Here is one Ninjitsu hand exercise, it is called the "Spider Hand". Beginners will start by kneeling and placing their finger tips (and thumb tip) on the floor. Try to imagine that each of your hands is a spider. Lean forward and shift some weight onto your fingers, as much as you can easily hold. Then lifting only one finger at a time (or thumb ... both same on both hands at same time) let your finger take a single step ... like a spider walking ... then step another and another as you walk your hands apart, together, foreward, back, all around to every possible possition reachable from where you are kneeling ... walk like a spider with your hands. As you get better at the finger coordination and start to develop some finger and hand strength, switch from kneeling to a fingers and toes position ... this will look like a push up position, but you are NOT bending elbows to lift and lower your body, you are keeping your body firm and mostly motionless while walking your fingers and letting your wrists and arms follow. A little later, with some more hand strength built up, switch to an elevated feet push up position, with feet on a table, chair, chair back, or whatever and keep walking your fingers ... start trying to tap your finger tips hard with each step, like a spider kicking the ground. Then, move close to a wall, do a hand stand on your finger tips with your feet resting high against the wall, and finger tap the floor as you walk your fingers getting your arms moved closer and wider apart. Hit the floor as hard as you can and move your arms as close and as wide as you can without falling on your face. Finally, at the advanced level, do a free hand stand in the middle of the floor, get up onto your finger tips and walk like a pair of spiders all the way accross the room, slamming the floor hard with each finger step. This will prepare the hand and fingers for, firm grabs, nerve pinches, and acupressure point pokes with your finger tips.

This is a Ninjitsu hand exercise set that is part of the "flutter stroke" or "quivering palm" substyle lessons. You will need some sort of container for fine sand with no rocks, gravel, or lumps (a pail that is 20 litres or 5 gallons will be enough ... or a deep firm box) and you will need a whole lot of small balloons. The sand container will need to be placed so it is elbow high at the upper edge, and it will need to be deep enough so when your finger tips touch the inside bottom, your elbow is just below the upper edge. The balloons will need to be SMALL / LARGE enough to be used to represent internal organs, from spleen size to liver size but no smaller or larger. For the sand - stand close to the sand container, make a firm "Knife hand" and strike vertically down into the sand. If you strike with a constant power and a constant firmness to your hand & arm, then the sand will stop your hand fairly soon and the depth of penetration will be minimal. If you strike with a vibrating flutter, by moving your hand back and forth just a little bit but very quickly (between 1/8" and 1/2" back and forth and at least 12 to 32 "flutters" per second) while you stab/strike your knife hand vertically downward, then the sand will "dance" from the vibration and will open up to allow your hand to slide easily and deeply into the sand ... until you can plunge your arm elbow deep and hit the bottom of the sand container with your finger tips. The balloons are to be filled with water and held in the horizontal, palm up, center of the hand. Raise and lower the hand slightly but quickly. As you move the water balloon up and down, it will be shape changed by the force of the motion. As you raise the balloon, it will become shorter and wider ... As you lower it, it will get taller and thinner. This will make waves within the balloon. You will need to understand the physics concept of resonance. As you move the balloon up and down, make slight changes to the amount of the height change and the speed of the "flutter" ... when you find the perfect distance and frequency for your flutters, you will notice that the waves vastly amplify themselves and suddenly rupture the balloon, splashing water all over. Then try hanging the balloon by a string, and hold your palm at the side of the balloon and flutter slap the balloon without "swinging" your arm ... just flutter your wrist and palm until the resonance ruptures the balloon. These exercises are then combined with techniques to teach ways to defend and attack within the "flutter stroke" or "quivering palm" substyle. This is how Ninjas blow up internal organs with what seem to be just a quick touch ... and how they can dive into a sand dune and disappear from sight, then swim away under the sand to escape.

Here is a simple way to help with balance while standing on one foot and doing something with the other foot/leg (kick, block, foot sweep, etc.) You will need a plain 2"x4" that is 8' or more in length ... it MUST be either planed or sanded so it is smooth and will not give splinters ... it may be painted, laquered, varnished, laminated, or just plain smooth wood (or if you have access to a gymnastics balance beam, use that!). You will either need a blindfold or you will need the ability to keep your eyes closed. Place the 2x4 on the floor so it is 2" high and 4" wide. Close or cover your eyes. Bend your knees slightly and lift one foot, feel around for the board, and step onto it so your foot is only 1/2 on (ball of foot on, heel hanging off edge). Lift your other foot from the floor and in extreme slow motion, do ALL of the kicks, sweeps, leg blocks, etc. that your martial arts style teaches ... then and only after doing them ALL, put that foot down on the 2x4 so your heel touches the toes of the first foot ... now lift the first foot and repeat ALL the foot/leg moves ... again step down onto the 2x4 heel to toe and continue with your foot/leg moves in slow motion ... feel the stretch and feel your balance ... keep doing steps and kicks forward until you feel the other edge of the 2x4 ... then reverse and start going backwards with your steps until you reach your original starting point. Then and only then, open or uncover your eyes. One of many variations or options is to have the 2x4 on the floor close to a padded kicking bag, post, or person holding kicking shield ... kick/knee slow to stretch and gently touch your target first, then hard and fast and kick/knee your target with power (keep your balance and do not step off or fall off the 2x4). Try squats, deep knee bends, and jumps and always land back on the 2x4. Try doing two and three long step fast lunge punches while staying on the 2x4 ... all with eyes closed or covered. Later, turn the 2x4 on its side so it is now 4" high and 2" wide ... repeat all of the above ... Get a practice partner. Both of you get onto the 2x4 and begin to touch, push/pull (chi sao), or punch/block and kick/block while staying on the 2x4. You may even wish to try it on a tight rope ... or even on an unused train track steel rail, even when rain or snow makes it slippery (advanced level). This blind foot/leg work is helpful in developping balance and control to the lower body.

Here is a fun game for the very young (and/or very imaginative). You will be playing blind and trying to be able to detect small moving objects. You will need 11 tossable harmless objects ... 10 of one color and 1 different only in color ... but being blind eyes closed or blindfolded, the color SHOULD not be detectable ... bean bags or tennis balls will work well for this game ... as long as they are all identical in every way but color ... You will need a container for the tossable objects, a bag or box or pail will work ... You will need a group of people ... take turns and rotate ... one person will be the thrower and one person will be the target ... they will stand centered near walls on opposite sides of empty room ... both close or cover eyes ... thrower then blindly opens container and one by one reaches in grabs and tossess an object at target ... while the target is trying to do the miracle of dodging all of the same color objects but actually catching the one that is an odd color. The game has points ... one point for each same colored and ten points for the unique colored ... thrower scores a point for every hit with same colored, and ten if target can not catch unique colored, target scores a point for every dodge of same colored and ten points for catching the unique colored. Spectators, if any, MUST remain quiet!!! ... "imagination becomes reality" ... the founding concept for the invention of the kata ...

I'm no martial artist, having hardly any martial arts experience, but I'm related to someone who is. This is not exactly an exercises, but it sort of is. It trains the eyes to become accustomed to dim light. Basically, in darkness, objects have no distinct outline or color. the cone of your eyes are not as sensitive at nighttime. This exercise can be translated as "scanning". What you do is, look at an object at about 20 degrees above/below/left/right of the object. It's sort of hard to explain why, but about every 20 seconds or so you must move your eyes slightly (or "scan") for clearer vision in the dark. Keeping your eyes still for too long will cause blurry vision. Keep shifting your eyes every 20 secs but never look directly at the object.

movement inspired by music

"Hunker Down" is a great one. I believe it's a Boy Scout thing, but great for balance, reaction and tactile sensitivity. Various tag games that are used by historical and sport fencers are very useful as well. Excellent for range, timing, strategy and a bit of cardio.

Here's something for high kicks... from tae kwon do. Perform a side kick - or an kick you want to train - at least above your waist. Now hold the leg i this position for about 7 seconds. It's quite hard in the beginning. If you do fine with this exercise, try to kick higher.