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To state what may be the obvious, in my opinion this is a terrible article. I received my first black belt from Hatsumi Sensei in Noda City, Japan in 1992. I've trained with him a couple of times since. Above all, he is a very kind, happy, and fun person. While he is an incredible martial artist who teaches very realistic techniques, the whole " we only kill and maim" thing totally goes against what he tries to teach in my opinion. While he would be capable of such, he would only do so if required, and in his mind would regard it as doing the attacker a favor- the attacker was pleading for a release from his pain by trying to kill him. He has subdued many real attackers over his life (when you're the Grandmaster, people will test you, oddly enough) without killing or maiming, although some did receive broken bones. I have taken several years off from Bujinkan to study with the Gracies, but still regard Hatsumi as one of the most amazing people that I've ever met. For the record, 30% of Bujinkan (Budo Taijutsu is the preferred name now) black belts are great fighters, and 70% can't fight their way out of a paper bag. The knowledge is in the art, but any belt is given to anyone who wants one and will pay. Also, while Hatsumi himself was a great grappler in his youth, most people in the art are very weak in the ground game. I do believe it is the best, or one of the best arts with or against weapons and multiple attackers though.
"I can walk anywhere, and I'm not going to get hurt."
Does any good martial artist (or rational person) really believe that he can walk anywhere and be guaranteed not to get hurt? I know for a fact that Hatsumi would never say that. I understand how people can get aggressive and over-confident in their training, but the attitudes of these people seems downright dangerous, counter-productive, and to reflect poorly on our art.
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