| Contrary to popular belief, the ninja's martial art is | | | | These sub-arts are: |
| not merely a blending of conventional "styles" of | | | | 1) Daken-Taijutsu - Daken means "striking." So |
| martial arts. Many people believe that if you mix | | | | this is the Ninja's striking arts. Again, rather than |
| the striking and kicking of karate with the throws | | | | just being limited to one way or "style" of doing |
| and joint locks of judo and jujitsu, and then throw | | | | things, the ninja's dakentaijutsu striking methods |
| in a sword and some throwing stars - and presto! | | | | are made up of the sciences of koppjutsu ("bone |
| You have a Ninja warrior. In truth, nothing could | | | | breaking skills"), koshijutsu ('using the fingers and |
| be further from reality. | | | | toes to strike and tear the assailants muscular |
| In fact, many of the modern, conventional martial | | | | system), and others. |
| arts that we know of today, have at their | | | | 2) Ju-Taijutsu - Often translated as "grappling |
| foundation, the same skills and subsystems which | | | | arts", the kanji for ju in the name ju-taijutsu, |
| still make up the Ninja's armed and unarmed | | | | actually means "soft." So this is the Ninja's "soft |
| combat methods used today! | | | | body skills." The predecessor to what was to |
| Where the new wave of mixed martial artists are | | | | later become jujitsu, the ninja's jutaijutsu focuses |
| doing just that - mixing skills and techniques from | | | | on the skills of throwing, pressure point attacks, |
| different martial arts to make up for perceived | | | | joint locks, etc. |
| lacks in any given system - the ninja's combat | | | | However, the common mistake when thinking |
| arts are a unified system of common principles | | | | about the above 2 systems is to assume that |
| and concepts that naturally fit together and | | | | there is no grappling or throws in dakentaijutsu, |
| operate as a cohesive whole. | | | | just as there isn't any striking in jutaijutsu. When |
| Where MMA fighters have to contend with often | | | | in reality, these two arts are suggesting 1) |
| contradictory principles picked up from different | | | | overwhelming an attacker with striking |
| so-called "styles," the ninja does not have to | | | | (dakentaijutsu), and... 2) using strikes to set up the |
| worry about this problem. Where the mixed | | | | skills for controlling, restraining, and tying up your |
| martial artist has to work through the problem to | | | | assailant (jutaijutsu). |
| get a hard-style to mesh with a soft one, without | | | | 3) Taihen-Jutsu - This is the ninja's skills of body |
| giving away his intentions or strategy, the true | | | | movement. Taihenjutsu means "body-changing |
| ninja is free to move from technique to technique | | | | skills" and is the general classification or heading |
| without the need to change "styles" or fear of | | | | for such skills as the ninja's unique methods of |
| giving anything away. | | | | walking, running, rolling, climbing, etc. |
| While ninpo-taijutsu, the unarmed combat method | | | | Again, the misconception is to confuse the ninja's |
| lying at the heart of ninjutsu, appears to just be a | | | | taihen skills with those of gymnastics, when in |
| mixture of skills and techniques, in truth it is | | | | reality, the reason for doing the skills in each is |
| actually made up of 3 general sub-arts - each with | | | | very different. Where the gymnast can do the |
| it's own specializations. These sub-arts, or | | | | skills at his or her own timing, the Ninja must |
| skill-sets, can be used as-is, or chosen and applied | | | | execute his roll, body shift, or leap in direct |
| in response to the attacker's own techniques and | | | | response and timing to his assailant's attack! |
| intentions. | | | | |