Lee's Ninjutsu Academy

Last night's class was a refresher of everything we've covered over the past eight weeks.

We've explored a wide range of techniques, including wrist locks, shoulder locks, choking techniques, ground fighting, throws, and stick work.

From there, we focused on the principles behind the techniques and how to adapt them to a resisting opponent. Rather than relying on fixed movements, students learned how an opponent's reactions can guide the technique and create opportunities.

This ability to adapt is what brings the training to life, turning individual techniques into a practical and effective martial art.

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Last lesson we broke slightly from our normal schedule of techniques.

We briefly touched on choking methods with and without weapons before moving into grappling work — underhooking and controlling the arm so it cannot easily be pulled free and used to control us in return.

From there, different opportunities appeared depending on what the opponent did next. Did the arm stay straight? Did it bend? Did they try to overpower you by driving forwards or by pulling away?

These changing reactions are what bring life and realism to training the fundamentals of Ninjutsu. Rather than memorising fixed movements, we learn to adapt to pressure, movement, resistance, and intent.

We are back again at training on Wednesday 10th June as I am away next week.

See you then.

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Photo: Yossi Sheriff, Headmaster of AKBAN

This week we trained arm locks against someone attempting to grab you to either restrict your movement or to attack you in some other additional way.

Of course, when somebody grabs with one or both hands, there are often easier and more direct responses available. A grab can be a poor way to attack someone and can leave them vulnerable to strikes and other counters. Unfortunately, this kind of behaviour is still common in places where alcohol and young men mix.

So why learn something far more technically difficult if the end result is still creating space and getting away?

Because striking somebody who has grabbed you can very quickly escalate the level of violence. It is all too easy for someone to be knocked unconscious, fall badly, hit their head, and suffer serious injury or death. At that point, even if you were defending yourself, there can still be serious legal and moral consequences.

Locking techniques require a higher level of skill and control, but they can allow you to manage a situation with a much lower level of violence. You may be able to restrain the person, create an opportunity to escape, or hold them long enough for help or the police to arrive.

A mature martial art is not just about effectiveness. It is about understanding different levels of force and applying what is appropriate for the situation in front of you.

Another great session this week.

We continued working on wrist locks and how their application changes depending on what the opponent is doing — whether they are pushing, pulling, resisting, or overcommitting their weight.

The more variations we train, the more adaptable and transferable the skill becomes under pressure.
We then moved into ground fighting, training a pin and shoulder dislocation from the mount position.

Whether standing or on the ground, the principles that make Ninjutsu effective remain the same. Distance is the essence of it all, timing is your speed, and balance is your strength.

Good effort to everyone that trained last night at the new venue!! 💪

We worked on defending against an assault by applying a wrist lock across multiple scenarios.

From grappling range to inside and standard boxing distances 🥊. Using striking to create opportunities to move to safer positions, control the threat with restraining techniques, or escape the danger entirely🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️.

We also covered escaping from a threat on top of us that is pinning, striking, and strangling us on the ground.

The overall focus of the session was staying calm under pressure, creating space for movement, and getting into positions where escape is more likely.😎

See you next week for another lock and striking application🔒👊 and also way to keep someone restrained on the ground if the situation calls for it.

We now train on Wednesdays at the Official Torbay Olympic Gymnastics Club

19:00 - 20:30

We are moving to a larger venue!
Details coming soon...