My experiences of Ninjutsu

It has been a while since there has been an update to this blog, over 3 months now. In that time I have been training in Ninjutsu. The training so far consists of learning a series of kata which are really more practical applications of self defense techniques. The joy of training in Ninjutsu is finding the point where the technique can be applied effectively with the least amount of effort. You practice with a great deal of effort to force the technique to be effective and then you suddenly get it right and it just happens so effortlessly.

What types of techniques?
The techniques are fast, deceptive, distracting and nasty. They are taught in my school along a continuum of devastation where the first response is a control where a friend or someone you don't want to hurt is out of line and takes a swing at you etc. Then a response to the same attack is often shown that allows a more disabling defense against an aggressor which you can get away with if you subsequently get taken to court. Finally there is often a final response for life and death situations where the attacker isn't going to get up again after. I think this approach is excellent, attacks don't all require a full-on ninja head removal response. In a society where people get taken to court for tripping over an uneven paving slab in their front yard we need to understand the law and scale back our defensive response to stay within the limits (or at least be able to get away with it).

Where is the ninja?
What I have described above can be found in many styles of martial art. The ninja part comes into the approach to the combat. Our kata do not start in a fighting posture, they start in a position of submissiveness, an open stance showing weakness and lack of willingness to fight. Attackers in the real world will tailor their offense depending on what they perceive the level of defense to be. If you look like you know what you are doing, there is a chance they may back down, but more likely they will reach for the blade in their back pocket or pull a gun instead.

The hand position in the defensive stance also helps determine where the attack is going to be. With hands to the outside there is a big unprotected space in the middle which encourages them to attack to the face. So you are manipulating them into a false sense of security and directing where their attack should go.

When the attack comes in you move and strike with speed. The initial defensive move is not going to launch them across the room as in TaeKwon-Do, that is not the purpose. It causes pain, is stunning and confusing - a jab to a location which is rich in nerves to the face for example, below the nose or the temple. The move could be taking out knees to collapse the legs below the attackers vision, or the nerve grouping on the inner thigh, under the arm, in the neck. Then the fun begins. At this point the ninja has moved around behind or to the side of the attacker where they can easily disappear (eg. run), control them to the ground, throw them down and finish them in an amazing array of techniques available. The desired effect is to leave the attacker completely confused about what the hell just happened. They are lying on the floor of the bar with blood streaming from their nose, pants full of urine after a bladder strike with no idea where their 'victim' went to and certainly no desire to fight any more. Best of all, it was effortless for the ninja. Very little energy was expended, the tuxedo is still immaculate - James Bond style.

How does Ninjutsu fit into modern society?
At a ninja training weekend recently we sat around a fire at the end of a hard days training and talked about an essay written by a retired marine. He referred to the people in society as sheep, doing their best to lead happy, good-natured lives and intentionally being oblivious to dangers in society around them. It was not a reference in a demeaning way, it is an observation of a great lifestyle. Unfortunately in this society there are wolves that prey on the sheep. The thieves, muggers, con artists, rapists. The sheep do their best to pretend they don't exist as the thought of being surrounded by wolves taints the peace they have created for themselves in their lives. There are members of society that spend their lives protecting the sheep from the wolves - the sheepdogs. These are the soldiers, the police, the security guards and this is where the ninja live. The trouble is they often look like the wolves, they carry weapons and remind the sheep that they live in a dangerous society. So the sheep dislike the presence of the sheepdogs, they protest against police carrying automatic weaponry in their airports and having guns on display in their kid's schools. When the wolf strikes however the sheep cling to them desperately like the children that need to be pulled off of the legs of the police officers in the Columbine tragedy.

Everyone is safer in a room because a ninja is in there. They may be the last person you expect to be a protector as they will be trying to avoid looking like or acting like a 'tough guy'. Training in ninjutsu gives you an awareness of the wolves in society and gives you a sense of responsibility to protect those around you. Along with that goes ridicule in our society, people laugh at you for being a ninja and make jokes at your expense. These people are oblivious to the dangers around them and do not understand why someone will spend their free time training to combat this threat when they can be enjoying the game on their new high def plasme TV munching on pretzels. It is an inevitable result of your training and the position the ninja takes in modern society and must be understood and ignored. If the average person is ever unfortunate enough to be the victom of an attack then they will feel differently at that point.

Nick
White belt with 3 stripes