subject: In A Self-defense Situation Control The Distance And You Control The Fight [print this page] One thing that becomes painfully evident to anyone who has been studying the Ninja's warrior arts for any length of time is...the shear impossibility of being able to practice all that you've learned. After even a short time in training, the number of skills, technique models known as "kata," and weapons hits a point where, even if you wanted to, you could not consistantly practice everything in the same way that, say, a practitioner of other arts might be able to do so.
However, in the martial art of Ninjutsu, you don't have to. For the Ninja's perspective does not limit itself to the building blocks of the art in the same way that is seen in other conventional forms or styles. Instead, the Ninja aspirant focuses not on technique but on principles and concepts. And, by concentrating on winning in combat from a higher level or viewpoint - like a blimp overseeing a football stadium - he or she is free to exchange techniques, skills, and weapons freely without ever changing the focus of the lesson itself.
Focusing On Concepts & Principles Instead of Step-By-Step Technique
One such concept or principle that forms part of the core of the Ninja student's training from the very beginning is that of distance. Also known in Japanese as ma-ai, distance is a crucial aspect within any given encounter and varies according to such fight variables as:
size or height of each combatant, especially where there is any significant difference
type and length or reach of any weapons involved
number of combatants, including multiple-attacker to single defender scenarios, and...
environmental considerations or limitations
In my seminars and classes, we have a saying...
"He or she who controls the distance, controls the fight."
And, while this may sound obvious, it is often far from it. What I and my instructors under me see time and again, is the student's tendancy to learn one particular distance and then attempt in vain to use that as their default, regardless of the situation they're working on. Difficult, if not impossible to describe addequately using the written word, here are a few examples to convey this very powerful concept:
1) A knife-wielding attacker will have a difficult time getting at me if I stay farther away and out of his reach, however...
2) An assailant armed with a handgun will find it easier to shoot me at the same distance. Instead, he will have increasing difficulty the closer I am to him and his weapon.
3) If a guy is trying to shoot at me with a high-powered rifle from a rooftop, I want to be visiting my friends in another town, but...
4) If the same lunatic has the trigger device for a nuclear weapon, unless he has a death wish, I want to be standing right next to him!
Now, I know that those last two sound a bit far-fetched, but they illustrate the point. And that is that...
...distance is dictated, in large part, by your opponent or opponents, his or their tactics, and any weapons involved.
Knowing and understanding the concepts of ma-ai, or proper distance, allows the Enlightened Warrior to step out of the narrow, limiting "box" that knows only preset techniques. It allows him or her to adapt freely to the situation - change as change is needed - and to always be in the right place with the right defense to overcome the adversary and...
