Kurtis, I love you.
You are a fellow anarchist, sorcerer, philosopher, and quite frankly I believe in you so much that I buy all of your shit, just to support you through whatever it is you may be going through. If you were somehow/someway in trouble that you couldn’t get yourself out of, and you called me, I would roll deep to wherever you are, ready to insert and extract.
You say that “Modern special forces, SEALS, etc use many of the same tactics.” However you don’t really know what that encompasses outside of a theoretical/historical/academic frame of reference.
There is a difference between utilizing the same concepts as the ninjas did half a millenium ago vs. graduating demo school, airborne school, undergoing counter terrorism training, hostage rescue training, insertion and extraction training, force protection training, advanced driver training, medical training, high threat executive awareness training, (etc.), and most importantly, ACTUALLY deploying behind enemy lines during combat operations and getting the job done against insurmountable odds.
On a less extreme scale there is also a difference between 8-10 people who aren’t fighters trying to “slam” you vs one D-1 wrestler with a nasty submission game trying to slam you. I am saying this because I love you and I genuinely want you to be able to defend yourself. That JKD/Ninjutsu shit is smoke and mirrors and will get you killed. The world can’t afford that right about now. We need more from you.
I have seen individual after individual who thinks that Ninjutsu (or some other archaic form of combat that is no longer viable) actually works and wash out of selection. I too harbored fantasies of being a ninja. It simply isn’t realistic.
Fuck the whole ninja vs operator or ninja vs MMA arguments.
Say two tweakers break into your home in order to rob you so that they can sell or trade your possessions for drug money or drugs themselves. They are desperate and armed. It is the middle of the night, all of the lights are off in your home. You are awakened from intense dreams by the breaking of glass. You don’t know where the opponent is, how many of them there are, or what they are armed with. Would you rather have A) A firearm with a weapon light and red dot + knowledge and training in CQB and room clearing tactics such as limited penetration, etc. or B) some ninja stars, a Chinatown “katana” sword and the knowledge from an old scroll?
As someone who has operated with many special military units from friendly countries across the globe (including Japan’s Tokushusakusengun) during counter-terrorism and hostage scenarios, I can tell you that when it comes to real life combat, the individual trained in combatives/MMA will prevail almost every time. Japanese special forces themselves do not train in Ninjutsu. They train in Combatives, MMA, and above all, GST (Global Specialized Tactics).
I love you, but you have to face the reality of your training.
How often are you on the mats? How often do you go live on the mats? How often do you spar full contact? How often do you spar vs someone outside of your JKD/Ninjutsu schools?
How often do you train with high-level grapplers and wrestlers with submission skills?
How often do you defend a takedown? How often do you defend submissions? How many escapes do you know?
How often do you train with rubber training knives?
How often do you shoot? How often do you shoot at night? Is your firearm/kit equipped for low-light/no light scenarios?
How often do you train insertion? How often do you train extraction?
How often do you train weapon transitions?
How often do you train drawing your edged weapon or firearm from a concealed carry position? How often do you train re-holstering/sheathing your firearm or edged weapon after having drawn from a concealed carry position and neutralizing a threat?
Do you time yourself during weapons training? If so, what are your times? What are your split times? What are your reaction times?
Say you are fighting in close quarters, and someone came around a corner with a firearm or edged weapon, ready to kill you. Your reaction time (beating them to the gun/knife) dictates whether you live or die. Are you confident that you could beat that opponent to the draw, neutralize them, and live to tell the tale?
If it came down to using an explosive or incendiary device, do you feel confident in using said device to eliminate a threat without harming innocents, yourself, or your team members? How many hours do you have logged training in the use of explosives and poisons and their effects? How many hours do you have logged training in amphibious or airborne scenarios?
Forget about the theory and academia of Ninjutsu/JKD. I am asking these questions to you as an individual with regards to your individual training and experience in the field.
I’m not worried about you expanding your consciousness, we all know that you are the man when it comes to that, and so much more.
What I am worried is that you have fallen prey to the same bullshido martial arts that have robbed years of progress from many an individual who simply hasn’t seen real combat and therefore doesn’t know any better.
Imagine if you saw an intellectual and spiritual powerhouse devoting all of their time to Abrahamic nonsense, when there is an entire realm of magick and alchemy at their fingertips. That is how I feel when I read about you betting your life on JKD and “Ninjutsu.”
I take the time out of my incredibly busy schedule to type this veritable essay because A) I genuinely care about you even though I don’t know you personally, and B) you are far more influential than you know.
I’m not saying discard everything and start over. I am merely saying think about it, and be honest with yourself. If you answered “rarely,” “never,” or “not at all” to even one of the questions I asked, you need to rethink your training.
I have seen even Tier 1 Operators get themselves killed due to overconfidence and misplaced faith. PLEASE don’t make the same mistake!
Curse me or thank me, it makes no difference to me. I want you to be the best you can be and have nothing but love for you and what you do for us all.
Sincerely,
An unknown and active operator.
EA had already left it behind him. Who am I to argue? Lol! Everyone can have their own opinion.