Many years ago, when I first started training in ninpo taijutsu, I remember my excitement at finally taking a martial art and learning how to "kick some serious butt!" I, like many people, had seen my share of Sho Kosugi's "Ninja" movies and had been amazed by high flying acrobatics, flashy weapons and the gallons of spilled blood. I was looking forward to being able to walk confidently and fearlessly into a fight, and with a few quick (and flashy) moves, leave my opponent writhing on the ground in agony. Now, to be honest, I had also read a few of Shidoshi Stephen Hayes' books, so my enthusiasm was also tempered by some sense of reality. Nevertheless, the farthest thing from my mind was healing. So imagine my surprise when one day there was a sign on the dojo bulletin board proclaiming a special Sunday class: Okyu Shochi - First Aid and CPR training. I asked about the reason behind offering this course and the explanation that I got was simple and made a lot of sense: We spend a lot of time learning to hurt people and now we should spend some time learning how to heal them as well. Not only did this make sense to me, it practically changed my life around forever.

Needless to say, I attended the one day course (it was an American Red Cross Standard First Aid and Adult CPR course), and then spent the next two weeks looking for people in distress to save (I should mention that I was only fourteen at the time!) and was very disappointed that no one collapsed at my feet so I could rescue them! Nevertheless, I continued taking these classes every time they were offered for the next three years, until I became old enough to teach them. As soon as I could, I went to my local chapter of the American Red Cross and signed up for their instructor courses. I then got myself a job teaching CPR and First Aid for the Red Cross on a semi-regular basis. Among the things I taught people, information about the Emergency Services System and how to activate them were my favorite. I was hooked. I became fascinated with the whole system of emergency care, and, again, as soon as I was old enough, I became an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). All this from a first aid course in the dojo where I was learning to "kick some serious butt!" Well, the end result is I will now go and nonchalantly treat a stabbing victim, but I have yet to get to the point where I can walk fearlessly into a physical confrontation and leave the bad guy writhing on the ground.

Now, I am not trying to say by telling this whole story that as students of ninpo taijutsu, we should all go out and become EMTs or doctors or even nurses! However, as part of our overall training, and in our process of hopefully becoming "tatsujin" or fully actualized human beings, knowledge of healing should be an integral part of our training. There are many reasons for this on many levels, just as there are many levels of medical training in many different areas that we can pursue. Amongst other things, these can involve such arts as massage therapy and sports medicine. For others it can involve other healing arts such as reiki, Touch-for-Health, shiatsu, Feldenkrais, and even meditation. However on a basic level, there is a minimum amount of training a person should have. And when I say "a person", I mean everyone out there, not only those people who are training in ninjutsu. It is a level of training that is readily available, inexpensive and easily maintained, and all it takes is an eight hour course in CPR and first aid. Let's face it, our art is not a particularly gentle one, and as in any physical exercise, there is always potential for injury, no matter how good you are and how careful you try to be. On a more selfish level perhaps, wouldn't you want the same help available to you should the need arise? If you run your own dojo or training group, the issue of liability exists and a great way to protect yourself is to ensure that your staff members or students are trained in at least the basics of emergency care.

There are many things that these short courses can teach you, such as splinting, bleeding control, how to activate the Emergency Medical Services in your area, how to set up a plan of action for such emergencies, and when to let someone better trained take control and provide appropriate care. It will help you develop if not confidence, then at least the ability to not panic when confronted with a potentially life threatening emergency. Courses in sports medicine as well will give you the benefit of preventive care and the knowledge of how to deal appropriately with more minor "sports" injuries, which I am sure we all know can "grow" on you until they are no longer minor, but, in fact, can prevent you from taking an active part in many physical activities for long periods of time.

A sample plan of action for your dojo to use in an emergency situation would be as follows (for those of you who have been through Red Cross courses, this may seem familiar).

First, CHECK THE SCENE. Ask yourself the following questions: What happened? Is it safe to approach the scene? If not, what can I do to make the scene safe? How many people are hurt? How many people can help? Who is most qualified to help? In a medical emergency, is there a Paramedic, EMT or other first responder to help? Sometimes there will be a situation where you may have a doctor and an EMT or Medic on the scene. Keep one thing in mind: Unless this doctor's specialty is Emergency Care, it probably has been a long time since (s)he actually dealt with an emergency situation, whereas EMTs and Paramedics are trained to deal with them on a regular basis.

Next, CHECK THE PATIENT(S). Ask yourself who is most seriously injured. Remember that it is not necessarily the person screaming the loudest. There are four things you should check on your patient:

• Consciousness,
  
• Airway,
  
• Breathing, and
  
• Circulation.

Is this person conscious? Des this person have an open airway and is (s)he breathing? Do they have a pulse and are they bleeding severely from anywhere? If they are screaming or talking, you know that they are conscious, breathing and have a pulse. Then you can check to see if they any other injuries that can become more serious later on: broken bones, sprained ankle, etc.

Have someone CALL 911 or otherwise activate the EMS system in your area if necessary. Many times you may not be sure whether or not to call. A good rule for this is any eye injury or other injury that you can not COMFORTABLY walk away from is a cause to call EMS.

Finally, CARE for your patient as best you can. If you train regularly in any location, you should always have a few basic first aid supplies on hand for such a situation. Pack a kit with band-aids, alcohol, gauze pads, etc. to suit your needs. Little things do count.

There are many facets to ninjutsu training, and this particular facet, which is of great importance, is often one of the most frequently ignored, yet one of the most frequently needed. For more information on many of these courses, you can contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross or American Heart Association, your local Department of Health, or let your fingers do the walking and open up your local yellow pages. If you would like more information or suggestions, or if you live in the New York area and would like me to set up specialized courses for your dojo or training group, feel free to e-mail me at one of the addresses listed below.

Emanuel Weisgras has been studying ninpo taijutsu on and off for the past seven years. He has been a New York State Emergency Medical Technician for the last three years and is currently employed by New York City EMS (NYC*EMS). He also teaches CPR, First Aid, and Child Care for the American Red Cross in Greater New York and has done so for the past four years. He loves his job, classical music and "surfing the net". He may be contacted via e-mail at: telaviv@pipeline.com or 73324.1704@compuserve.com.