# Dojos in Melbourne or Bendigo Australia



## WIIGII (Apr 6, 2010)

Hi all. Im looking for any ninjutsu dojos in Melbourne, or preferably Bendigo. I study uni in bendigo, though live in melbourne, so i'm onli bak in melbourne on weekends or holidays- which isnt that often. 

Thanks


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## Chris Parker (Apr 6, 2010)

Hi,

Going through your past posts, I would ask what it is you are looking for? You have asked for dojos in a range of arts over the last four years or so, what specifically do you think you will be getting with Ninjutsu?

But to answer your question, I am not aware of anyone in Bendigo, but there are a few dojo's in Melbourne. For Bujinkan, Tim Bathurst is in Preston (there are others, but he has one of the best Bujinkan pedigrees around), Jinenkan has a dojo as well (not sure where it is), and there is a Genbukan study group linked with the Brisbane Dojo (Nanzan Dojo). A quick google search ("jinenkan Melbourne", "Genbukan Melbourne") should give you those. Then again, there's me. We are an offshoot of the Bujinkan, being the original schools in Australia. But it must be said that our approach is not exactly what you will find in the other Bujinkan schools. Our details are in the link in my signature.


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## MJS (Apr 6, 2010)

I dont know much about Craig Guest, or where he is, in relation to you, but here's another option. I'm sure Chris could comment more on Craig. 

http://www.ninjutsu.to/


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## Chris Parker (Apr 7, 2010)

Yeah, I could... won't though.

One thing I omitted earlier is that we are currently running sessions on Sunday afternoons so that may work for you if you are only in town on weekends... although they are only for the next two or three months at the moment, as the Instructor running them will be moving overseas then.


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## WIIGII (Apr 8, 2010)

Thanks Chris!! 

In answer to your question- back when i made my first posts (which was a few years ago) i was really interested in learning how to use weapons. Now, I'm still interested in learning how to use weapons- though why ninjutsu you ask? One of my old high school acquaintances does ninjutsu at the moment (i don't know which dojo he's affiliated with) though from what i've seen he can do, i'm thoroughly impressed and inspired to learn ninjutsu. 

What times do you exactly train on Sunday arvos?? It might work with me, because i normally take a train up to Bendigo on Sunday afternoons, so i could do that straight after the training. 

What more can you tell me about Craig Guest and his training too? Depending on when he has training sessions, i might consider going to him, because he's quite accessible for me. 

I contacted the other 2 places you mentioned too in regards to their training times/locations. Thanks alot for all this


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## Chris Parker (Apr 8, 2010)

I said I wasn't going to comment on Craig, and I won't. The best idea, whether it is with us, Craig, Tim, the Genbukan, Jinenkan, Peter Meden (Mu Dojos), or anyone else, is to attend the classes, talk with the instructors, and decide which school suits you the best.

We run a session from 2.30 till 4pm, in Carlton. So it's not too far from transport, but I don't know how well the timetable will work for you.

One last word, the Ninjutsu community is rather particular in that while cross training is allowed (in some cases recommended, for example we encourage our seniors to do a degree of it in various styles), cross-training between different Ninjutsu organisations is not generally permitted. If you choose the Jinenkan, you rule out the Bujinkan, Genbukan, and us. And, of course, if you choose us, you rule out the other three, and so on. So attend as many as you can, and as many as are available to you, and make up your own mind.


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## stephen (Apr 11, 2010)

I can vouch for Tim Bathhurst and Peter Meden.


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## WIIGII (May 8, 2010)

Thanks for all the help guys. I'm still deciding on a ninjutsu dojo and doing more research. Today, i met an old highschool friend at a party and found out he's doing ninjutsu in melbourne at the moment. He told me the name of the place, though i forgot it. It has classes on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in Ferntree Gully, and also has a dojo in Kew. I did a google search and came up with this http://www.sakushin.com.au/index.html

Can anyone tell me anything about this sakushin ninjutsu? And does anyone know if this is the same dojo my friend was talking about? (because it only has dojos in Ferntree Gully and Shepparton, not Kew).

Thanks


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## Chris Parker (May 8, 2010)

If I'm not mistaken, it's run by an old member of ours. This was who first had the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki published here, based on the version that Nagato Sensei gave to my Chief Instructor back in about '81 (from memory). The website gives very little to go on, and I don't remember a Dennis, so they are probably from us but before my time. As with every school, the best advice is to visit them and make up your own mind.


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## Cryozombie (May 8, 2010)

Chris Parker said:


> If I'm not mistaken, it's run by an old member of ours. This was who first had the Ten Chi Jin Ryaku no Maki published here, based on the version that Nagato Sensei gave to my Chief Instructor back in about '81 (from memory). The website gives very little to go on, and I don't remember a Dennis, so they are probably from us but before my time. As with every school, the best advice is to visit them and make up your own mind.



Isn't this one of Steve MacGowan's crews?  Or am I thinking of the wrong bunch?  I recall reading a lot of disrespect for the Takamatsuden and Hatsumi especially from some of his people... of course its been a while and my memory could be failing me.

And I don't mean to Imply that Steve or the Sakushin are like that... only that I recall having seen posts elsewhere in the past of people claiming to be his students who were "haters"... I dont know specifically what group/s they were.


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## Chris Parker (May 8, 2010)

McKeown, and no, your memory isn't quite failing you yet... from my memory, Steve started with us, but then again, we were the only legit group back then. I don't think he was with us very long.


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## BADASSBUDO (Sep 1, 2010)

WIIGII said:


> Hi all. Im looking for any ninjutsu dojos in Melbourne, or preferably Bendigo. I study uni in bendigo, though live in melbourne, so i'm onli bak in melbourne on weekends or holidays- which isnt that often.
> 
> Thanks


 
Hi WIIGII,
don't know if you're still looking but I am a Shodan at Craig Guest's dojo and would recommend you coming to take a look if you are still interested.

The website posted earlier, prior to our old dojo being destroyed by fire. Our new dojo and website can be found here:

www.GuestsMartialArts.com.au

Feel free to come take a look, as you will see from Craig's website, our school is a full time dojo with massive matted areas have a full time gym that is free to students, Adult classes are held every night except for Friday nights and Weekends. We also have randori (sparring) sessions and pressure testing training every Thursday night to make sure what your learning can be applied in more stressful/realistic circumstances.

Craigs expectations of ability can be quite high though so if you're looking for a black belt in 2 years, it's not the place for you I'm afraid.

Tim Bathursts class would also be a great one to look at. His classes are now held in Preston, not too far from us (we are on the cusp of Preston and Thornbury) so we are about 5 minutes apart.

I have heard that Chris Parker has moved somehwere close to our dojo in Preston too. (Is that in the Kung Fu school?) so really, its a hop, skip and a Jump to all three venues. Though I can't speak on what Chris teachers because I haven't seen him in action. (I used to train there when Richard Cootes was taking classes many years ago in Fitzroy leisure centre.)

The best thing to do is:

1) ask yourself what you want from the art then look at what each school is offering.
2) ask lots of questions
3) look at the fees, and see what it would cost you in total in a year and make sure you are getting value for money.
4) Ensure you are dedicated.

Hope that can be helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
Cheers

Feel


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