Just a few thoughs on the topic at hand:
I think that professional defenders (soldier, polices officer, security etc.) are attracted to martial arts in general. In many cases the american mind set about martial arts is that: if you train at any MA school you will know how to fight well. For those of us who have beeing training for a few years, we kow this is not the case. For those of us who began our journey in a martial art like Karate or Tae kwon do, from a real combat standpoint we felt there was something missing. The moving meditation aspects of those martial arts while appealing from a spiritual and mental standpoint, they unfortunately take a while for actual combat compentance. Besides Funakoshi looked down on sparring and fighting and blah blah... boring history lesson...( not that it's unimportant,but I digress). Anyway, Some practisioners look to fill holes in their previous training, or find something that they feel is more practical. Martial arts like Systema, Krav maga, mma, budo taijutsu in all it's forms, be it Bujinkan, Jizaikan, Genbukan or To-shin-do are designed so that a high level of combat compentence can be aquired at a quicker pace than some other martial arts. which from makes sense. What good does it do an army if their fight training takes a while to be come competant fighters, they run out of soldiers really quick.
I also feel that Budo taijutsu itself is appealing because of it's link with ninjutsu. As we all know the romanticism of the ninja can be an excellent sellign point, for either a school or an individual. At least It was for me in the beginning. That is why i started training in karate, becasue I wanted to be a ninja. i was told that ninja training didn't exsist anymore. besides at 8 years old in suburban chicago, with ex hippy parents how was I to know the difference. I'm sure many of you are looking back and thinking the same thing.
Of course we grow and mature, and our understandings of the world change, we go on trainng and working hard. Then some years later... we find out that a school that teaches ninjutsu actually exists, and is is right behind your old high school, then all these child hood memories and dreams come back, and we have to check it out. Again we start training and through hard training our childhood misconceptions are hopefully ironed out, and we are mystified by the truth which is almost more amazing in some cases then the legends we had come to dismiss.
I guess what I 'm trying to say is that even professional defenders, may still deep down want to be a ninja when they grow up.
Sorry, I'm kind of long winded, thank you for your time:asian:
