So this is my first blog. I thought I would start by listing the top 25 people you should be following to improve your overall Ninjutsu skills. These 25, I personally follow. They are in no particular order.
1. Jason Hanson.
He is an ex-CIA agent who runs a few companies that deal with empowering people to keep themselves and their families protected. Not only does he teach in person classes and seminars to everyone from the average guy to high profile celebrities, but he has an almost daily email with very good information in it. I have trained with him and he knows his stuff. He also has an armed bodyguard company for actors and other dignitaries and many portals to other useful information if you follow him, and appears on television shows all over the country, and is a Christian. You can start by checking out one of his pages at https://spyescapeandevasion.com/
2. Jeff Anderson.
Jeff Anderson is a 10 year veteran of the U.S. Army, a Master Instructor of Close Quarters Combat self defence, and President of the International Society of Close Quarter Combatants. A full time self defence author and instructor, Jeff has trained military, law enforcement, and civilians in advanced close quarter combat tactics for “real life” self defence. He has a very informative podcast at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/modern-combat-survival-patriots-guide-to-tactical-firearms/id914371573?mt=2
3. Jack Spirko.
He produces The Survival Podcast, which is a daily online audio show about self sufficiency and self reliance in the modern world. He conceived and created this podcast because, over the years, he has come to realize how fragile the human condition and the United States economy really is. You can follow his podcast at http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/
4. Mark Divine.
Retired Navy SEAL Commander Mark Divine and his SEALFIT Coaching team take on guests with subject matters that follow along with Mark’s 5 mountain training paths of developing your Mental, Physical, Emotional, Intuitive, and Kokoro (Heart) self. Recently listed as the #1 Health Podcast and #30 overall in iTunes. See his podcast at Unbeatable Mind.
5. Clint Emerson.
Clint Emerson is a retired US Navy SEAL, New York Times bestselling author, a crisis management professional, and a Christian. "Stop being complacent. Start paying attention. Take ownership of your personal security posture. Extinction is the norm, survival is the exception. In today’s dangerous world, threats to your personal safety can arise anywhere, anytime. I want you to be prepared." I love this guy. Check him out at https://clintemerson.com/
6. Japanesepod101
This is a great website to learn Japanese from. If you are learning Ninjutsu, you need Japanese in your toolbox also. They are fun, comical, educational, and cover formal and informal speaking situations. They have a free membership section for basic content if you are short on cash, and several levels of paid membership as well to get the most out of your speaking. They have videos, audio, books, apps for your phone, a youtube channel, you name it. Check them out at bit.ly/ninja101
7. Backblaze.
If you are like me, you have almost all your training material digitally on your computer. If you don't already backup that data, you had better start. Hard drives and other storage mediums are not designed to last forever. They break down pretty fast, in fact. Back-up your unlimited data for just a few dollars per month with Backblaze. It even backs up multiple removable harddrives, no questions asked, not just the ones attached inside your computer case. Unlimited data! You can't beat that. Check them out at bit.ly/ninjablaze
8. Express VPN.
In today's world of digital everything, you should be using a vpn. VPN stands for Vitual Private Network. You log in though one of these services and then the world wide web afterward. This gives you anonymity, access to content not available in your country, security, plausible deniability, cheaper rates when shopping, among many other things. Express VPN also allows for bit torrent downloading and the dark web onion services. Configured properly, you can connect as many devices as you want. Check them out at bit.ly/ninjavpn
9. Greg Park.
This man is surrounded by controversy, but the proof is in the pudding. If you watch his youtube videos, you quickly see that this man is truly gifted and very good at what he does, and very knowledgeable. And he is extremely humble and very well mannered. He teaches Choson Ryu Ninjutsu in his videos and does a far better job than most claiming Ninjutsu. If you want to learn some valuable information, follow this Christian man on his dozens of youtube channels, many of which you might have to be creative to find, but start with ChosunNinja.
10. Lars Andersen.
Danish painter, writer and archer. He's trying to reinvent historical archery. "We know that historical archery was archery in motion, fast shooting and shooting after moving targets and it is well described that trick archery was once an integral part of training archery, to achieve the necessary manageability. Modern stagnant static target archery is not bad, but has very little connection to the dynamic archery of the past!" Claiming to hold a world record for speed, he is able to shoot 10 arrows in 4.9 seconds, or 3 arrows in 0.6 seconds. He too, has proof in his pudding. See his skills at larsandersen23.
11. Terry Grant.
Fuelled by necessity, his renowned skill was honed by trailing and gathering cattle on some of the most remote ranches in southern Alberta, complimenting his many years as a guide and outfitter in the unforgiving Rocky Mountains. His ability to read sign became a keen interest and he constantly studied in the wilderness, developing and refining his skill to a now legendary level. The star of the first six seasons of Mantracker showcased his gift to millions, bringing the spotlight to bear on the almost-lost art of tracking, and launching the show into the stratosphere as one of the most highly rated reality shows on television. If you can download the show, do it and watch it. Check out his page at The Real Mantracker.
12. Les Stroud.
With no food, no shelter, no fresh water, no tools, and no camera crew, he is one man, alone in the wilderness. With his signature black humour and candid on-camera style, Les documents his struggles as he overcomes seemingly insurmountable obstacles in real survival situations. He covers so many environments and situations, and explains how to survive in them with great detail, you learn as you watch. He is unbelievably knowledgeable and nothing is choreographed. If you want to learn true survival skills, this is the man to keep your eye on. Check him out at Survivorman.
13. Forged in Fire.
Forged in Fire is a competition series hosted by weapons expert and U.S. Army and Air Force veteran Wil Willis, featuring world-class bladesmiths competing to create history’s most iconic edged weapons. In each episode, four of the nation’s finest bladesmiths come together to put their skill and reputations on the line to win the $10,000 prize. They use a well-equipped forge to turn raw material into authentic, fully functional implements of war. These weapons must stand up to a battery of strength and sharpness tests of the expert judges David Baker, martial artist Doug Marcaida, and ABS Master Bladesmiths J. Neilson & Jason Knight. Sit back and take notes. Watch it at Forged in Fire.
14. Ancient Manuscripts.
This one sounds generic and vague, but there are a handful of ancient manuscripts that you definitely should read. They are the Shoninki, the Ninpiden, the Bansenshukai, the Go Rin no Sho, the Art of War, anything you can find by Fujita Seiko, and probably more, but these are a start. Obviously they were not originally written in English. Be sure to find a trusted translation if that is how to intend to read them. They can be purchased through our store, or by emailing us directly if you cannot find them. See our store.
15. The King of Random.
The King of Random is Grant Thompson. A Christian guy, he used to be a commercial airline pilot, but now he makes videos dedicated to exploring life through all kinds of life hacks, experiments, and random weekend projects. Imagine a cross between MacGyver, James Bond, and the Myth-busters. A world of Sciencey Guy Stuff! ..where girls can play too. The King of Random asks why not? What exactly are the risks?? Then figures out ways to approach these risks safely and in a controlled environment, conducting experiments to verify exactly what happens. There is excitement found in discovering the unknown, and living to tell about it. There is plenty of useful stuff here, so check him out at The King of Random.
16. The Wealthy Barber.
The Wealthy Barber is a financial planning book franchise by Canadian author David Chilton. The first book in the series was in the business fable genre, using the story of fictional characters to convey financial advice. This is the single best advice you will ever get to reach financial wealth. After you read it, talk to someone at Primerica Financial Services, as they use this as their guide. This cannot be overstated. Check them both out at The Wealthy Barber, and Primerica Financial Services.
17. Billy Graham.
Spiritual, moral, and ethical training is jut as important as other aspects of Ninjutsu, especially when it comes to the wrong people having this knowledge. One of the foremost respected people in modern times to head spiritual teaching is Dr. Rev. Billy Graham. If you have not already, soak up as much of his information as you can and it will keep you on the straight and narrow. Check out more about him at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
18. Master Ken.
Now you need humour. This one is purely for entertainment and laughs, but it is just as important. Master Ken is a fictional teacher in the comical web series about American martial arts. It follows him, his crazy students, and his stereotypical dojo. In real life, the actor playing Master Ken (Matt Page) is a high level Kenpo practitioner and has experience in numerous other styles. Check out his funny videos at Enter the Dojo Show.
19. Tony Robbins.
If you are a fan of kuji-in, don't fall for the superstitious mumbo jumbo. Most of that stuff is crap and the little magical stuff that does work is is probably bad news. But there is some science behind it that you can use safely and effectively. In psychology speak, it's referred to as "anchoring" and Tony Robbins does this well. Look at all his stuff surrounding anchoring and then you will understand how the kuji-in fits in and works. Check out his work on anchoring at tonyrobbins.com
20. Dr. Pompa.
Dr Pompa is an authority on detoxing the body. But you hear that everywhere. He has a different take on it. Did you know that silver tooth fillings are 50% mercury, and this is poisoning your brain? That is just the tip of the iceberg. He can help you clear these dangerous heavy metal toxins from your body long term and permanently, where things like a 10 day detox you see on shelves are useless as they don't properly bind to the heavy metals and don't rid them from your body, just move them around. You simply must read up on this. See him at his site, Dr. Pompa.
21. Dave Hakkens.
Dave Hakkens is the man behind the project Precious Plastic. He has discovered a way to cheaply build machines anywhere that will take every type of plastic waste and turn it back into something useable, even selling it. In this way, we can clean up the environment and make some money too. He provides all this information for free on his website and provides help via himself or social media to get it done. He even educates you on the types of plastics and how to identify them and use them in different ways. Check out his website at Precious Plastic.
22. Vice.
Vice is a documentary producer, and they also have a Vice Japan division, though many of those may not be in English. Vice does many good deep documentaries on the culture in Japan (in English) that goes a long way to the one wanting to understand the culture more, or perhaps in preparation for a first trip there. See some of their Japan related videos on their channel, Vice.
23. The Prepper World Summit.
The Prepper World Summit meets once per year online and showcases many of the best in a variety of fields in a live webinar fashion. If you follow this, you will quickly be inspired and educated by things you haven't even thought of or overlooked. It is free, but does offer a premium edition as well. They cover topics from field medicine, off grid living, herbs and gardening, disaster preparedness, firearms, and other closely related topics to Ninjutsu. Sign up with them to stay informed of the next summit at Prepper World Summit.
24. Soke Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi.
This one should be a given. Hatsumi is world famous in several disciplines, not the least of which is martial arts. There is a small percentage of people who desire to find Ninjutsu outside of Hatsumi for various reasons but, in my opinion, you are a fool if you don't take the Bujinkan Ninjutsu system seriously. Keep in mind that today, you are most likely to only see Taijutsu, but that is fine, even very important. Those that have been around to train with him in the days shortly after he inherited the 9 family traditions have seen the Ninjutsu side. You must keep this in mind in your warrior journey or you will miss a very important part. If you are new to this, you could check out the Bujinkan Honbu at the website, but it is very light reading. A quick google or youtube search can turn up massive amounts of info. If you don't visit Hatsumi in Japan, you are truly missing something. See the website at Bujinkan.com
25. Jason Steeves.
Yes, this is me. I need to finish off with me because I have a deep passion to help people achieve their needs for protection of self and family, from natural disasters, or otherwise. I teach kids and adults free every Monday, and I do this because I remember when I first started training in Ninjutsu when I was 10 years old, I had no money. I traded training for work or other clever ways and vowed to offer something free to anyone who couldn't afford it. I also love to do this for myself. It's fun and very empowering. My dojo is called Divine Warrior Ninjutsu. We teach Ninjutsu and Samuraijutsu. Our main headquarters is the Bujinkan Honbu in Japan, but we also teach ninjutsu from other lesser sources as well. Bujinkan is the largest ninjutsu and samurai organization in the world, and as such, all official paperwork goes through them primarily, with the option to go the other ways also. The Bujinkan is made up of 9 family traditions, 6 of which are samurai jutsu and 3 are ninja jutsu. Our curriculum is also made up of Shizen Den Ryu Ninjutsu, and Choson Ryu Ninjutsu, of which these fall under a separate banner. The Headmaster of the Bujinkan is Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi of Japan (pictured). His credentials are extensive, to say the least, often being employed by the US Military to train Navy Seals, CIA, and special forces. The New Brunswick chapter is headed by me. I visit Japan regularly to train with Hatsumi Soke and his senior instructors. I am a 13th Dan (13th degree black belt, Jusandan). I am also ex military serving the Canadian Armed Forces as a gunner/assaulter on the Air Defence Anti Tank System, as well as Prison Riot Squad, SCUBA, Airbourne, special detail to the Colonel of several Canadian forces bases, and twice awarded the gold medal in Warrior performance, including sniper training. I am also a certified personal trainer. I am also a university graduate holding an Associate of Arts in Ministry, a Graduate of Theology, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religion, all majoring in Christian Counseling. I have written a dozen books and produced a few training and other videos as well. In the private sector, I have worked as bodyguard, captain of the neighbourhood watch, security of federal government projects, and consultant of different security details, as well as CIA training in the United States. I also train people by extension through videos and social media. Check out what I have going on at Divine Warrior Ninjutsu.