6 AUG, 2025
I've been following Zeropoint Bujinkan Budo since early on into my training. Way before I hit Shodan, Rob Renner's lessons were being taught in my dojo, and I enjoyed training the concepts with my teachers and friends from the dojo because they make sense to me!
Rob and Hiromi help out where it really counts: Going forward THROUGH Contact distance! When stuck at Contact distance (Striking range), you're in the worst part of the danger zone! Strikes gain more power with distance, and Zeropoint Budo shows you how to use Kyojitsu Tenkan Ho (Interchanging Potentiality and Actuality) to smoothly and safely move from Freedom THROUGH Contact, PAST the danger!
The other thing that makes them great is their commitment to safety. In order to create more "slow is smooth, smooth is fast" flow, practice starts with drills like "Ninja Tag" and foam pool noodles are cut down into the appropriate sizes for trying out Muto Dori without fear of injury and with a surface that makes enough noise on contact that you can't cheat the drill.
The breakdowns at the end of the training sessions are always really good, too! Everyone discovers something really wonderful during the sessions and has something relevant to share. Everyone there is trying to take their Taijutsu to the next level. It creates a "flow" atmosphere that feels like non-competitve resistance, and what everyone learns from that resistance is imporant to go over at the end of the session.
You will be challenged. You will be questioned. You will be called out. You will get it wrong 10,000 times. It always feels like a learning experience. At the end of every session is a better understanding of applying Sanshin No Kata and Kihon Happo under real pressure at real speed to have a greater understanding of the feeling of real fighting.
Definitely look at getting some lessons in with Zeropoint Budo! They will GREATLY level up the Taijutsu principles a Bujinkan person already knows, and will make Ninpo make sense to someone who already has combat sports training going in.