Lesley Jackson talks exclusively to Simon Yeo, author of the book “Ninjustu: The Secret Art of the Ninja” and learns more about this fascinating and ancient martial art from the Ninja master himself.
Simon Yeo is a 10th Dan in Ninjustu, but don’t ask him if he is a secret assassin with a black mask or has a penchant for teenage turtles, as he is keen to dispel the myths that surround this ancient and esoteric martial art. He has nearly 35 years experience in martial arts. He started Judo in 1974, which led onto further training in Karate, Taekwondo and a subsequent black belt in Jiu-Jitsu. However, it was in 1987 when Simon’s real martial arts passion started when he took up Ninjustu to “fill in the holes” that the other martial arts left open for him. He describes his style of Bujinkan Ninjutsu as “not structured, beyond theory but with practical applications where every state of combat is unique.”
This, it appears, is the key concept of Ninjustu with its theory and practise being a polar opposite to the more regimented rote-style of learning that martial arts such as Karate or Taekwondo demand. Simon describes training in Ninjustu as being a very different experience where “I teach my students many techniques during a lesson to get a taste of them. I don’t expect them to learn them all but rather experience them several times over longer periods of time to enable them to internalise the technique; thereby being able to adapt it to the appropriate situation in the real world.” He says of his method that “you need to be able to fit in with your opponent and deflect their attack and capitalise on the mistakes he makes, therefore flexibility in a martial art is essential in its real-life application, which Ninjustu serves well.”
Learning from the Grand Master
Simon has been fortunate enough to travel to Japan to study with Ninjustu’s living Grand Master, Sensei Hatsumi Masaaki. This is where, Simon asserts, Ninjutsu has an advantage over other martial arts as its living Grand Master enables it to continue growing and evolving as the world changes, and keeps its techniques relevant to today. Simon speaks of Hatsumi’s teaching as “being on multiple levels… He often teaches through parables and leaves it to the student to interpret; he shows and offers the student the choice to learn or not to learn. He may say something and I think I have understood the gist of it, but then five years later I may realise his lesson has a much deeper meaning to it as well.”
Although Ninjutsu is an ancient martial art (reflected in its deep training stances designed for soldiers to carry their armour), it has very modern applications as well. For example, Simon mentions that a Ninja must “train low to fight high... Lowering one’s centre of gravity trains legs to increase their strength, thus making you a stronger fighter.” Also, he mentions the weapons training that may have originated several hundred years ago can still apply to the modern world. “When an attacker draws a pistol it is very similar to him drawing a sword and therefore, in defence of such an action, similar techniques can be adapted to apply now as they did then.”
Mental Conditioning
However, as much as Ninjutsu is a physical martial art that focuses on self-defence, it places as much on the mental skills of the practitioner as the strictly physical. The obvious benefits of training in this more esoteric martial art is that it improves the reflexes and co-ordination but as Simon says, “it can be reflected in little things such as catching something quickly as it falls and feeling a person’s intention before they act. Your instinct is developed and this is not something special to the Ninja, as everyone has a latent sixth sense that in modern times we have forgotten to use. For example, for my fifth Dan grading I had to kneel with by back to my Grand Master while he held high a bamboo sword, ready to hit my head. I cleared my mind and rolled out of the way in precisely the right time. This is an example of ‘Mu Shin’ or ‘no mind’ and is a key part of Ninjutsu training that anyone can learn.”
As well as being deeply committed to his martial art, Simon Yeo is also a successful business man running a merchandising company selling gifts and promotional goods to companies that include investment banks. He believes that his Ninjutsu training has had a direct benefit on the success of his career due to the mental conditioning it offers, with its advantages being “clarity of vision and understanding the nuts and bolts of what someone is talking about. One can work out what the real agenda of a meeting might be that gives me the confidence to cut to the chase giving a directness to my business dealings that I do not think I could have gained from anywhere else than Ninjutsu.” However, it is probably due to this type of training that makes Ninjutsu difficult to practise as a sport because “putting rules (in place) moves away from the martial art because in a street confrontation, there are no rules.” Therefore, Simon believes “it is important to train with a less compliant partner at times where you are able. You need to learn to adapt your techniques to his motion and blend them together, thus learning correct control and upsetting their balance.”
Simon Yeo: Ninja Strike
The Future
Despite having a wealth of experience in his chosen martial art, Simon Yeo speaks of his future in Ninjustu as an endless quest for perfection. “I still feel that I know nothing,” he says. “To try and emulate my Grand Master I must keep polishing the stone, there is always something to improve upon and a technique’s finesse can always be better.” But through this modesty and after two decade’s worth of training, he is still very proud of his achievements. He speaks of the pleasure of teaching and being a conduit for his Grand Master, while wishing to draw more people to this very unique martial art. He is also very pleased with the end result of his book, which took him almost a year to write. He describes it as “a reference book for people of black belt and below” and “as a guide to or introduction to training, giving a taste of the life-enhancing experience that training in Ninjutsu can offer.” One cannot help but be infected by this man’s enthusiasm for a martial art that is fascinating to read about and become involved in.
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Lesley Jackson talks exclusively to Simon Yeo, author of the book “Ninjustu: The Secret Art of the 
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