The Art of Shorinjin Ryu Saito Ninjitsu is very different from the approach of the familiar local karate or tae kwon do studios.

This is not a studio sport. We do not teach white belts to "free spar" - frankly because they will invariably resort to the very bad habits we are trying to break. We do not enter our students in tournaments, not because we feel our art is unable to compete but because our art teaches the students to always beware of multiple attackers. This means that our techniques focus on eliminating an opponent immediately rather than dancing around like a ring boxer. Tournaments emphasize habits and attitudes that conflict with the philosophy of Ninjitsu. Rather than the "look at me" attitude that seems inherent with trophy competition, we teach an attitude of "awareness all around me" which is readily transferable to all aspects of life.

We believe that there are plenty of sports available to help people develop a sense of sportsmanship, competitive edge and personal recognition. Saito Ninjitsu is not a sport, nor do we emphasize competition. In fact, our goal is to help develop a mature quiet confidence that comes from real fighting skills that are banned or too dangerous for slapboxing matches.

This does not mean you are in danger. This school has very strict safety regulations and in the years of teaching this art not one of Mr. Saito's students has ever had a reportable injury. The point we are making is that self defense is not sport and many of the habits taken for granted in tournament competition are actually detrimental in real self defense situations. We will be glad to demonstrate these claims for those who would like to have more explanation.

Saito Ninjitsu is a true Asian martial art which is taught the way it was hundreds of years ago. The philosophical and psychological elements of the arts are not dropped in order to make the art more marketable for the American audience. We believe that the American audience is frustrated by the fact that they are not getting the full art promised but are getting a mere modern "Americanized" version of karate which is devoid of the Spirit of the Art.

While we will not prepare you for slap boxing tournaments, we guarantee that you will be training in one of the most completely effective self-defense programs taught anywhere in the world. Now, self-defense is a term which the Saito family argues, includes not only the physical but also the emotional, mental and spiritual elements in our nature. Therefore, this art will be one of the most positive, maturing programs you could ever offer yourself. We fully recognize our responsibility to the student and to the community to help guide you in a healthy, invigorating direction which instills community values and leadership qualities. There are plenty of influences to feed our vanity -- Saito Ninjitsu seeks to guide and nurture the spirit.

One of the first things you will discover is that the art is quite complex, you will not have to go from school to school to get more sophisticated arts to study. This school teaches the highest level of both the Japanese arts and the Chinese arts as well as the weapons training. Yet, the belt ranking system is quite simple - white, green, blue, brown and black. There are no stripes of white or degrees of green. This is the same ranking system that was devised by the Saito family before they began teaching outside of the family. Small arts make themselves appear bigger by chopping up their programs into ever smaller pieces. This is much like rationing food or water in small increments when the rations are low. The arts taught in this school are broad and deep, they cannot be exhausted in a lifetime and therefore there is no need to chop them up into small pieces in order to make someone feel as though they are getting more than is there.

We do not charge for belt testing nor for the new belt earned. It is rare for a student to pass his/her rank test on the first try in this school - I will not advance any student who needs more help, more time and/or more work. The student is counseled after each exam on exactly what we want to work on before the next test which normally takes place within 2 or 3 weeks. Real positive reinforcement is a product of knowing that you performed up to your own standards which are normally just as demanding as the instructor's. Giving belts away is no way to respect the students nor respect those masters who have passed down these wonderful arts.

Please feel free to schedule an appointment before deciding if this school is right for you. The one guarantee I, as headmaster, can offer with full confidence is that we will give more than what you hoped for, but never less than you expected. This is a rare art and the program is a true treasure which I am absolutely delighted to offer to this community.

I have been very patient, waiting for the proper time and place to respond to the call to teach the arts which have been so precious to me. This academy is my personal commitment to this community, and I believe wholeheartedly that this is an environment that your whole family will be proud to be a part of.