Is Ninjutsu an effective self defense system??? Also is there any good training DVD's that you could recommend because I am nowhere near a dojo of quality!!! Trust me I've looked!!!
Everyone on here is going to tell you something different. I'll give you my answer, and that is no it is not. Sparring is the ultimate form of learning self defense. Its the closest thing to simulating a real fight. If you don't spar, your martial art isn't worth jack. Ninjutsu practitioners don't spar, and the reason they say is because its too deadly, that they'd go in there and just kill each other. The real reason is because of the many techniques they teach simply won't work in the ring.
I invite you to watch this video. It'll explain in visuals what I'm trying to show you in words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orHyWCXO0pw
And as far as learning martial arts through DVD's, its simply not possible. Anyone can mimic the moves you see, but to see it and apply it correctly are two different things. You need someone there to tell you if your doing it right.
Its funny how every one will lump all schools in to one category and then spout in other answers that its all about methodology.
There are great ninjutsu schools out there that spar with hard contact. You can see proof of this in the early days of the UFC where ninjutsu has wins...and wins by submission no less.
Ninjutsu is known for having some of the most crap schools in the martial arts world, it has loads of frauds and morons who are to stupid to realize the stuff they teach is total crap. However, there are tons of great schools out there if you take the time to find one.
You will not be able to learn any martial art off of a video or series of. There are to many little things that you will get wrong and have no one there to correct you. Trust me, the last thing you want to learn martial arts from is video. They are meant as supplement only.