How to Become a Ninja

During the feudal era in Japan, a ninja, or shinobi, was a covert operative often tasked with sabotage, espionage, infiltration, and, when necessary, assassination or combat. While samurai adhered to strict ethical and combat codes, ninjas operated in the shadows, sneaking into places without alerting enemies. To train as a ninja, one must master swift yet powerful combat, disappear and reappear seamlessly during missions, and remain invisible to the enemy.

Move at night. To remain as stealthy as possible, ninjas primarily operate at night. Their espionage and guerrilla tactics go far beyond those of an ordinary warrior. To learn how to move like a ninja, you must adapt to nighttime activity. Practice moving in total darkness to become more attuned to your surroundings.

• Avoid streetlights and artificial light sources while moving at night.
• Train your eyes to adjust to complete darkness, which is half the battle in mastering nighttime movement. Every ninja must learn both "static vision" (noticing stationary objects in the dark) and "dynamic vision" (detecting movement in the dark). Mastering both of these skills is crucial. Juggling in the dark is an excellent practice technique.

Climb trees. Besides being stealthy, a ninja must also possess quick agility. No wall is too high to scale, and nothing can stand in their way. Developing tree-climbing skills is an excellent way to enhance agility. Ninjas often use trees to scale castle walls and leap from tree to wall.

• You can invest in hand and foot claws to assist with tree climbing. These tools help you grip branches better.
• Climbing to the top of a tree not only helps you evade enemies but also offers a better vantage point. From such heights, you can plan your reconnaissance more effectively and get a clearer view of the area.

Disguise yourself to blend with nature. Part of the art of camouflage is utilizing the environment. Start with the basic concealment stance, known as Uzura-Gakure. You must shrink your limbs and head into your body, making yourself as small as possible. When standing still, you can hide among rocks in natural surroundings. You can also use trees to shield your body.

• Another aspect of this strategy is Kannon-Gakure, which involves covering your face and standing in front of a tree. By concealing your face, you blend into the tree and take advantage of the blind spots of the human eye.
• Ninjas often hide behind trees. Just like Uzura-Gakure, you must remain as still as possible, quieter than the leaves rustling in the wind. If you can stand still longer than the leaf, the enemy will only see the movement of the leaves, unable to identify your body.

Avoid raising suspicion from your enemies. A true ninja practices the "art of invisibility", moving through terrain without being detected by the enemy. Although modern-day ninjas face challenges with artificial light, some tactics from feudal Japan still apply today.

• One of the simplest methods is to walk silently. By walking on the edge of your feet, you can suppress the usual sound of footsteps. Practice walking on gravel to gauge both the noise of your steps and the footprints you leave behind.
• Creating distractions can also help you avoid suspicion from the enemy. You might throw a stone in another direction, or, in modern times, have a teammate call the enemy's phone to give you the chance to sneak past them. The enemy will focus on the noise, giving you just enough time to slip away.
• You can also use ordinary sounds like dripping water or the hum of a radiator to mask the sound of your movement.

Run fast. While the ability to climb walls is extremely important in training, you should also ensure your endurance. Although the goal is to avoid startling your enemies, you must also be able to escape an unexpected confrontation. If an enemy chases you, reconnaissance skills become less useful than running speed.

• The 30-60 speed drill is a simple way to build cardiovascular strength and sprinting speed. Use a stopwatch and find a clear path to run. Start by jogging for 60 seconds. After 60 seconds, sprint as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then jog again for 60 seconds. Repeat this cycle several times until you’ve completed 7 minutes of training.
• Ensure you don’t take a full rest during the run. This mimics passive recovery while keeping your heart rate elevated, simulating the need to sprint for 30 seconds to escape an enemy. This drill prepares you for the worst-case scenario.

Practice jumping. It is crucial for a ninja to have the strength to jump with full force, as you will need to scale walls and leap across various terrains. Combined with climbing and running skills, you will be able to avoid enemy attacks if caught in a conflict. You’ll need to build leg strength, as much of your physical activity will rely on them. Here are some exercises you can use to improve your jumping ability and increase leg strength:

• Practice walking with bent knees the length of a room. This exercise helps to strengthen your quadriceps.
• Move on your toes to strengthen your calf muscles. By walking on your toes, you will also practice silent movement, which is crucial for reconnaissance.
• Jump as high as you can onto a flat surface until you are exhausted. This is also called box jumping.
• Assume a squat position with deep knee bends, feet shoulder-width apart, and hold this position for a while. This squat stance will build leg strength. You can also jump from a squat position, similar to box jumping.
• Lift your leg to waist height and hold it there. This is known as the side kick stance. Hold this position for as long as you can.
• If you have equipment, practice leg strength using barbell squats and leg press machines. The stronger your legs, the more powerful your jump will be.

Strengthen your core with bodyweight exercises. A significant part of modern ninja training involves using your body weight to gain strength. These exercises are easy to incorporate into your training routine because you don't need expensive equipment.

• Keep in mind that mastering these exercises takes time, as they require you to engage your entire body rather than isolating individual muscles.

Learn taekwondo. While many martial arts can complement a ninja’s combat strategies, taekwondo is one of the oldest and most practiced martial arts. One of the advantages of taekwondo is its focus on legs rather than arms. Enemies, especially those untrained in combat, typically attack with punches.

• From the start, mastering taekwondo gives you an edge in combat. Your legs have a wider range of motion than your arms, allowing you to defend from any direction.
• Practice breaking boards to develop speed, accuracy, and power. It requires intense focus to break a board, as your foot must strike the weak point of the board perfectly. Think of it as if you’re flying through the board, not landing on it. Aim for the far side of the board, and let your foot punch through with full force.
• Ensure that the person holding the board has a firm grip, as this is essential for the force to go through the wood.

Fight with a staff. When entering a battle, a ninja can also use a staff. This weapon is ideal for fighting large groups of enemies, especially when they wield blunt weapons that are not sharp but powerful.

• One of the best staffs to train with is the wooden staff, typically made of red or white oak. This type of staff has been used by ninjas since the early days of feudal Japan. The staff is considered an extension of the body, and its movement mirrors the movements of the hands in martial arts.
• Your stance plays a crucial role in the power when fighting with a staff. The position of your feet contributes to the strength of your upper body, and you can attack enemies in various ways depending on your foot placement.
• Learn different attacking strategies. This ensures you have a keen eye for spotting your enemy’s weaknesses. Combine these tactics with the most flexible defensive stances to maximize accuracy when attacking with a staff. Remember to practice attack strategies in a safe and spacious environment, as you wouldn’t want to hurt those around you or damage your surroundings.

Dress to blend into your surroundings. To truly embody the essence of a ninja, you must seamlessly blend into your environment, whether it's a bustling city square or a secluded forest, far from human interaction. Since a ninja must avoid detection by enemies, it is crucial to adjust your clothing to match the environment.

• The most basic ninja attire consists of a hooded cloak and traditional robes, known as zukin and shozoku. Contrary to popular belief, these outfits are not always black, but typically made of dark blue fabric. Because ninjas operate during the night, dark blue attire helps them blend with the shadows and moonlight, minimizing the risk of being spotted by enemies. Additionally, ninjas wear lightweight combat sandals that assist in swift movement.
• Beyond traditional ninja gear, you must also learn how to disguise yourself to avoid attention during the day. Some common disguises for ninjas include pretending to be a monk, merchant, or actor. There are many disguises for a ninja, but it is best to assume the role of a traveler. This way, you can enter any city as a stranger without your unfamiliar presence seeming out of place.

Master the ninja breathing technique. Breath control is key to surviving the life of a ninja. Since you must often hide for extended periods, you must remain as still and silent as possible, especially when it comes to breathing noiselessly. Practice the following exercises to not only enhance your stealth abilities but also develop mindfulness:

• Synchronize your breath with your steps. You will move naturally while ensuring a consistent flow of oxygen into your body. When running, aim for a 3:2 ratio—inhale for three steps, exhale for two. When walking, you can adjust the ratio to 4:2.
• Practice deep breathing. Proper breathing expands your entire upper body. Make deep belly breathing a habit, as it will improve your endurance and focus.
• Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth while walking. Running requires more oxygen, so inhale through both your nose and mouth at the same time.

Adapt to a ninja’s diet. To ensure your body remains agile and efficient, ninjas must adhere to a strict diet that is low in fats. You should reduce your intake of meat, dairy, and sugar, as these foods take longer to convert into energy. Light, protein-rich snacks such as pine nuts are ideal for a ninja’s compact physique. Pine nuts are also believed to enhance sensory perception and combat aging.

• Do not consume any foods that may produce body odor. If your enemies can smell your presence, they will grow suspicious. Simply being unseen or unheard is not enough. You must also avoid detection through smell.

Live in secrecy. Since much of a ninja’s survival depends on keeping their identity hidden, you must be extra cautious about training in the presence of potential enemies. Find a secluded spot, especially when practicing combat or infiltration skills, as this is crucial for concealing your true identity.

Simplify and minimize your presence. It’s difficult to live as a ninja if you accumulate too many possessions or become tied to a single place. You must constantly be on the move and adapt to every environment you enter. Therefore, it's best not to become attached to anything that isn't essential or to worldly possessions. These things only weigh you down and become burdens in a nomadic lifestyle. You should exist in the world with a mindset of continually assessing your surroundings with neutrality and openness.

• Embrace a minimalist lifestyle by reducing your personal belongings to only the essentials.