If you are serious about learning the secrets, skills, strategies and tactics of Ninjutsu, if you are serious about becoming a master of the Ninja self-defense arts, then you need to make sure that your training includes more than just the physical skills practice. .

It is this “strategic thinking” and knowing “why” we train in the skills we do, not just the fact that we are “supposed” to do it, that separates the true practitioner of the Ninja arts from almost all other fighters. , martial artist or self defense student out there!

The Ninja Master knows that regardless of how skilled and proficient you are with your other body movement skills such as walking and rolling, there are times when you will find yourself going straight to the ground. Whether you are tripped by an opponent, or find yourself slipping on ice or wet ground, you must be able to adapt your body to avoid taking damage on impact with the ground.

The focus of this article is to share some of the strategic ideas that involve the use of falling and body dropping abilities, as well as a basic outline to get you started with these important techniques.

To truly reach the Mastery level, you must understand not only “how” to do these skills, but also “when” and “why” they are correct and appropriate in a given situation. You must understand “why” any given taihen move, whether it be walking, rolling, jumping, or body dropping is the “correct” response to your opponent’s technique.

And the key is to know and be able to respond to 2 things:

1) The force or pressure and direction of the attack or threat, and…

2) The space within which it must operate effectively

In the case of the Ninja’s fall and body drop techniques, you are either falling or being knocked “straight” off. In these situations, you lack the height to maneuver your feet and legs for an effective step. And he doesn’t have the forward momentum (or in any direction) to allow the use of his swinging abilities.

As I remind my personal students all the time, your falling abilities require, above all else, the fact that you are “falling”. Most of the students who are afraid of falling try to cheat their training and control their body down to the ground. But, without this important aspect, without the actual act of “falling”, your training will not prepare you for the moment when you lose your balance and your body crashes to the ground, out of your control!

The point is to regain control “during” a fall, not control yourself to the ground in the absence of a fall. Why would you need to learn “falling techniques” if you weren’t actually falling? That is why we make a distinction between breakdowns and “body drops”. In one, you are in control; on the other you have to get it back or at least control the way you make contact with the ground because you didn’t have any to begin with!

Therefore, the following abilities are designed to neutralize the force and amount of damage dealt when you are pushed to the ground in each of the four directions.

So, at a minimum, your practice and training should include, at a minimum, the following 4 body drop skills:

1) Zempo Ukemi – “Break Forward (Slapping)”
2) Yoko Nagare- Lateral “flowing” body drop – left and right
3) Tachi Nagare – ‘Seated flow’ – rear drop to sit

As a quick reminder, each of the above has several proficiency levels to work up to, just to have the “basic” skill! So when you train, work on the following three levels as an absolute minimum:

1) Basic Rest – Just get to the ground safely

2) Breakfall with recovery – Immediately “flow” to a kamae after neutralizing the knockdown

3) Recover and Counter: As soon as you can effectively and “efficiently” return to kamae, the next step is to be able to execute a punch or kick as part of the recovery process. And the attack must have AT LEAST the same level of damage potential as your regular striking abilities from a standing position!