 "Photo: Caitlin Boake")
Clarification: At the time of publication, UTD's Ninpo Club was in the process of officially chartering with their international organization. In the print version of this story, a statement was attributed to a Ninpo grandmaster and has since been disputed. The text below reflects a corrected attribution.
The first rule of Ninpo Club is “run like hell.”
Ninpo directs practitioners to fully understand situations, then use the least amount of force possible to stop an attacker, said Ninpo club president Will Collins, arts & technology senior.
Rooted in a thousand years of Japanese martial arts tradition, Ninpo was brought to UTD in spring 2009.
Collins, club vice president Calin Scoggins, political science senior, and their Sensei Greg Caplinger wanted to spread the art and keep it alive. Caplinger has 30 years total martial arts training, with more than half spent specializing in Ninpo.
“Essentially, we wanted to give students the opportunity to train in the art, which they might not have otherwise,” Collins said.
Practitioners fight assumptions about Japanese martial arts based on pop culture, and learn about the history of Ninpo during classes.
“The first rule is run like hell,” Scoggins said. “If you end up having to use your skills in a physical confrontation, it means you’ve screwed up somewhere along the line. You should have been able to avoid fighting.”
Ninjutsu is one of several Japanese traditions that informs modern-day Ninpo, and Caplinger helps students separate reality from mythology.
The popular image of a ninja is historically inaccurate, Caplinger said. Only one ninja clan wore black, and they were usually the common people trying to protect themselves.
Throughout the practice, Caplinger explained the practical applications Ninpo had for ninjas as it was developed.
For example, he said stances kept the artist low to the ground so the sun would either shine into an opponent’s eyes or turn the opponent into a shield from the glare. At night, low stances helped artists blend into the shadows.
At the end of the class, practicality is taken a step further when members ask “what if” questions to learn how to manage specific situations. On Feb. 15, a student asked, “What if I get attacked on the way to my car?”
First-time attendee Kevin Weant, electrical engineering senior, said he stopped by just to check out what was happening. Collins gave Weant the option to observe or participate, whichever he felt more comfortable doing.
While most members have some martial arts background, all fitness levels are welcome and parts of the class can be tailored to suit different needs.
Collins has trained in martial arts since he was a child, but said nothing really clicked for him until he started Ninpo. During class, Collins was used as a marker for jumps, physically representing the distance students needed to jump.
Another exercise, Tai Sabaki, involves a member standing with their back turned toward Caplinger, who holds a wooden sword. The goal is for the participant to instinctively know to jump when Caplinger swings the sword without being able to see.
“All animals can sense when they’re in danger,” Caplinger said.
Practical applications of the art extend beyond self defense, Collins said. Before a recent practice session, club members discussed which break-fall positions they used to prevent injury when they slipped in the ice and rain.
Member Ean Bouton practices Olympic-level gymnastics and is younger than his college-age and adult classmates.
Caplinger said Bouton provides a good example of what can be accomplished through Ninpo, as 95-pound Bouton can flip 215-pound Caplinger.
But in a real fight, he would have shown his strength by running away.
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