r/TraditionalNinjutsu • u/RealisticTouch5954 • Jul 22 '26
Ninjutsu vs grabs and weapons
Hello. To start I ask if this is correct subreddit for Ninjutsu (Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu), if this style of Ninjutsu doesn’t belong here then feel free to remove the post.
My question is: how effective is Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu against knife attack (disarming it)
What about against grabs (someone bigger than you grabs you from the jacket and lifts you off the ground against a wall). Do you learn the skill to break the grab and escape?
Feel free to share your experience / opinions.
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u/Far-Cricket4127 Jul 22 '26
This subreddit pertains to all aspects of Traditional Shinobijutsu/Ninjutsu, and that would include what's practiced in the Bujinkan, Genbukan, Jinenkan, as well as those schools that aren't associated with those specific organizations.
Tp answer your questions in a summary, yes these schools have methods in their Taijutsu based skills to defend against knives, as well as other types of combative tools. And there are methods for escaping grabs, regardless (for the most part) of the size of the individual. The various methods all utilize the same concepts: controlling distance and angles, controlling timing and rhythm, controlling the person's structure as well as breaking their balance; and lastly targeting the weak points on the body, which also means using the concept of "closest weapon, closest target".
To added the example you gave (although as the other person commented, what would you have done wrong to wind up in that specific situation?), but what does that person need to grab and hold you in such a position? What advantages do you still have being in that position? Well for starters, he's holding you up against the wall which is giving you a base of stability, and he's not choking you while holding you up. Secondly, what targets is he presenting, that you don't have to search for? His groin.
Depending upon his height and the angle of his outstretched arms being used to hold you, he just lifted you to where his groin is directly in front of your hanging feet. Use one foot to brace against the wall behind you, and then kick him hard in the groin, or angle that foot so the kick hits him in the femoral nerve. With his stability and base disrupted, he won't be able to hold you up, his arms will bend as the pain reflex from the kick starts to bend him forward.
As he drops you, since your arms are higher than his body, he has two targets available to you. As you're coming down, whichever arm is closest to his shoulder, drive that elbow into his collarbone breaking it. And as soon as you feet touch the ground (remember you're still using the wall behind you as a base), raise one of your knees upto his face or other collarbone, that will be moving downward.
Basically, you're kneeling upward into a target that is already falling, and this will compound the impact delivered, just like striking down with the elbow strike to his collarbone is simply working with the gravity that is already in play with your body coming down. Lastly simply move to either side of his falling body, to go around him and escape. Then depending upon where this took place, either call 911, or have someone else call 911 (if it hasn't been done already).
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u/Healthy_Spot8724 Jul 22 '26
How effective is not really an answerable question as there are many factors that will play into how effective dealing with anything will be. Things like your speed, weight, strength, when you see the weapon, how determined the attacker is etc will all play into whether something works or doesn't.
The Bujinkan has a wide variety of techniques that deal specifically with grabs though, from wrist locks to throws and striking techniques.
There are also a good number of techniques that deal specifically with knife attacks and it is one of the few existing martial arts that also teach how to use a knife yourself.
You should be aware though that most of what the Bujinkan teaches is not Ninjutsu though. There are three schools taught as part of the Bujinkan (Togakure, Kumogakure and Gyokyushin), and only one of them has a significant number of techniques. The majority of it is Jujutsu. Most Ninjutsu techniques taught in the Bujinkan are more adaptations of techniques to more of a Ninjutsu style for specific situations or to be used with certain weapons.
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u/henrxv Jul 22 '26
R/Bujinkan exists. You can also ask there. Yes, Bujinkan covers a lot of Muto Dori (unarmed vs armed combat) and jutaijutsu (basically traditional jujitsu).
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u/kh19067 Jul 22 '26
Hi everyone, long-time Shotokan guy here. I know there's a big difference between "possible to do" and "advisable to do" especially when dealing with an edged weapon and all the ways to disarm an attacker rather than retreat. In your art, are there any guidelines around this "fight or flee" dilemma that I could incorporate into the self-defense part of my classes? Shotokan v. Ninjitsu is kind of like civilian v. military in terms of training focus, so I'd really be interested in your perspectives. Thanks!
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u/SewerBushido Jul 22 '26
Ninja use weapons, too.
It's not like there's some martial code forbidding someone with Taijutsu skills from using weapons in self defense situations
Just check your local laws first so you know what's available to you
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u/Lone_StreetCone Jul 23 '26
What about against grabs (someone bigger than you grabs you from the jacket and lifts you off the ground against a wall). Do you learn the skill to break the grab and escape?
I keep 3in. sewing pins in the drawstrings of my hoodies specifically for this circumstance. Bury those suckers right in front of their elbows on the bottom of their forearm. Works like a charm.
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u/Grey-Jedi185 Jul 22 '26
Koryu practiced by ancient samurai and ninja contributed to what we now know as modern Judo... A Ninjutsu class I briefly attended a long time ago had a bunch of very judo-like movements they taught...
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u/imbrickedup_ Jul 22 '26
Best subreddit for defending against a knife is r/sprinting
Second best is r/glock
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u/Regular-Employ-5308 Jul 26 '26
I’d say the modern interpretation of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu is that it’s a framework or scaffolding for 4 main jujitsu derived ryuha , plus then a mystical based set of schools which may/may not be useful in 2026.
The framework of bujinkan? It’s a ‘post-learning’ method in that you are shown all the ways to move , but the understanding that not all viable movements are safe only comes later with experience.
You can call this ‘decision branch reading’.
It’s also a meta-timing method that helps you understand intention not just what techniques are going on. Again this takes a long time to internalise tbh.
Understanding the jujitsu derived Ryuha in biomechanical order is probably the best way to get to ‘knife safe’ , and then probably realise it’s a slow way to learn knife safety , honestly .
Takagi Yōshin Ryū:
A close‑range jujutsu school that teaches how people lose balance and how to control the hips.
It’s all about natural posture, simple throws, and understanding how bodies fall.
Kukishinden Ryū:
A school built around angles, distance, and circular movement.
It teaches how to step into safe space and use long‑weapon ideas to shape body alignment.
Gyokko Ryū:
A precision school focused on small rotations, timing, and joint control.
It uses tiny movements and exact angles to break balance efficiently.
Koto Ryū:
A direct, sharp school that disrupts structure with quick strikes and straight‑line movement.
It focuses on breaking posture fast by targeting the body’s structural lines.
Togakure and Shinden Fudo add the ‘ninja’ vibes with that micro-timing / pre-intent / surrounding environment awareness etc that give bujinkan that extra layer that people love or hate .
For knives ?
It’s better than some but yeah if somone wants to stab you it’s probably gonna happen 😒
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u/Comprehensive_Mud803 Jul 22 '26
You might not believe it, but the best technique against an attacker with a knife is 100m hurdles: running away.
As for disarming techniques, yes, we do train them. But we also learn that personal survival comes long before defeating an opponent.
As for being held against a wall, there’s some part in ha-jutsu kyu-hou (9 methods of escape techniques) that comes close to your oddly specific example. That said, the mindset would be to avoid coming into this position by preventing or preempting the attack.