Run Like a Ninja

Ninjas run faster than cheetahs and can see perfectly in the dark. Ninjas are silent and invisible. Ninjas run with their hands behind them because... well, that's a ninja mystery no one has solved.

Steps

Running in the Ninja Pose

  1. Hold your arms behind your back. Ninjas in manga and anime usually run with their arms extended straight out behind their backs. It might be harder to run this way, but it looks cool!
    • Sometimes, the ninja holds one hand in front of his face instead, to deflect attacks with his forearm or with a weapon held in a reverse grip.[1]
  2. Turn your palms face up (optional). Before they can join the ninja army, ninjas must learn to display their palms to the sky. Or at least you'd think so from watching Naruto and the shows it influenced.
  3. Bend forward. Bend your knees and tilt your whole torso forward. This gives your enemies a smaller target to notice or hit with ranged weaponry.
    • Lift your head up by bending your neck only, so you can see where you're running.
  4. Run. Now for the hardest part: running in this position. This can take different leg muscles than ordinary running, but keep practicing and you'll get faster. Once you can run fairly fast without falling over, train with the instructions below so you can run up behind your enemies without being heard.

Running Silently

  1. Wear quiet shoes. Run in soft, rubber-soled shoes instead of stiff, hard-soled boots.[2] If you have a treadmill or a safe, clear place to run, you can practice barefoot.
    • Socks are quieter than bare feet when running indoors, but are too slippery to use on wooden floors and other slick materials.
  2. Breathe rhythmically. Breathe in a steady pattern as you run. This helps keep your stride even, and makes it easier to listen to the sound of your footfalls. Count the number of steps you take as you breathe. Breathe in through your nos for three steps. Breathe out through your mouth for two steps.[3]
    • Take full, deep breaths that expand your chest.
  3. Land on the ball of your foot. If you hear loud slapping sounds as your feet hit the ground, you're probably landing on your heels.[4] Land on the middle or ball of your foot instead to run more quietly and avoid injury.
  4. Flex your ankle as you land. Absorb some of the impact of your footfall by letting your ankle bend when you hit the ground.[4] Do this by keeping your ankles and feet relaxed as you land, then tensing up again only to lift off for the next step.
    • Ironically, this might actually be more difficult in the ninja pose. Try it in a normal running position, then adapt it to your ninja run once you've got the hang of it.

Sneaking Up Silently

  1. Use these techniques while walking. Walking silently takes different techniques than running silently, so don't confuse the two. Once you're close to your target, slow down and creep up behind them silently using this method, called "fox walking."
    • Straighten up and get out of the ninja pose once you're done running.
  2. Brush the ground with the outside edge of your foot. Keep your weight back on one leg, in a balanced position. Move the other foot a small step forward, so its outer edge is barely pressing the ground in front of you.[5]
    • The outer edge is the side of your foot closest to your little toe.
  3. Roll that foot inward. "Roll" the foot inward, toward the inner edge next to your big toe. Rotate your knee inward with this motion as well.[6] Shift your weight from your back foot forward to your front foot once it is flat.
    • If you notice a small rock or other obstacle underneath your foot, lift your foot and reposition it.
  4. Repeat with the next foot. Move your next foot forward a short distance and step in the same way, taking short strides so you can stay balanced at every point in the motion.
    • If you want to minimize your footprints, you can place one foot directly in front of the other, in a straight line.[6]
  5. Walk in the dark. There's nothing more ninja than navigating through a pitch dark area. Move extra slowly in dark areas, including motions of your arms and head. If you're next to a wall, brush it lightly with your fingertips to keep yourself moving in a straight line. Hold your other hand in front of you at waist level, to detect obstacles.[2]
  6. Adjust your walk for carpets. When sneaking on a carpet or other soft surface, lift your foot and place it down in one go, instead of rolling. Even small sideways motions can rustle the carpet fibers, making this more difficult than walking on a hard surface.[2]

Tips

  • When stalking your target from a short distance away, each step can take a full minute to complete.[2]

Warnings

  • Stop running if you feel pain. Any new running pose can take time to adjust to, and the ninja run can be hard on your joints.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NinjaRun
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ptop/plain/A980589
  3. ↑ http://mindfitmove.com/2013/07/16/run-like-a-ninja-a-guide-to-silent-running-and-mindful-listening/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://how2runfast.com/post/456371518/run-silent-run-fast
  5. ↑ http://www.writerbynature.com/2006/04/12/survival-technique-learn-to-fox-walk/
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://vimeo.com/5402663#t=499

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