In the case of the film loop above, most of what this guy was demonstrating were advanced forms of Jujitsu as well as elements of Tai Chi Chuan (the lethal side of traditional Tai Chi) and as with any and all pressure point and joint attacks, Akido.
Ninjitsu, while it does have some of its own "dirty work" deals more with helping the warrior learn how to combine his/her many skill sets along with stealth techniques, deception & misdirection tactics and of course an extensive list of weaponology including the us of poisons.
The time table factor I mentioned previously ties to these factors in that you may, in the heat of battle, kick the Ninja's butt and chase him off, but a few hours after the combat you will begin to suffer certain physical health conditions as the result of certain seemingly clumsy strikes made by the assassin during the fight. On another front, when a Ninja is sneaking about to enter or exist a target facility or even making a "hit" on someone, they take the time factor into consideration so that non-lethal force can be applied; stifling and taking a "guard" out of play without causing major trauma. Certain strikes can render the victim "paralyzed" for as long as 30 minutes or exceptionally weak physically for a matter of hours. At the same time, a particular type of strike, let's say to the top of the head during the early morning hours, will result in an aneurysm and thus, probable death within a few hours if not treated immediately.
When I worked for the Dux Academy my job was to teach students about stealth and herbs/poisons. Needless to say, we are talking about the older students and not the 8 and 9 year olds. I worked closely with another teacher that specialized in rolls, tumbling, flips, etc. so that we could create training courses in which both skills were used (stealth/concealment with gymnastics).
Because of Hollywood (primarily) people build far too much romance around the legend of the Ninja, including belief that they had some kind of supernatural sense of training. While strong mental discipline was a must alongside a sense of spiritual commitment, the only thing that is semi-mystical when it comes to any aspect of the martial arts, is the issue of Ki/Chi. Science loves to negate it's validity while it is a factor deeply woven in Asian life (as well as that of the Jedi).Statistics: Posted by Craig Browning — 22 Apr 2012, 23:24
]]>