Nindokai
Encyclopedia
Self-defense
Self-defense, self-defence or private defense is a countermeasure that involves defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger is available in many...
system which builds on the basis of Japanese and other martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
. It was established in 1990 by Dr Gerhard Schönberger in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and since then it has been continually adapted to the needs of the 21st century and has reached a lot of acceptance especially by police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
forces and security-companies. Nindokai teaches to end a fight or to avoid a present attack in a simple, fast and as effective way as possible with the least possible risk to one's self, i.e. to survive.
The word Nindokai consists of 3 Japanese characters (kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
): Nin = Enduring heart; Do = Way and Kai = School. Thus Nindokai means: the school in which the persistent way is taught.
Concept and techniques
Nindokai is neither a martial sport nor a martial art in a traditional manner but a methodical self-defenseSelf-defense
Self-defense, self-defence or private defense is a countermeasure that involves defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger is available in many...
system. Unlike martial sports, Nindokai focuses on training for real world encounters that are usually unhampered by sparring-guidelines and other rule restrictions. Similarly, Nindokai forgoes the training of ancient arts that are viewed as no longer applicable in modern society. One may find this rationale of effectiveness over rhetoric as a key concept in Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
's Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do is a hybrid martial arts system and life philosophy founded by martial artist Bruce Lee with direct, non classical and straightforward movements. Due to the way his style works they believe in minimal movement with maximum effect and extreme speed. The system works on the use of...
.
Despite this departure from both sport and ancient martial custom, many of the martial techniques (body position, rolls, falls, evasion) and the training etiquette (respect, politeness) taught in Nindokai originate in the Japanese martial arts. Supplementing influences come from military close quarter combat (CQB), bodyguarding, and other modern martial arts. The school teaches both unarmed (Japanese Tai Jutsu) and armed fighting. This attempts to provide a broad knowledge of fighting with and against a variety of techniques suitable for real world application.
Starting with a thorough basic-training, the student is taught to use the learned methods and principles instinctively. Theoretically, this allows every student to practice an art more suited to their own personal capabilities and goals.