in to give us a better view, but this was not shown at an ideal angle, so it wasn't completely clear. Alternatively, he does not give the name for the particular bone within the hand he is referring too, or at least he doesn't give us the name in English. It is only shown from a distance, or a zoomed-in bad angle. This may be good enough for some, but may be completely lost on others who are new to the art. This is my first instruction video of the Buj, so I cannot provide any comparisons. I am also relatively new to the art, so I cannot comment on the instructor's taijutsu, but from a beginner's perspective, it looked good. Overall, it's a very short DVD; it has valuable information; and I liked it.

It's not flashy and the production values are not the absolute best, BUT this is one of the most useful videos I've seen in some time. Shidoshi Carbonaro breaks down the Sanshin No Kata, Torite Kihon Gata, and Koshi Sanpo Gata for easy analysis and practice. For readers who are not familiar, these are kata forms that contain many of the fundamental principles of Budo Taijutsu. The importance of understanding these kata cannot be overstated.

In the dojo, newer students are always asking, "What can I practice on my own?" This is it. If you're serious about studying Budo Taijutsu, and don't have these kata down, I would strongly recommend working out with this video.

Shidoshi Chris Carbonaro provides a very clear demonstration of fundamentals for the aspiring Ninja. As someone new to Bujinkan, I have found this incredibly more useful than photos and descriptions in books. You get to hear the Japanese names properly pronounced, see the elements executed several times in practice and in application. I am really looking forward to the next release in this series.

Love the video. While Chris is away in Japan I will study this thing every day and be ready for class when he comes back. Its no flashy or cocky. Its get in get out safe.

This is the best video on ninjitsu I have seen so far. Clear understanding of basics are taught, as well as some intermediate stuff. Chris presents a crystal picture of bujikan taijitsu in this video.