Many people believe, based on watching movies or the demonstrations of fake "karate-ninja," that the ninja's self defense fighting method is just a mixture of different martial arts styles. But, rather than try to blend the hard and soft principles from arts like karate, judo, aikido, and others - the ninja's fighting art is a system of unified principles, concepts, and strategies.
This article focuses on the "secret" formula at the foundation of the shadow warrior's Ninpo-Taijutsu, "enduring person's body art" - the unarmed self protection method of the Ninja.
Taijutsu, as it is called for short, is the name given to the collective methods for using your body for self defense, using the same principles, concepts, and lessons that the Ninja applies to everything else in his or her world. And, while I outline the different systems and skills that compose ninpo-taijutsu in a different article, what I want to do here is to outline the 3 core elements that give taijutsu it's power.
Remember, however, that power in Ninjutsu is not generated in the same way as you might normally think. Where most martial artists train to build muscles for maximum power and speed, the ninja relies on natural laws and the concepts of timing, flow, and the correct balance of tension and relaxation of the muscles to...
...generate maximum power with minimum effort!
To do this, you must first work to undo a lot of the bad habits picked up over a lifetime of incorrect and inefficient ways of moving your body. Then, with a mind directed towards not only what you would be trying to do to an assailant, but also what you must prevent him from doing to you, you then learn to streamline your movements to generate greater results with less movement.
The 3 key elements for moving the body in the Ninja's armed and unarmed self protection method are:
1) Footwork - In the Ninja's body art of taijutsu, the legs generally are moved along straight lines. This serves to keep the legs and feet under the practitioner and helps to neutralize the effects of centrifical force - the force that is generated from a turning or spinning body.
The legs are kept bent at the knees, and the movement is initiated with the leading knee relative to the direction of travel. And, finally, contrary to the high leg positions of aikido, or the fixed, static positions of karate, the ninja maintains a low posture that is moved on relaxed, flexing legs that are capable of adapting to both the terrain and the erratic and unpredictable movements of your attacker.
2) Spine/Torso Control - Where the ninja's footwork takes care of linear movement from point to point, the torso - more specifically the spine - is used for turning and repositioning of the limbs and key points of the torso during movement. An analogy that I often use for describing this is the little hand-held drum that you see in one of the Karate-Kid movies. The lesson is to maintain a straight spine that the torso can rotate around. Again, this controls centrifical force and the scattered energy, or inertia, that is produced when the upper body, like an unbalanced top, is not centered.
3) Limb Control - The limbs are designed to generally move away from and back into the body. There are three joints for each, and in order, they are ball-and-socket, elbow, and universal-type joints. Each has its own natural movement. The trick is to learn to use the joints in their natural manner, while coordinating the extension and flexing to match the outward-directed energy being produced by the balanced and coordinated movement of the torso and legs.
While difficult to explain effectively using the written word, the timing, flow, and movement used in the ninja's body movement is not only very different from that used by most other fighting systems - because it uses natural principles for moving the different pieces of the body, the Ninja is not causing the same damage from wear-and-tear that is experienced by other fighters.
If you're serious about wanting to learn ninjutsu, then you must first learn the lessons that form a solid foundation for mastery.
Are you serious about mastering the art of ninjutsu - about having the power, confidence, and control to handle any attacker - any situation?Read my newest ninja training book, "Becoming The Master." Get your free copy at: /becoming-the-master-subsc.html
Shidoshi Miller says, "If you really want to learn ninjutsu, and become a master of the Ninja's arts, then I can show you the secrets for developing the power, confidence, and control of a true Ninja warrior!"
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