TO BE A TRUE NINJA WARRIOR,
ONE MUST MOVE AS SILENTLY AS THE SHADOWS.
 

1. MAINTAIN BALANCE.

Control your balance by allowing your body weight to sink and be carried on deeply flexed knees.   As you move, keep most of your weight on the leg that is grounded while you move the other leg into position to carry the weight.  When absolute silence is required, avoid distributing weight over both legs at the same time.

2. REMEMBER TO BREATHE WHEN YOU MOVE.

If you hold your breath, muscle tension will cause you to either gasp or lose your balance if startled.

3. STAY ALERT.

If you become focused on watching your feet, you¹ll fail to notice people and activity in your surroundings, which could be detrimental to your mission.

4. USE ALL YOUR JOINTS FOR FLUID MOVEMENT.

When taking steps, avoid the dangerous habit of stiffening your knees and swinging the entire leg from the hip.

5. USE YOUR HANDS TO DETECT OBSTRUCTIONS.

When possible, keep one arm in front of your torso and one beside it, with one arm higher and the other lower.  This allows you to identify possible obstructions before your body encounters them.

6. PAUSE IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY MAKE TOO MUCH NOISE.

If you think you were heard, immediately stop and hold your position. Listen for signs you were detected (i.e. movements of others or silencing of background noise).  To relax the tension in your body, sink lower on your knees, take a deep breath and release it slowly. Pause long enough to regain your composure and for possible listeners to decide that they had not heard anything.

7.   BE PATIENT.

If speed is not critical, take as much time as possible.  Hasty movements caused by impatience are your worst enemy when you must move silently without detection.

8. MOVE LIKE YOUR SURROUNDINGS.

Conceal your movements according to the conditions of your surroundings. Be aware of what people can see and hear. In wooded or populated areas, total silence may not be necessary, as scattered noise is natural. 

STEALTH TACTICS FOR WOODEN FLOORS,
UNLIT TERRAIN, LOOSE ROCK & DIRT SURFACES

THE SWEEPING STEP

Unlit terrain, the most challenging of surfaces, hides obstacles in its darkness while wooden floors often creak from a simple shift in weight.  In order to move in a silent manner in these situations, one must use the stealth method of the ‘sweeping step.’

The ‘sweeping step’ consists of keeping one’s body weight on one leg while reaching the other leg out to explore the area before taking the next step. If there is no obstruction, the foot is gently set, toes first, onto the floor.  At the first signal that the floor is about to creak, pull your foot back and explore a different area. If there is no obstruction or sound, carefully shift your weight from the back foot to the front foot.

THE ROLLING STEP

To quietly negotiate the rough terrain of loose rock and dirt surfaces, small, tight rolling steps are most effective in reducing the crunching sounds that normally occur with gravel.  To begin, flex your foot (similar to a rocking chair rocker) and move your feet from the back of the heel to the toes. Step quickly, while keeping deeply flexed knees closely together without touching.