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The basic concepts of stealth walking

As Ninjutsu teaches us, the same concepts that we have introduced talking about invisibility in the crowd (read Be invisible in the crowd: divert attention), return in stealth walking:

To not get noticed we do not (only) need to walk silently
We want to reproduce the rhythm, pace, intensity, duration (etc.) of the neutral noises of the scenario in which we are
The point is that sounds that escape us need to be reasonable in the environment in which we move
We have to blend with the surroundings and become a natural part of it

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

At the base of every stealth walking technique

To learn the various techniques of stealth walking, it is important to understand the theory behind them:

The less weight we concentrate in a single area, the less will be the noise generated
The more our weight is equally distributed on our limbs (upper and lower, read Mobility and balance through the upper limbs), the less will be compression on the surface on which we move
The more we move, the more we make unwanted and uncontrolled noises (invisibility is a matter of patience, read Patience)
In terms of time, the more our steps have a short duration, the less our weight risks causing unwanted auditory consequences
The more our walk is harmonious, relaxed, precise and elastic, the less it will produce noise (read The path to the soft movements)
The more we can (fully) involve our body in the movement, the more the weight will be equally distributed
The more we have control over our body, the more we are inevitably able to be silent and avoid making involuntary displacements of our limbs (read Introduction to the idea of Precision Control)
The more the landing surfaces are smooth, dense and compact the less they emit noises when stepped on (a clean rock area, well-positioned tiles, etc.); they absorb the noises
The more the soles of our shoes are soft, elastic and non-stick, the less they produce noise
The more we are mentally relaxed and calm (and the more we control our breathing read Meditation method 1), the less we will make errors; the goal is to become part of the environment, detaching ourselves from our human nature (read Martial arts: how to become invincible?)
Depending on the context and distance from whom we are trying to evade, we need to learn to manage their alert level; the fact of having made a noise does not always coincide with being discovered, we must learn to evaluate the seriousness of our mistakes because in most cases we will have given rise to doubts and not certainties
We must train ourselves not only to recognize minor errors but also to correct them; in most cases staying still and immobile for a very long period of time is enough to lower the level of guard, in other cases, it makes more sense to give a meaning to the noise contextual to the situation, in others it is more useful to create a diversion; the idea is that we must condition our mind to what we call Quick Reasoning and build experience
…

A note by Master Kongling – The less noise we make, the better it is but on certain surfaces, it must be stressed that it is really difficult (if not impossible) to efficiently distribute the weight of a body and therefore avoid noises. This is to say that stealth walking never has not to be considered alone, it always has to be part of a wider strategy of invisibility. The quality of the final stealth result always depends 70% on a well-designed general plan (that should include deception, multiple interchangeable tactics, etc., read also The paths of deception).

A preparatory exercise for stealth walking

Let’s see a basic introductory exercise:

Let’s wear our usual shoes
Let’s establish a starting point A and an endpoint B (12-50 m)
Let’s start with short distances, flat surfaces and simple paths
Let’s walk from A to B counting the noises we make
For each mistake let’s ask ourselves why we did wrong and let’s try to find a remedy
Let’s repeat the path until we issue any noise (especially the ones that are not suitable in the current scenario)
When we become able to make no unwanted sounds let’s elongate / find a harder path (the difficulty varies in terms of time, distance, type of surface and obstacles involved)
At a more advanced level, in point B we can place a person turned away (read 5 effective ways to find a training partner), indicating whether we have been discovered or not (the goal is to take him / her by surprise, read also How to simulate realistic self-defense scenarios); it is important that the person does not know the direction from which we will arrive (we can also blindfold him at the beginning)
At an expert level, we can try to delude animals (eg. dogs, cats, etc.); in doing this, however, we must consider 3 things, animals must always be respected, we must not get close to the dangerous ones and last but not least, surprising a domesticated puppy is normally extremely easy, the more the animal is adult and wild, the more the difficulty grows (exponentially)

A note by Master Kongling – This training, as well as it helps us to understand how difficult is to make no sound, it will also teach us to manage many of the side aspects that the mere theory cannot cover. The real teacher is practice, exactly as happens with fighting and sparring.

Final notes

A few conclusive thoughts:

Stealth walking is an art, it is made of patience and constant reasoned practice (read How to acquire special abilities)
To perform training sequences of silent walking is not only a way to gain stealth skills but also to learn to control / feel our body and to build standing stamina (read Standing stamina: what is and its development)
This exercise we mentioned is good not only for those who want to gain real stealth-related skills but also for body perception (read Combat: overcome perceptual limits of body and mind)
If we really want to reach a good level, let’s make sure to test our ability in very different contexts (indoor human environments, open and uncontaminated areas, complex climatic conditions, etc.)
Even if we have not mentioned it directly, it should be stressed that if our body is not in good shape we will not be able to reach the highest qualitative levels of invisibility (read Stealth walking: the basic physical preparation)
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In the next article of this series, we will see the first stealth walking technique (read Stealth walking: Technique 1).

In-depth video courses

Basic stealth techniques – The invisibility path of our school
Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu Exercises – The fundamental path to build real combat skills
Breathing methods and exercises – All the most important techniques (including the invisibility-related ones)
Static and dynamic balance: how to – The most advanced training methods of our school to build balance
Mind self-control hacks – How to dominate our mind and focus it on our specific goals

In-depth articles

5 ground crawling exercises ideal for beginners / warm-up – A few exercises good for stealth learning purposes
Invisibility: the best night stealth color – The colors theory behind invisibility in low light conditions

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

Can you keep yourself from being identified by your partner?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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