Learn Ninjutsu – Kyojitsu Tenkan Ho – The Hidden Secret of All Ninja Techniques

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Within the realm of the martial arts, the self-protection and combat system developed by Japan’s ancient shadow warriors still stands the test of time in a way unlike any other martial art of the time. In fact, the ability of the Ninja to employ striking, grappling, and any other tactic that you can think of, is what modern mixed martial artists are trying to duplicate.

Rather than limit themselves to primarily punching and kicking, or just throwing techniques like many of the more conventional martial systems did during the Meiji Restoration Period in Japan in the mid 1850’s, the Ninja’s combat arts employ a wide range of both armed and unarmed techniques, tactics, and strategies. In fact, I like to say that the Ninja’s arts are like the old Prego spaghetti sauce commercials used to say here in the States…

“it’s in there!”

What I mean is that, in Ninjutsu, anything that can be done to you, or by you in a self defense situation, is either a part of the art as a skill or tactic…

…or it is an attack scenario that you must prepare yourself for in the training!

Nothing is off limits.

But, with all of the lists of kata. With all of the scrolls from the traditional lineages that have come together to form the foundation for modern Ninjutsu training, there is one technique that lies within each of these, that makes them more powerful than the written description or step-by-step form ever teaches.

This technique is called, Kyojitsu Tenkan Ho.

Kyojitsu tenkan is the juxta-positioning – the alternating – of truth and falsehood.

And, while many people believe this to be just a reference to the Ninja’s spying and information gathering activities in ancient Japan. I can assure you that it is much, much, more than that!

Others believe that kyojitsu is nothing more than what we might call a “psych-out.” And again, the concept goes far deeper than this low-level, beginner technique – common to almost all martial systems.

No. Kyojitsu tenkan ho, while difficult to describe through the written word, and even more difficult to grasp – is the technique the Ninja uses to set up his opponent so that he falls for the actual technique that the shadow warrior IS doing.

Confused?

Let’s look at it another way. Only this time I’m going to ask you a question?

How likely are you to find an attacker who wants to beat your brains in, and…

…he’s also willing to allow you do your cool technique to or on him?

Right. Not very likely!

In fact, I’d venture to say, ummm… NEVER!

So, if your attacker isn’t going to just let you do your cool move on him, then what?

You could just force it on him, right?

But, doesn’t that mean that you’d have to be bigger, faster, or stronger than him to do that?

So, how then, if in a self defense situation where you’re going to be the underdog – you’re going to probably be smaller, weaker, less skilled, and maybe even less armed than your assailant…how can you get your technique on this person when the odds are stacked against you?

And the answer is…

You do it by creating a reality that your attacker believes, while you simultaneously do something different. What I mean is, you do something that makes your attacker believe that you intend to do one thing, while you’re really using that movement to set up your real technique.

Again, this is not the typical psych-out that we see when somebody jabs to get his opponent to flinch so he can punch him with a right cross.

Here’s an example to illustrate my point:

Let’s say that, in true Ninja fashion, that I watch how my attacker moves and attempts to get at me. And, based on my prior study and research into the way the different fighting styles do things, I recognize this person to be a “block” oriented fighter. That means that he uses conventional karate-style blocking to deal with incoming strikes.

Now, also in true Ninja fashion, I use this knowledge about my attacker to launch “what appears to be” a downward hammer-fist strike at my attacker’s head or face. Then, when he instinctively raises his arm to block my apparent strike, I drop my elbow at the last second and open my fist into a knife-hand, which slams into his upraised forearm – breaking it!

Can you see that this is not a psych-out? And, if it is, it was the attacker who did the psyching.

Here’s what really happened:

Since I knew that he was a blocker, I launched an attack that, if he didn’t block it, would do a lot of damage. But, when he took the bait and gave me the real target – his forearm, which is what I wanted the whole time – I changed my strike at the last second to deliver the breaking blow I planned on.

Do you understand why this works so well? It works because…

My opponent cannot defend against an attack he cannot see. Of course he saw the fist. But, what did my fist, and direction of my strike, tell him? It told him that I was going after his head.

And besides – his arm was nowhere in the picture at that point. So, to him, his arm was a weapon – not a target!

This is the secret technique!

Knowing what is in your attacker’s mind – what he or she believes is true – how he processes his world, and in this case – how he thinks about fighting…

…and then giving him something that has “the appearance” of that reality. That way, while they are chasing an illusion, your attacker is, in reality, setting themselves up for their own defeat.

To a true student of the shinobi arts, even the opponent, in essence, becomes a tool for the Ninja to use against himself. And, in so doing…

…he becomes an accomplice to his own butt-kicking!