Your training.

• Master yourself. Real martial arts are about mastering yourself, not about beating other people.
• It is not a sport. On the street there are no rules, no weight classes and no referee. The aim is to end the danger fast and get home safe.
• Be smarter. Most of us will never be bigger, stronger or faster than someone who attacks us. The ninja survived enemies who were stronger and better armed by being clever, unexpected and hard to catch.
• No athlete needed. You go at your own pace. Ninja skills rely on timing, distance and balance more than on strength, so you keep getting better as you get older.
• Use what you have. You learn to see everyday things, such as keys, a pen or your phone, as ways to protect yourself.
• Train together. You train with people who encourage each other to push past what they thought they could do.

1. Level 1 · Foundations of self-protection

   White and yellow belt. You start here.

   Come through the surprise attacks people most often face, help someone else who is attacked, and use your own body as your tools. You learn to stay grounded and in command when the pressure is on.

2. Level 2 · Advanced self-protection

   Blue and red belt.

   See danger as it builds, so you are in the right place at the right moment. When you cannot walk away, stand your ground and win, with sharper footwork and smarter power.

3. Level 3 · Path of the protector

   Green and brown belt.

   Slip past an attack, take control of the attacker, and end the fight on your terms. Your skill and confidence grow all the way to black belt.

4. Level 4 · Black belt mastery

   Black belt is where mastery begins. Find more speed and power with less effort, stay calm and clear against brutal people, protect others, and deal with more than one attacker, armed attackers and trained fighters.

Alongside the unarmed skills, you also train with the traditional weapons of the ninja: the katana, the hanbo, the tanto, the bo staff and more.

Earth

Stand firm. Stay steady, hold your ground and take control.

Water

Step back. Get out of danger’s way, then counter or escape.

Fire

Go first. Stop an attack before it starts.

Wind

Move around it. Circle, slip away and be hard to catch.

Void

The fifth element. It is part of advanced training, and you learn it when you get there.