Ninja Gear

Two clips from Rick Tew’s Total Warrior Ninja Camp.
They are doing some serious training over there.

Find out more about ninja camp.

• Do You Want to Know How to Properly Throw Shurikens Author: Phil WashingtonBy now, you're probably already familiar with throwing stars. These are the quintessential ninja weapons apart from the katana and no ninjitsu practitioner should ever be without it. The throwing star, also known as the shuriken, can be a formidable self-defense weapon but only if you're someone who......
• Interested in finding ninja secrets? Ninjas were fascinating warriors, spies and deadliest enemies, yet there are so many myths about them. These mysterious warriors are known for their phenomenal abilities and combat skills, but also for their brutality and ruthlessness. If you are a ninja enthusiast you are surely interested in finding out all ninja......
• Introduction to Ninjitsu Author: Andrew ThomasInterview with ninja master Brian McCarthy 8th Dan [Adrian]: This is an exclusive pod cast from the websites of the BBD. On Remembrance Sunday, the final national seminar of the BBD in 2006 took place in Edinburgh. The head of the BBD, Brian McCarthy, joined me on my......
• Ninja weapons - Kau sin ke (whipping chain) This weapon consists of four to six short iron bars connected by several links of chain. Its origins can be traced to the agricultural flail. Used properly, it can be a deadly weapon; the iron bars can wrap around shields to land crushing blows. However, it is not as flexible......
• Ninja weapons - spear Chijiriki (chain spear) A length of weighted chain is added to the butt end of a normal spear. This weapon can be used as a normal spear, or the butt-chain can be swung out, entangling the opponent. Sang kauw (two-headed spear) This weapon comes in two forms. The basic form......

Ninjas were fascinating warriors, spies and deadliest enemies, yet there are so many myths about them. These mysterious warriors are known for their phenomenal abilities and combat skills, but also for their brutality and ruthlessness.

If you are a ninja enthusiast you are surely interested in finding out all ninja secrets.
And you are in luck, because you don’t have to search any more.
Ultimate book of ninja secrets answers the most intriguing questions like:

• What is the biggest secret weapon of all used by Ninja’s and how you can use it in your every day life?
• How to master the art of stealth?
• How did Ninjas use stealth and secrecy to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies - and WIN?
• Who were Ninjas actually and why they came into existence?
• What is the difference between a Ninja and a Samurai Warrior?
• What are little known ninja fighting strategies & techniques that helped them to beat their enemies
  against all odds, even when totally out-classed and out-numbered?
• What is the little known secrets of ‘Ninpo’ and why it was necessary for the survival of the Ninja against
  the Samurai?
• Why did Ninjas disappear from existence… Or did they really?
• How can a beginner learn the ways of the Ninja (that’s right, you don’t need to be Bruce Lee to become
  a “Ninja Master”)?
• Learn how Ninjas used Throwing Stars to bamboozle and distract the Samurai & even poison and kill their
  enemies while staying totally undetected
• Discover how Ninjas made their own weapons & secret chemicals to create their own smoke bombs and blinding
  powder - the Ninja version of mace
• Discover the full arsenal of weapons that were commonly used by Ninjas (ninja swords, blades, spikes,
  throwing stars, blunt weapons, distance weapons, claws, stealth weapons, etc)

Check it out now!

• Introduction to Ninjitsu Author: Andrew ThomasInterview with ninja master Brian McCarthy 8th Dan [Adrian]: This is an exclusive pod cast from the websites of the BBD. On Remembrance Sunday, the final national seminar of the BBD in 2006 took place in Edinburgh. The head of the BBD, Brian McCarthy, joined me on my......
• Do You Want to Know How to Properly Throw Shurikens Author: Phil WashingtonBy now, you're probably already familiar with throwing stars. These are the quintessential ninja weapons apart from the katana and no ninjitsu practitioner should ever be without it. The throwing star, also known as the shuriken, can be a formidable self-defense weapon but only if you're someone who......
• Ninja Ashiko Foot Spikes Ashiko Ninja Foot Spikes are a nice addition to your ninja climbing gear. Together with Ninja Shuko Claws they are designed to assist you when climbing on different terrains, scaling and walking on ice or slippery land. Also, spikes on the claw can add a deadly spice to your high......
• Ninja weapons - Kau sin ke (whipping chain) This weapon consists of four to six short iron bars connected by several links of chain. Its origins can be traced to the agricultural flail. Used properly, it can be a deadly weapon; the iron bars can wrap around shields to land crushing blows. However, it is not as flexible......
• Ninja weapons - spear Chijiriki (chain spear) A length of weighted chain is added to the butt end of a normal spear. This weapon can be used as a normal spear, or the butt-chain can be swung out, entangling the opponent. Sang kauw (two-headed spear) This weapon comes in two forms. The basic form......

Used by ninjas to scale walls, climb trees, and aid in quick escapes, climbing skill is a ninja warrior necessity. Although climbing skills at low level are acquired by many people childhood, a Ninja’s ability to scale any obstacle requires a great deal of practice. Climbing is not just the act of ascending an object because Ninja must also feel comfortable and be able to move about naturally and easily at the elevated position. This is why balance is the most important part of a Ninja’s climbing skills.

Ninja Climbing Equipment

To improve the Ninja’s natural climbing ability, there are a variety of specialized tools that allow for more complex climbing feats to be accomplished. Strong grip, good balance and determination are required for true climbing skill. A specialized climbing tool only enhances one’s probability for success, it does not ensure it. Only long hours of hard training with each tool provide the Ninja with the necessary skill to surpass any obstacles that stand between him and his objective.

Tobi kunai (Scaling wedge)

This is a piece of thick iron shaped like a knife with a length of rope attached to its handle. The Ninja would force its pointed end into any natural cracks found along the surface of a stone wall. The Ninja would usually use two tobi kunai to ascend quicker. He would step onto the first tobi while at the same time he could attach a second tobi kunai higher on the wall. Once balanced on the second wedge, the Ninja would pull on the rope that was attached to the first tobi kunai to remove it from its position so it could serve as another step.

Shinobi kumade (Climbing pole)

This tool is quite effective in wall climbing. It is a long pole with a rake-like hook on one end. The Ninja would attach the rake to the edge of the wall and walk up the wall while at the same time ascend the pole with his hands. At the top of the wall, the Ninja would release his grip on the pole and seize the wall’s edge with his hand.

The Shuko and Ashiko (Hand and foot claws)

It provided extra grip while climbing. These were especially useful when climbing the outside structure of castles and other buildings. Castles walls were usually surrounded by a moat so the moisture of the stagnant water made it somewhat slippery to the bare hand. The claws helped ninjas in a way that they could wedge them in the gaps between the rocks of the wall. Claws with the sharp talons penetrating the wood were very useful when climbing the tree and in close combat.

The Take bashigo (Bamboo ladder)

This was usually used by a group of Ninja needed to ascend a wall quickly and quietly. The last Ninja would pull up the ladder which would be placed down the other side of the wall, for an equally quick descent. The Take bashigo would then be hidden so it could be reused during escape.

• Jump and roll like a ninja If you think to jump from tall heights like a ninja you should first learn how to roll. This takes some practice but it is important to learn it properly so you don't get injured. Rolling transfers the momentum from jumps and minimize impact of the landing. Parkour practitioners know......
• Ninja Ashiko Foot Spikes Ashiko Ninja Foot Spikes are a nice addition to your ninja climbing gear. Together with Ninja Shuko Claws they are designed to assist you when climbing on different terrains, scaling and walking on ice or slippery land. Also, spikes on the claw can add a deadly spice to your high......
• Do You Want to Know How to Properly Throw Shurikens Author: Phil WashingtonBy now, you're probably already familiar with throwing stars. These are the quintessential ninja weapons apart from the katana and no ninjitsu practitioner should ever be without it. The throwing star, also known as the shuriken, can be a formidable self-defense weapon but only if you're someone who......
• Ninja tabi socks If you have ninja boots you surely know that regular socks are not a good choice to go with them. What you need are the Ninja Socks with a split toe design that match the Ninja boots. Although you will probably like the feeling that free toe gives you, keep......
• Introduction to Ninjitsu Author: Andrew ThomasInterview with ninja master Brian McCarthy 8th Dan [Adrian]: This is an exclusive pod cast from the websites of the BBD. On Remembrance Sunday, the final national seminar of the BBD in 2006 took place in Edinburgh. The head of the BBD, Brian McCarthy, joined me on my......

Author: Andrew Thomas

The warrior craft of Ninjutsu aims to resolve conflict- conflicts that a 1000 years ago would have been settled on the battle field or one on one combat.

The principles of spying and gathering information through secret means was also a key part of Ninjutsu strategy. The Ninjutsu leaders through out time have realized that fighting was rarely a matter of force on force. While the shape of the battlefield has changed over the past millennia, the core concept of dealing with the conflict contained within has not. It is true that the battlefield has changed over the past 1000 years but the key principles of resolving conflict have not.

The warrior arts of Ninjutsu aims to resolve conflict - conflicts that nine hundred years ago would of been decide on the battlefield. However, unlike other conventional forms of bujutsu of the time, the concepts of espionage (shinobi iri) and information gathering through clandestine means were also key to strategy of the ninjutsu clans. The guardians of Ninjutsu knew that combat was not just a matter of force against force. While the shape of the battlefield has changed over the past millennia, the core concept of dealing with the conflict contained within has not.

In the 21st century as in previous centuries, battlefields are not just physical or political but also emotional and sociological. While the majority of us are not serving in the military, physical battles exist in the form of our own personal security or in our personal lives or the civilian occupations we have selected. However, we are frequently exposed to conflict in many other guises such as business and financial negotiations, anti-social behaviour and personal interactions.

As is presented in the quote from Sun Tzu, understanding of one’s self is vital to the successful resolution to conflict. The practice of ninjutsu provides a suitable vehicle to meet this aim as it requires us as practitioners to be self reliant and provides an environment for honest self appraisal. When you understand your own strengths and weakness you will be able to use your own strengths and avoid showing weakness. Furthermore, utilising the principles of bo ryaku (strategy) and kyojitsu (truths and falsehoods) we are able to manipulate the opponent’s concepts of our strengths and weaknesses to our advantage. As Sun Tzu states:

“When weak, appear strong and when strong, appear weak”

Like is seen in the animal kingdom, aggressors (of whatever form) appear to be driven to attack on two main stimuli - the appearance of especially weak individuals or occasionally, the presence of especially ’strong’ individuals. By targeting the weakest individual (or an individual that has made themselves weak by nature of their current state), an easy victory can be achieved and the object of the aggressors desire is obtained. Alternatively (and seemingly more rare) there is the occasion where the ’strongest’ appearing member of a group or situation may be targeted, presumably for the effect a victory over such an individual will have on the aggressors status with others or their own self-worth. Using skills of observation (kyoman) and awareness that are promoted in ninjutsu and our understanding of an attacker’s motivations, we as practitioners should be able to prevent ourselves being targeted by not only preventing our exposure to such dangers but also appearing neither too weak nor too strong. These ideas are modern versions of concealment and invisibility (inton no jutsu).

Should avoidance fail, or be inappropriate, and a conflict is initiated by another, we as ninjutsu practioners then have several options: To appear meek, even insignificant (henso jutsu), control our own ego and thereby facilitate our escape; to posture, appear fearless and cause capitulation in our aggressor; or as a last resort, to engage the adversary, but on our own terms. These options of course are not mutually exclusive, and it is sometimes inevitable that one course of action must evolve into another in order to regain control over the adversary in the same way that one physical technique may flow into another (nagare). Since we can make choices for ourselves, I believe that this sets us apart from the people who have only one way to react.

Self-protection, from the perspective of the protection of our physical ’self’ in particular, like the protection of others, truly falls under the guise of Jihan no kokoro as it reflects the ability to prevent the emotional distress in those around us that may be caused by our own distress or injury. Physical self-protection is one of the most important facets of my own ninjutsu training for it is through this, that the confidence and skills to attempt other forms of conflict resolution is gained.

Once our own strengths are truly understood and we are confident of our victory in whatever battle is presented to us, we can ask ourself, what do we gain by engaging in this conflict? Truly there are some instances where we (or those around us) are in physical danger or risk being put at some other disadvantage. In these instances, we should have the skills to act and be victorious and more importantly the will and self-belief to place ourselves in this precarious position. However we should also know where we or those around us are not in real danger (or disadvantage) and not feel the need to be pulled unnecessarily into a conflict.

The possibility is that the way we approach adverse situations that we should take on is part of the ‘nin’ kanji, which means “how able we are to persevere or endure”. This is generally translated as the ability to endure or persevere. In my opinion this is not just telling us to ‘put up with it’ rather to weather the storm, keep going and be prepared to push longer and further than the opponent is prepared to go.

Ninjutsu is a study that lets you rise up to the challenge if needed but also lets you step back and let events run there course which ever is most appropriate. This idea is the same as it was in the Japan that existed under the feudal system many years ago.

About the Author:

Discover more about Ninjutsu in today’s world

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - 21st Century Ninja

• Ninja Ashiko Foot Spikes Ashiko Ninja Foot Spikes are a nice addition to your ninja climbing gear. Together with Ninja Shuko Claws they are designed to assist you when climbing on different terrains, scaling and walking on ice or slippery land. Also, spikes on the claw can add a deadly spice to your high......
• Ninja uniform Ninjas are well known for their distinguished outfit called Shinobi shozoku. When we think of a ninja we usually imagine a warrior silently stalking his enemy, wearing black ninja uniform, ninja boots and black mask on his face. Such notion of ninja uniform is borrowed as a idea from the......
• Ninja weapons - axes Ninjas use battle and hand (throwing) axes of all kinds. The key to sticking is consistency (which is one of the most important ninja's characteristics). This is most easily attained with an axe or 'hawk with a bit of mass. It's best to throw heaviest you can without strain. Throwing......
• Iga Ryu Ninja Museum If you find yourself in Japan, be sure to visit the Iga Ryu Ninja Museum located in Iga, Mie Prefecture. This museum is dedicated to ninjas, their history, culture, and ninjutsu discipline. Official website of the Museum is: http://iganinja.jp/en/museum/index.html The musem has four main sections: Iga-ryu Ninja House Ninja......
• Do You Want to Know How to Properly Throw Shurikens Author: Phil WashingtonBy now, you're probably already familiar with throwing stars. These are the quintessential ninja weapons apart from the katana and no ninjitsu practitioner should ever be without it. The throwing star, also known as the shuriken, can be a formidable self-defense weapon but only if you're someone who......

Author: Phil Washington

By now, you’re probably already familiar with throwing stars. These are the quintessential ninja weapons apart from the katana and no ninjitsu practitioner should ever be without it. The throwing star, also known as the shuriken, can be a formidable self-defense weapon but only if you’re someone who knows how to use it. To be able to deploy shuriken efficiently and safely, learn how to use them. Here are tips on how to practice using the throwing star:

Understand the weapon
Throwing stars are not always deadly. In fact, they were generally used to temporarily disable an enemy, make it difficult for them to move or use their weapons or at least discourage them from attacking. Only if they hit the target in places such as the throat or neck can the throwing star actually become lethal.

A throwing star has 6 to 8 sharp points. When thrown properly, it can hit the target vertically, horizontally or diagonally from 10 to about 30 feet.

Holding and concealing the throwing star
To begin practicing using throwing stars, learn how to hold them properly. The first skill you need to learn is how to conceal them. Do this by keeping the shooting star in the palm of your hand. Practice holding it firmly enough so you don’t drop it and it doesn’t cut your hand. From this original position, you can begin learning how to slip the throwing star from your palm to fit between your forefinger and thumb. These two fingers are often used to hold a tip of the shuriken prior to a throw.

Throwing the shuriken
There are several ways you can actually use the throwing stars. The most common include the overhand (the same manner you’d use if you were throwing a dart), the underhand and the sidearm. The movement involved in the sidearm throw is similar to the movement you’d be using if you were throwing a frisbee — your hand comes from your chest and your arm straightens as you release the star.

The underhand throw requires a little bit of skill and strength but it can be quite effective and such, should be practiced as well. The throwing star is held between two fingers with the palm facing backward, arm straight on the side of the body. As you draw the arm out from underneath, you release the star as soon as your arm is parallel to the ground.

Learning to gauge the distance
The only way a throwing star becomes effective is if it actually hits the target. Practice using it at different distances — 5 feet, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 feet. You’ll find that the force necessary to reach a target will increase as the distance increases. Through muscle memory, you’ll be able to determine how much force or effort to put into your throw depending on the distance involved.

To practice using throwing stars efficiently, use a cardboard target, a plyboard or a piece of wood. Make sure these are propped against a concrete wall to avoid any accidents.

About the Author:

Throwing stars or Shurikens are a lot of fun to practice with. Please visit TBOTech if you want one.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Do You Want to Know How to Properly Throw Shurikens

• Ninja weapons - arrows Arrows for use with the daikyu (great bow) or hankyu (half bow) come in a number of different shape and styles. Armor piercer arrows have a narrow spike-head and are designed to punch through different types of armor. Flight arrows are the most common sort of arrow, with a wedge-shaped......
• Ninja weapons - sword Bokken (wooden sword) This is a wooden copy of the katana, designed to simulate that sword’s weight and other characteristics. It is used to practice swordsmanship since it does not cause cutting injuries. Wielded aggressively, however, it can cause injury from the force of the blow. The bokken requires sword......
• Ninja uniform Ninjas are well known for their distinguished outfit called Shinobi shozoku. When we think of a ninja we usually imagine a warrior silently stalking his enemy, wearing black ninja uniform, ninja boots and black mask on his face. Such notion of ninja uniform is borrowed as a idea from the......
• Ninja weapons - stick (staff) Bo is Oriental equivalent of the quarterstaff and is normally 6-7 feet long. Its hard wood makes it difficult to cut or break. Hanbo (half staff) is 2-3 foot stick used as a weapon; practitioners often carry one in each hand. Jo (stick) is a weapon about 4 feet long,......
• Ninja assassin trailer! This year, on 25th November, Ninja Assassin is coming to cinemas! I really look forward to watching this movie. The trailer looks spectacular! The plot: "A young ninja turns his back on orphanage that raised him, leading to a confrontation with a fellow ninja from the clan" Check out the......

Author: Andrew Thomas

Interview with ninja master Brian McCarthy 8th Dan

[Adrian]: This is an exclusive pod cast from the websites of the BBD. On Remembrance Sunday, the final national seminar of the BBD in 2006 took place in Edinburgh. The head of the BBD, Brian McCarthy, joined me on my breakfast show to talk about Ninjutsu history and tradition, Brian’s journey as a renowned martial artist and training within the BBD. First part of a three part discussion about Ninjutsu history and tradition.

[Brian]: Thank you, Adrian.

[Adrian]: Good morning, Brian. Now I’m going to ask you some fairly obvious questions because if I said Ninjutsu, most people wouldn’t know what it is. If I said shinobi, they definitely wouldn’t know what it is. But if I said ninja, they certainly get this sort of Hollywoodization of maybe we wear a half-shell, eat pizza and carry swords in our backs. But who and what were the ninja?

[Brian]: Ninja, Adrian, were originally samurai who had faced difficulties in battles or lost battles or warlords they work for would have been ceded, which means essentially that then they’re unemployed or some of them are unemployed. That was the basis of Ninjutsu — coming together with Chinese monks who went to being warrior monks in the eastern part of Japan and living in communities in the mountains that were essentially enclosed. They then structured their training and their way of living into a military style farmer fighting, and it just evolved from there over a period of hundreds of years.

[Adrian]: Even today Japanese still fear Ninjutsu mostly because of their supposed magical powers but how did they structure themselves if they were fighting monks? How exactly did they organize themselves?

[Brian]: There are two way to answer that. First of all, they are still feared in Japan and sometimes they are even recognized in Japan… this huge part of Japanese culture that says ninja never existed but then again the history was written by the samurai’s so they entirely say we didn’t exist. And how they organized themselves… primarily because of this samurai involvement on initially who were obviously highly trained military officers, they had a military style background, so they were able to organize themselves into small close fighting groups and to communities. Over a long period of time they intermarried. The children of these marriages have their own kids and the family’s extend in to the mountains and become a clan of its own.

[Adrian]: So it wasn’t a case of a bunch of lads got together, trained together and then said, “Right, we’re ninja, let’s go off and fight.”

[Brian]: No, no, no, no, no, they just changed their lifestyle completely. They lived in the remotest parts of Japan; they lived in the mountains. They were no longer welcome. The powers that be were after some of them at the time. If you were on the losing side of the battle you had no futures and would generally be executed. So when they left that part of the country and they moved to the mountains, that was going to be their new place and where they would have lived.

[Adrian]: I was going to ask you the question, how did they become ninjas, so are you suggesting that it was a clan system based on family?

[Brian]: Yes, it’s not a fact that people become ninja; It’s a matter of fact that traditionally they developed from many differing backgrounds. The defeated samurai, the monks who had left china who were forced into a new way of life. These are the people who formed Ninjutsu . And over a period a time then because they’re a mix of the mountain people, because they’re living in remote areas, they formed communities.

[Adrian]: Scotland has a strong tradition in the martial arts with many varying flavors and Ninjutsu is one of those martial art practised quite heavily in Scotland. But I want to know…shinobi and ninja’s… but I don’t know why they call themselves shadow warriors or invisible assassins.

[Brian]: Well, they never did and still don’t. People call them that by virtue of the perception of what ninja is and the term “shadow warrior” is kind of an Americanized updated term but the term shinobi essentially means “stealers in”… a person who steals, who enters at night, and when they say “steal” they don’t mean actually in theft point of view… but enters quietly, covertly, and the name was given to them by the general public by virtue of the fact that the type of work they did — they would come in the dark, they would go in the dark, people did not know they were there, they would do what they had to do and hence, they were called stealers in or shinobi.

[Adrian]: So basically it’s the westernization of the ninja…

[Brian]: Yes.

[Adrian]: …as we have with the turtles and the half-shells.

[Brian]: Yes. When we go back to the comment I made that it took them a number of years to evolve, the word ” Ninjutsu ” or the term “ninjitsu” or “ninja” didn’t evolve for about 300 or 400 years. These people just were there. They could have been called bandits, they could have been called outlaws, they could have been called warriors but by virtue of how they, over that period of time, how they developed their profile and how they developed their method of working…there was the broad general population and the authorities who put the name ninja on them or shinobi on them.

End of part one

About the Author:

Learn about true Ninjutsu here

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Introduction to Ninjitsu

• Ninja weapons - Kau sin ke (whipping chain) This weapon consists of four to six short iron bars connected by several links of chain. Its origins can be traced to the agricultural flail. Used properly, it can be a deadly weapon; the iron bars can wrap around shields to land crushing blows. However, it is not as flexible......
• Ninja weapons - axes Ninjas use battle and hand (throwing) axes of all kinds. The key to sticking is consistency (which is one of the most important ninja's characteristics). This is most easily attained with an axe or 'hawk with a bit of mass. It's best to throw heaviest you can without strain. Throwing......
• Ninja Stealth Weapon as Nunchaku Author: Tony HackerottNinja were highly trained warriors of feudal Japan. Ninjas executed covert and dangerous missions, such as assassinations and espionage. They were well-known for their precision, skill, and use of weapons. Ninja weapons were typically weapons that would be easily carried and concealed, allowing the ninja to stealthily target......
• Ninja shoes - Ninja Tabi boots Ninja Tabi boots are the usual part of a ninja outfit. These ninja shoes are famous for their split toe design. Split toes enable a better grip of the ground. They give you a better control of your movements, provide comfort and stability. This is specially important for extreme conditions,......
• Ninja Ashiko Foot Spikes Ashiko Ninja Foot Spikes are a nice addition to your ninja climbing gear. Together with Ninja Shuko Claws they are designed to assist you when climbing on different terrains, scaling and walking on ice or slippery land. Also, spikes on the claw can add a deadly spice to your high......