How do you use Ninjutsu in a street fight?

Ninjutsu is a martial art that follows the lifestyle and fighting techniques of Ninjas. Yes, that’s right it literally mimics the philosophies that Ninja’s used in feudal Japan. Because of this, there are certain parts of Ninjutsu that aren’t applicable in the modern-day. One example of this could be making explosives or setting traps. Obviously, these aren’t realistic in modern terms and have practical implications so with that said, there are some parts of Ninjutsu that just aren’t doable in a real street fight environment.

However, there are some genuine attacks that can be used and are effective. Even though Ninjutsu has something of a controversial reputation, it does have some effective tools for self-defense. Below we shall discuss what parts of Ninjutsu are acceptable when facing an attacker in a street fight. With the aim of being fair, we shall look at both the positives and negatives when looking at whether Ninjutsu can be used in a street fight and what specific techniques to focus on.

Ninjutsu teaches negotiation and communication skills

One of the lesser-known areas of Ninjutsu is the art of negotiation. In general, a lot of martial arts don’t teach this which is a shame. Whilst you may be able to potentially kill a man with strangles or punches, negotiation should always be your main form of de-escalation. As the famous saying goes, ‘the art of war is to not start a war’. This basically means that physical confrontation should only ever be used as a last resort. As mentioned, sadly most modern martial arts don’t practice this enough and instead focus on the physical aspect of fighting.

In fact, you could argue that this is the most important aspect of any street situation. By talking to an aggressor and calming them down, you can happily walk away untouched. Even if you’re the best-trained fighter in the world, on the street anything can happen – especially with multiple attackers. This means managing to use words to manipulate and control people is a vital skill to have. Ninjutsu is one of the few martial arts to actively teach this and arguably it should be taught within all self-defense systems.

In brief, the idea isn’t to fight, but firstly to avoid the fight through intelligence and speech. On a wider level, this is how wars start due to a lack of communication. By learning to communicate, you can successfully avoid most street confrontations which is a key skill. Of course, in the rare case that someone is intent on hurting you, there are still other options to consider, albeit these should not be your first priority when dealing with people.

Ninjutsu teaches freerunning

Another easy way to avoid street fighting is to escape without harm, which can be learned by freerunning. Also known as parkour, this is a french climbing and escape system that allows people to remove themselves from danger with ease. Although it is mostly credited to the French in modern-day, it was actually used in the earlier stages of Ninjutsu. This would be used by Ninja’s who would have to climb and jump around buildings either to attack or flee. Sadly, some Ninjutsu dojos no longer teach this art form although some do. In practical terms, you may learn how to break fall, jump and practice climbing buildings within the setting of the dojo.

Imagine being attacked on your own by five people. Instead of fighting, you could potentially use your freerunning skills to successfully escape. This is particularly useful in an urban environment that features various objects that you can climb and escape with. Because most assaults happen in urban cities, it is a nice skill to know. The downside of freerunning is that it often takes years to train and master.

However, when taught, you can jump from buildings almost like spiderman. For example, if you were cornered in an alley, you could potentially jump across fences to make a quick escape. Although this may harm your ego, escaping unharmed should also be seen as a victory as you avoid serious injury. Again, this line of thinking is fairly exclusive to Ninjutsu which is probably more realistic than some give it credit for.

Combining Ninjutsu with Taijutsu

Although Ninjutsu doesn’t exclusively teach Taijutsu, the two are often paired. Taijutsu refers to the fighting hand-to-hand combat parts of Ninjutsu whilst Ninjutsu is more of a philosophical, umbrella approach. For example, the art of negotiation stems from Ninjutsu, whilst Taijutsu would teach how to punch or kick. Often, these methods resemble strikes that are used in Karate and also feature blocks, dodges and deflection. Ninjutsu also uses joint manipulation such as wrist locks that are found in Aikido.

Whilst some may be skeptical of aspects of Karate and Aikido, they still offer a fighting system. For instance, getting kicked in the head via a hook kick is no joke, whilst some of the throws in Aikido are also very practical. Because of this, it’s true that Ninjutsu does offer practical self defense in a physical form. Many people are quick to bash Ninjutsu and claim that it is too dated or unrealistic. However, this isn’t always the case. Perhaps one part of its negative reputation comes from the Naruto cartoon where it is featured heavily. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can expect to fight like a cartoon character which is wildly unrealistic.

Ninjutsu teaches weapon attacks and defense

Sadly, many of the Ninjutsu weapons are not practical for street fighting. For instance, you’re not exactly going to brandish a samurai sword or nunchuks in public. However, Ninjutsu does teach how to use distance management with weapons and how to use them correctly. For example, if someone were to lunge at you with a long blade, you may be trained in dodging it and coping with the attack. Similarly, if you managed to disarm or get the weapon for yourself, then your Ninjutsu training would also come into play from an attacking perspective. This means that although some of the weapons that are trained with aren’t realistic, the fundamentals still apply.

For instance, you may not fire an arrow, but you may know how to dodge and disarm a pole or long staff. No one knows how effective these methods are until being put into practice in person. However, being equipped with good theoretical knowledge and practical training certainly won’t hurt. Often in street fights, random objects end up being used as weapons at some point. With this in mind, learning to master them will definitely help.

On a separate note, just being exposed to weapons will also help massively. If you see a blade yet train with them, then you are far less likely to panic. As experienced fighters will know, panicking is very dangerous when fighting as it can cause you to lose control and make poor decisions. Just the exposure alone to weapons should help you concentrate and think with more clarity.

Problems with Ninjutsu in a street fight

As has been mentioned, Ninjutsu genuinely has positives to offer when being engaged in a street fight. However, it’s also only fair that we also highlight some of its shortcomings too. One large issue aimed at Ninjutsu by modern-day martial artists is that it lacks sparring. As a general rule, sparring is something that can be used to pressure test your skills. In short, if you don’t offer full-contact sparring then the ideas taught are literally just that, theoretical ideas. However, if you can put it to the test against resisting opponent then they become genuine, practical skills.

Of course, it would be impossible to do full-contact sparring with blades, claws, and explosives. Nor can you exactly spar negotiation skills either. Having said this, most genuine Ninjutsu schools should legitimately be sparring with the Taijutsu side of things. In other words, you should be able to spar striking on a regular basis. Whilst some dojos will partake in striking sparring, many will not.

Sadly, many Ninjutsu dojos hide behind the cliched excuse of ‘it’s too dangerous to use in person’ which means it never truly gets tested. There is a real danger in this way of training as it mystifies certain techniques which makes them immune to genuine criticism. Unlike boxing for example, Ninjutsu doesn’t spar enough so a lot of its teachings aren’t proven.

So, how should you use Ninjutsu in a street fight?

Overall, Ninjutsu has a unique take on conflict. As discussed, the art of talking is possibly the most underrated tool when avoiding a fight and so it should not be taken lightly. Similarly, the art of escaping via freerunning should also be held in high esteem. Further, aspects of the Taijutsu side of the art are also useful for practical striking.

Lastly, the weapon training that is also taught in Ninjutsu may also be beneficial, albeit this is based more on speculation rather than solid proof. With this in mind, we suggest that a combination of the above will provide a good basis for successfully using Ninjutsu in a street fight. Of course, never take anything for granted and the volatile nature of street fighting means randomness will also have a say in how things turn out.

Having said this, we’ve also analyzed the negative aspects of Ninjutsu too. By its nature, a large part of the teachings of Ninjutsu simply doesn’t apply to modern-day which means a lot of your training isn’t relevant if you are wanting to use it for self-defense. For instance, the art of starting rumors may have been relevant hundreds of years ago, but today it lacks need.

Away from this, you could also claim that the lack of sparring is a major issue as it means you will never truly prepare for real fighting. In conclusion, Ninjutsu does have a lot to offer, but only if you focus on specific areas. It should not be taken as a bulletproof way of fighting but at the same time it shouldn’t be laughed at or completely ignored.

If you further want to improve your Ninjutsu knowledge, then this DVD set is a fantastic place to start.