One of the key elements that separates the ninja’s methods of self-protection, including the study of weapons such as the Kubotan self defense keychain, of many other approaches to self defense training is the concept of “strategic thinking”. And one of the ways this important mindset manifests itself is through the ability to see through the “form” to what is really going on.

In the case of weapons training, the aspiring Ninja works to view any particular weapon not as a specific weapon limited to a certain form and function, but as a model for the use of any other weapon or object of similar shape and size. An example of this might be seeing a knife, not just as a knife, but as a sword with an extremely short blade. Or “see” a short stick or weapon as a blunt sword. Of course, these things are what they are, but their alternate “sight” allows the ninja warrior to expand his knowledge and options, and employ the weapon in ways that confuse and surprise his attacker. It also greatly expands the number of techniques and options available to the Ninja.

In a recent seminar I gave, focused on the use of Kubotan self-defense keychain, the students were able to see, first-hand, how this strategy works in the real world. After learning some basic techniques with the current Kubotan weapon, my students were shown a variety of everyday items that could be used as stand-ins for the actual “official” weapon.

The students found items as common and easy to find as:

1.Rules…

2. Think…

3. Bookmarks…

4. Lipstick cases…

…and even parts of other weapons like a…

5. Knife knob…

6. Pistol grip, and…

7. Weight of a kusari-fundo ‘chain weapon’

They could all be put into service in many of the same ways as the small weapon they were learning to use.

It is this concept of seeing the “universality of technique and application” that gives the Ninja practitioner seemingly magical abilities, not only when using a weapon like the Kubotanbut in all areas, that sets them apart from the conventional tactics, techniques, and strategies used by most fighters, martial artists, and self-defense students.