Attack is the method by which victory is achieved in combat. Without attacking, when you are attacked, you are left in the unenviable position of having to defend perfectly until the opponent gets tired or becomes frustrated and quits. Obviously, this is not the best-case scenario, and because of that, it is not a strategy of ninjutsu. The Way of the Shadow Ninjutsu, therefore, focuses on the art of attacking; Attacking both the mind and body of the enemy. And when it comes to the art of attack, there are several principles that shape the techniques or methods of attack in this style. The student learns how to attack utilizing these principles and becomes hardened against someone utilizing these principles against them. And, as the student learns, an attack utilizing these principles is devastating in deed.
REMEMBER: The purpose of this art is to enable you to defend yourself or to protect someone in need. Fighting should always be viewed as a last resort. You must always have the utmost respect for the techniques in this art as they can be very devastating.
Attack Deceptively
The ninja must attack without warning of any kind. This means that the enemy must not be able to glean any sign of intent from you prior to the execution of your technique. Your techniques must be free from "telegraphing" movements and should be as direct as possible. This must be perfected in practice and will then serve you well in combat. The Way of the Shadow Ninjutsu also focuses on misdirection. A feint is one example of the use of misdirection. It is sometimes necessary to preempt your attack with a feint. Misdirection is not simply a physical attack but also an attack on the mind. Make the opponent think the wrong thoughts or move the wrong way, and you make them vulnerable. Then you can defeat them. This is the idea of forcing the enemy to show you their strengths and weaknesses. Learn their strengths and avoid them. Learn their weaknesses and exploit them! Other examples of deceptive attacks are the "shadow" techniques. These techniques enable the ninja to strike the enemy from angles or with weapons that the enemy cannot see or does not expect. Another example of deceptive attack is a baited attack. This type of attack is based on the fact that, like the opponent, the ninja always has vulnerable spots that are always susceptible to attack. The entire body cannot be protected by only two hands and two feet. This fact can be used in one's strategy to gain an advantage and can help the ninja take the lead in combat. Once you have determined a counter, open up an area for them to attack, draw them in, and execute the counter once they attack. (As a side note, if you are to use this type of attack, you should toughen up the areas that you will use for baiting for the times when your enemy gets through your defenses with their speed or you miss the counter.)
Attack Overwhelmingly
An opponent that is overwhelmed will be defeated. Therefore, attacks must be done overwhelmingly. As an example, when facing an opponent, one must always continue attacking regardless of the change in attitude of the opponent. If their attitude becomes offensive, you must become even more offensive. If their attitude becomes defensive, continue your attack with renewed vigor. The defensiveness that the opponent is showing is their realization that they are no longer in control of the engagement, but must now respond in defense. They have become overwhelmed. This must be capitalized on until the threat that the opponent is posing is neutralized, either through their disengagement or incapacitation. Advance in such a way so as to blast the opponent from his center both mentally and physically. This can be done mentally by breaking his concentration or physically by breaking his center of balance. Break either one of these things and you will break your opponent. Taking the balance of the opponent is central to victory. Balance creates power. Take the balance of the enemy, while maintaining your own, and you take their power. And if the opponent is powerless, your attack becomes overwhelming and unstoppable. Keep the opponent off balance and on the defensive; In this way you will be able to control the fight. Persist in your attack, and "chase" them mentally and physically; In this way, you will be able to defeat them with ease.
Keep in mind that in the Way of the Shadow Ninjutsu, even a deflection or parry is an attack. These are not blocks, in the traditional sense, but more "redirections" of attacks, or counterattacks. The idea is not to try to actually forcefully stop the opponent’s attack, but rather to "move" it around your body, or in other words away from its target. This is because redirecting the force of an attack is far less damaging to your body, and therefore much more desirable than trying to actually directly stop attack as it approaches your body. Ideally, a deflection or parry should be executed as strikes to nerves, bones, or muscle tissue or should be executed as "traps" or grabs. The idea is always to maximize efficiency of movement, while also inflicting as much damage as possible. So even when the enemy is attacking, the ninja is attacking back simultaneously. In this way, the ninja’s attack is able to be used defensively, as a sort of counterattack, and by doing so, it turns the tables on the attacker. This is what enables the ninja to attack overwhelmingly.
The Way of the Shadow Ninjutsu also emphasizes the "going in" on an attack. In this way, you are able to close on your enemy when you choose regardless of the enemy's strength. This can be true throughout the engagement. You must not let the enemy retake distance that you have already covered and give them time to regroup. Take it from them and you will take the engagement as well. There can be no hesitation. You must simply overwhelm the opponent.
Attack Decisively
The Way of the Shadow Ninjutsu emphasizes the goal of any combative situation: To defeat the adversary. When you are put in a position where physical confrontation is the only option, do not stop attacking until you have achieved this goal. Crush the body and spirit of the opponent and do not stop until you have done so. A battle must not end until the antagonist has been disabled. This is largely because, when attacked, the ninja does not want to have to deal with the same attacker more than once. In addition, the ninja does not want to fight any longer than is absolutely necessary. After all, what if the opponent has friends watching, or even if his friends have just noticed that their friend is in the middle of a confrontation? The possibility of adversaries teaming up and outnumbering you is always a threat to take into consideration. For this reason, avoiding a skirmish in which you are or can potentially be outnumbered is an area of focus in ninjustu’s teaching. After all, a one-on-one battle three times is much more in your favor than a single three-on-one bout. Therefore, for these reasons, you must do your best to disable the opponent during the first clash, and do so as quickly as possible. Attack with full force and do not stop until you have neutralized your opponent. Remember that this must be the only way to practice in training. The match should not end when a point is scored, but when one combatant has demonstrated dominance over the other and that the other would be disabled if pads were not worn. Although this philosophy may not win many point tournaments, it will win many battles, which is what really matters.
Attack Opportunely
The ninja must realize that the human body is made up of only two hands and two feet. These are the only basic defenses that it has. This being the case, no human can truly protect every part of his or her body, and as a result, there are always vulnerable spots on the body; Find them and capitalize on them. Also, it is important to remember that when an enemy attacks with his hands or feet, these weapons can no longer defend areas that they were once defending. For example, if an attacker’s fist is reaching for your head, then the side of his head and body that his outstretched arm and hand were once guarding is now ‘open’. New lines of attack are opened to the ninja. One must immediately take advantage of these new openings by parrying, deflecting, or evading the enemy's attack and attacking these areas simultaneously and not engage “weapon for weapon”.
Attack With Conviction
All attacks must be done with conviction. What this means is that when you attack, attack with all of yourself. There can be no reservation in spirit or in the body. There is little room for thinking about protecting every single area of your body at this stage of combat. Of course, one must continually train to naturally protect areas while attacking, however, in the Way of the Shadow Ninjutsu, the ninja is committed to the attack in such a manner that he or she is not distracted by the thought of possibility of getting hurt in retaliation. As Bruce Lee has said, "Let your opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash in to your flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his life". With training in this style, it will be easy to open lines of attack, but it is another thing entirely to have the courage to take advantage of the opening when it presents itself. Also, conviction will enable you to redirect your attack should it be obstructed in any manner. If you find it difficult to penetrate an opponent's defense, then go to areas where their defense is weaker. You will eventually break through if this is done with conviction.
Attack Aggressively
In a combat situation, one must be able to fight vigorously and not be defensive. Ninjutsu stresses the concept of "the lead" in combat, which is much like the lead used in dancing terms, to describe the idea that one dancer is following, or reacting to the other’s movements. In ninjutsu, the idea is the same, meaning that the lead is the term we use to describe the concept that one combatant is actually in control of the confrontation. In a fight, there is always one person who needs to respond to the attacks of the other, or in other words, defend. If one attacks, the other must defend or, as ninjutsu teaches, the other can counterattack. Simply put, the person on the offensive is the one with the lead. Taking the lead forces the other person to react, or "follow" your lead, which makes the "follower" defensive. This, in turn, necessitates another principle of ninjutsu, which is that when it comes to any bout, the ninja must either take the lead, or hold the enemy off and then take the lead, or force the lead at any possible moment. It is preferred to either take the lead or to force it as this will not enable your attacker to control the engagement for any length of time. You must have the will and resolve to do this, and this must be developed in practice. But remember, this is in the best case scenario. Therefore, one must also practice good evasion skills as well to ensure one's ability to hold off an attacker if necessary.
Attack With Versatility
When you fight, always be prepared to change your techniques in the midst of battle. This means redirecting your attack or employing entirely new attacks if the opponent blocks your attack. This will force your opponent to have to adapt (if they can) and will keep them guessing. Also, your ability to change your technique will enable you to exploit any patterned response that the enemy may have to previous techniques. Further, to maximize versatility, the ninja must not become entangled with the enemy in the midst of combat to the point that one cannot free oneself in an instant if necessary. The Way of the Shadow Ninjutsu emphasizes striking and does not emphasize grappling (ground fighting). Basic grappling is taught and is essential to maintain overall versatility, and the ninja must be able to hand themselves in grappling situations, but grappling has too many limitation to the ninja to be a primary focus. As I have said, the ninja must always be ready to break free of the enemy if necessary. This is especially true when it comes to multiple attackers. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to defend oneself effectively against multiple attackers if you are tied up on the ground with an enemy. When you are on the ground, you cannot effectively control distance and you cannot evade. Also, in grappling, your weapons are usually entangled with the enemy’s weapons. This renders them much less effective. However, since the ninja may not know if they are fighting multiple attackers, this principle must not be dismissed.
Attack Efficiently
Efficiency in combat refers to economy of motion and the removal of inessential aspects of attack. The utilization of this principle increases the relative speed, or "quickness", of the ninja and will keep them from tiring as a result of unnecessary movement. Techniques in the Way of the Shadow Ninjutsu reflect this principle. As an example, the Way of the Shadow Ninjutsu emphasizes evasion, parrying, and deflection. This is because that without practiced deflection and parrying, the only option left to the fighter is to block and constantly get around the enemy's weapons. Although there may be times where one must get around the weapons of the enemy, this is not the most efficient or most effective method of dealing with an enemy. Instead, the ninja moves the enemy’s weapons out of the way to allow the ninja’s weapons to be utilized. The ninja will open up lines of attack and use the opponent’s energy against them. Do not develop the defensive attitude of blocking, but rather the art of attacking. When this is done, it must be done simultaneously and not done as a block followed by a counter. This will maximize the effectiveness of the attack and, as mentioned previously, will increase the "quickness" of the practitioner. Also, to maximize efficiency, one must defeat the enemy with the fewest number of attacks possible. Striking vital areas allows the ninja to do this. Remember, you are in danger as long as the fight is looming or in progress, so end it quickly. This means that one’s goal in attacking must be to defeat any attacker with simply one attack. Sometimes, it is even possible to defeat an attacker without any physical confrontation (See Attack The Body And Mind). This would be the ultimate in efficiency and should be the ninja’s primary method of winning a fight.
Attack With Awareness
The Way of the Shadow Ninjutsu teaches the ninja to maintain awareness at all times, but especially during a confrontation. You should always be alert, but especially in a fight, because you must always be aware of what an opponent is doing, what weapons he or she has or are available, and also what is happening around you. One important rule is: "Do not develop ‘tunnel vision’ during a fight." If this happens, you open yourself up not only to attacks from other attackers but other dangers from outside elements as well. As an example, you must be aware of how your enemy is standing, whether or not they could be concealing a weapon, and you must also note any visual clues as to how they move. These clues will aid you in developing your strategy against your opponent. Awareness is vital to success in combat and therefore, just like every other skill, must be practiced and developed through training.
Attack Thoroughly
Your opponent is more than just a body. This principle is often overlooked in many martial arts styles. That is to say that although all martial arts styles teach how to attack the body, the weapons that can and must be used to attack the opponent's mind as well are often overlooked. Scare him with your voice! Frighten him with your body! Use a weapon or anything around you that can be used as a weapon to worry your adversary. This will force him off his mental center and will give you the advantage. In this way, you can get the enemy to "collapse" under the pressure of your attack. Then you can force him into making unnecessary movements, throw off his timing and rhythm, and make him lose focus. This necessitates the need for him to gather himself and places him in his most vulnerable state. You must learn to utilize your voice, your body, any weapons, or objects that can be used as weapons at your disposal. These are all weapons, and you must recognize that your weapons can have a daunting effect in themselves without you even touching your opponent! Use anything you can to attack your opponent's concentration and courage. If you can make your opponent fear you, you have already won. But, even by making he or she worry about you, and what you can do to them, you have already defeated them by defeating their mind; Their will to fight will fade, if not disappear entirely, and he or she will almost certainly lose, if he or she indeed decides to attack at all. Think of this as sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. If he does not even believe he CAN win, then he will not. Therefore, you must be resolute of spirit, have supreme confidence, and have courage of conviction in your attacks.
pigeonbirdy Community Member 
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