Becoming Batman Read online

  For example, karate styles nowadays rarely have very much in the way of weapons techniques. This is despite the fact that many of the old masters who laid the foundation for the modern karate styles also had extensive training in weapons. Instead, modern karate styles will have at best a few forms for maybe one (usually the staff) or two weapons. At the other end of the spectrum you might find kendo, a sporting martial art that uses the simulated (bamboo swords are used) long sword but has no empty hand techniques at all.

  Maybe looking at popular culture movie actors who are also martial artists will help you visualize some distinct martial arts traditions. The five I would like us to consider, and who each represent slightly different main traditions of fighting, are Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, and Steven Seagal. All of these five have extensive training backgrounds in traditional martial arts. No doubt you have seen at least one of them in action.

  Although you can’t glean much about the essence of a given martial art by examining what kind of fight scenes a certain actor performed on screen, it is safe to say each one demonstrates techniques that play to his main strengths.

  These strengths are certainly the result of their backgrounds. Bruce Lee trained originally in t’ai chi chuan and wing chun, both of which are Chinese martial arts. Chuck Norris learned mainly tang soo do, a Korean martial art, but also some Shito-ryu karate. Jean-Claude Van Damme began his martial arts training in Shotokan karate and also studied some muay thai kickboxing and ballet. Jackie Chan began his wu shu training at the Chinese Opera Research Institute and the Peking Opera School where he learned acrobatic fighting skills. Steven Seagal is mainly an aikido stylist but also has studied some karate, judo, and kendo.

  So now we have outlined different types of martial arts and shown some examples of what they look like in action. Now let’s pick the one for Batman!

  Is Batman a Ninja?

  I probably have convinced you by now that as long as Batman trained in some martial art that encompassed all aspects of fighting (re-member that means striking, throwing, joint locking, grappling, and weapons) it really is irrelevant what specific traditions he picked. Batman could have achieved this with a few different martial arts or by sampling at most half a dozen. This is nowhere near the estimate of 127 we talked about earlier. However, I did promise I would give an example of my take on Batman’s best choice. So, if Batman were stranded on a deserted island in the South Pacific and could only take his favorite book, one CD, one special keepsake, and one martial art tradition, that tradition would be ninjutsu. This was nicely hinted at but not specifically stated in the movie Batman Begins, when Bruce Wayne is shown being trained essentially as a ninja. If you watched the “ninja movies” of the 1980s, you probably don’t have a very accurate idea of what ninjutsu really was, by the way! I watched all those movies too, but sadly, ninja demons that can teleport across vast distances or become invisible don’t exist and offer a poor representation of actual ninja. These martial artists were highly trained and could achieve some fairly amazing feats.

  So if ninja don’t bear any resemblance to the way they are depicted on the silver screen, what are or were they? Ninjutsu includes many martial arts techniques and methods at every range. Martial arts historians Donn Draeger and Robert Smith define ninjutsu as both a method of protection against danger and a feudal system of espionage. The last bit springs from the fact that ninjutsu also has elements of spying, harassing, and confusing an enemy. One of the main homes of the ninja was Iwate province in the village of Iga Ueno in Japan. Not surprisingly, a major influence was from Chinese military spying techniques.

  Ninjutsu is thought to date from the reign of Empress Suiko (AD 593–628) and a war between two factions that occurred during her reign. A main warrior at that time, Otomo-no-Saijin, was awarded the nickname Shinobi for his role in the conflict. In fact the Japanese character from which “ninjutsu” comes has the root of “shinobi,” which means to “steal in.” This is clearly reflective of how Batman, that detective of the dark night, operates. A main role for the ninja was to work as spies hired by the feuding warlords in Japan. Ninja trained in empty hand fighting involving all aspects of combat and also used almost every kind of weaponry. These included short swords, staffs, blowguns, and explosives.

  The ninja were also were famous for the use of thrown weapons. These could be either dart-like (shuriken) or in discs in the shape of stars (shaken). This is where the throwing stars that pop up in pretty much every martial arts movie come from. These have a striking similarity to the batarang that Batman uses. Ninja also had to scale many castle walls, using special climbing gear that included metal “claws” that they wore on their hands and feet called shuko. If you look back at Figure 5.2 showing Batman using suction cups to climb a wall in Gotham City, all you have to do is replace that building with a castle and the suction cups with shuko and you have a ninja!

  Another parallel between Batman and ninja is the element of concealment. Ninja sported black full-body coverings and masks on their stealthy nighttime missions. Can you see a connection to Batman’s dark clothing, Batcave, secret identity, and nighttime prowling activities? Also, ninja like Batman left nothing to chance, carrying their six essentials tools on them when they were about: a short length of bamboo, a rope, a hat, a towel, a stone pencil, and medicine. Doesn’t that remind you of Batman’s utility belt, his “silken cord,” and his grappling hook? You could look at ninja as the equivalent of modern-day special forces and secret operatives in the military. By the way, and this will have more resonance when we get to Chapter 14, women were commonly trained as ninja alongside men.

  1868 was the year that marked the end of the Tokugawa feudal system in Japan and the rise of Western influences. This was when Western weapons began to arrive in Japan and to supplant the ninja and the samurai. Over time these warrior and martial traditions were handed down and, in times of peace, became pastimes. This is essentially what happened in Japan where the fighting traditions of the samurai became martial ways for the perfection of the character of participants. Drawing the sword (iaido), using the sword (kenjutsu or kendo), archery (kyudo), among other things, have all become their own traditions.

  There are still practitioners of traditions containing these elements of ninjutsu. However, they do not exist as an espionage network anymore. Fujita Seiko was a preeminent twentieth-century martial artist within the Koga style of ninjutsu. Fujita learned from his youth with his grandfather as his teacher. In addition to ninjutsu, Fujita also mastered grappling, fighting with the short staff, and dart throwing. His prowess was so well known that he was employed as a bodyguard for a former prime minister of Japan. Fujita was one of the teachers of Inoue Motokatsu, who was the founder of the martial arts weapons (Okinawan weapons, Ryukyu Kobujutsu Hozon Shinkokai) and empty hand (Yuishinkai) systems that I study. Apparently, Fujita was skilled at throwing just about anything, and he fought with a very aggressive style involving low kicking and attacks to the eyes, groin, and neck. In other words, he used an effective method for real fighting. This is the kind of fighter that Batman would need to be. The way that Batman fights in the movie Batman Begins clearly reflects this.

  In Table 8.1 I have summarized some of the key similarities (as well as one main difference) between Batman and ninja. The big difference is in the use of bladed weapons. Batman has used bladed weapons in combat extremely rarely. A notable example of when he did can be found in the 2005 graphic novel Superman/Batman: Supergirl, in which Batman uses a giant battle-ax in combat. A key distinction is that Batman isn’t fighting ordinary criminals here. Instead, he and Superman are fighting hordes of supernatural extraterrestrials on the villain Darkseid’s home planet of Apokolips. This was no-holds-barred, out-of-control action, and the normal batarang, empty hand, and staff fighting just weren’t going to be enough! So, even though Batman doesn’t use all these weapons all the time, he is skilled in how to use them.

  TABLE 8.1. Comparison of Batman,
ninjutsu, and other martial arts

  To be a versatile martial artist and to be able to defeat attackers of all types—armed and unarmed—really means understanding deeply armed and unarmed fighting. This exact point was brought up very early in Batman’s history in the story “Blackbeard’s Crew and the Yacht Society” (Batman #4, 1940). This story has Robin and Batman (actually pictured as Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne) training in fencing. Dick asks Bruce “What’s the good of our knowing how to fence? We don’t use foils to fight with today!” Bruce responds by saying “True, but fencing teaches you quickness of movement . . . and besides, in our business it helps to know the use of all weapons.” This is a very important point. Even if Batman isn’t going to use all the weapons—including guns—or all the hand-to-hand techniques, he certainly will have to defend against them all. He must be well versed in how to use them in order to understand their weaknesses.

  The last thing to comment on takes us back to the language analogy I used above. Learning different fighting techniques and patterns and so on may seem kind of abstracted from real combat. And it is, to a certain extent. That is a bit like learning set phrases when studying a new language. You may never actually say to a real person in a German town “Wie ist das Wetter heute? Der Himmel ist blau und die Sonne scheint.” That is, “How’s the weather today? The sky is blue and the sun is shining.” But it does help to practice those phrases so that you can have an extensive repertoire of responses to draw upon in a real conversation. My favorite Batman example of this is from the story “Eyrie” (Detective Comics #568, 1986), in which Batman finds himself facing, you guessed it, hordes of evil henchmen—again. This time he has a broken rod in his hands which he uses as an “impromptu version . . . of a bo stick.” He improvises to use the Okinawan long staff—or bo—with something that is not a staff. This is an example of understanding a general way to use tools like weapons that can transfer to other tools. It is a realistic example of the actual practical utility of martial arts training. By studying many different weapons you learn the way different tools move and the weaknesses and strengths of each. Then, essentially everything becomes a weapon.

  So, lots of practice in many different fighting methods is what Batman would need when it comes time to “communicate” with Killer Croc and others. The key point is that there is no fixed huge number needed. It is possible that Batman could get most of his needed skills in one place. As I said above I would put my money on his having been trained as a ninja, as long as this training occurred back in the early twentieth century. He may need training in three martial arts or in five, whatever would provide the experiences at the different ranges and ways of fighting. However, 127 styles of combat are neither necessary nor possible. It does sound impressive, but it would result in a Dark Knight who would be incapable of having a decent conversation in any language.

  Batman has the physical skills to justify his martial arts renown. However, less than half of the benefit of Batman’s martial arts training is related to his physical prowess. Anyone can be trained to produce adequate physical skills in a few years. However, the main point is that “grace under pressure” that real experts display in times of stress and urgency. Batman needs to be able to produce responses to situations of extreme stress. That requires 6 to 12 years of training to forge such strength of will and calmness of mind and body. It is this mental forging that forms the basis of what we will address in the next chapter.

  CHAPTER 9

  The Caped Crusader in Combat

  CAN YOU KAYO WITHOUT KILLING?

  We wondered if Batman might not be passé, because for all of his dark mien he will not inflict more pain than is absolutely necessary, and he will never take a life.

  —DC Comics: A Celebration of the World’s Favorite Comic Book Heroes, by Peter Milligan

  Too many Bessarovian Cossacks around here, Robin. If I’d joined you in the fight, some of them may have been injured.

  —Adam West as Batman, from the ABC TV series Batman

  One key to Batman’s success in fighting legions of evildoers is that he never really loses his temper, blows his cool, or even gets distracted. He remains calm and mostly detached in his actions and takes out the criminals with precision. OK, OK, he also “cracks wise” from time to time, particularly in the more jovial late 1950s and 1960s, but I’m going to ignore that. That stuff usually happened well after everything was under control anyway and was part of his act to unsettle his opponents. For the most part across the entire history of Batman, he has had that “dark mien” referred to in the quote from Peter Milligan that led off this chapter. Batman represents a blend of high octane fighter with a strong ethical streak.

  There is something about the philosophy and way of thinking that flows under the surface in martial arts training that gives Batman this combination of traits. We will also examine Batman’s ability to respond to different highly stressful life-and-death scenarios with the ultimate in control. Batman defends himself and Gotham City without using lethal force. So what do you think? Can the Caped Crusader really kayo without killing?

  Don’t Think of a Pink Elephant

  Let’s begin with the idea of the dispassionate and calm mind-set that is often a product of martial arts training. A great example of this is a scene in the motion picture The Last Samurai (2003), in which a samurai and an American soldier are training together. The samurai is educating Captain Nathan Algren (played by Tom Cruise) about how to think—or actually how not to think—during combat using the Japanese long sword. He mentions, in broken English, that the student “has too much mind.”

  This may not make much sense when you first hear it. How can you have too much mind? Can “mind” really even be quantified at all? This is actually a very good description of a concept in most martial arts that refers to detachment in combat. In Japanese martial arts this term is called mushin or mushin no shin, meaning “no mind” or “mind of no mind.” This means to be able to focus on the task at hand with no distractions. By the way, don’t equate “no mind” as meaning mindless. These aren’t the same thing. No mind means not paying any specific attention to anything while simultaneously being ready for everything. Although it seems paradoxical, when you actually focus on one particular thing you close off appreciation or the ability to respond to something else. And, since you cannot predict with perfect certainty what technique will be used in a combat attack, focusing just on one thing will work out well only if you guess correctly!

  For example, if Batman were to try to anticipate only a high punch from an opponent, he wouldn’t be as ready to respond to a low kick. However, if he remains in a state where he anticipates an attack of some kind—including the possibility of a high punch and a low kick—then he is well placed to respond to any attack from any direction.

  When Tiger Woods is lining up a long—which in his case usually means all of four feet—putt to finish off another major tournament, he is in a state related to mushin no shin. Batman would need this same ability to focus on defeating his attackers. This concept is also very similar to what people mean or experience when they “focus” on a task. However, there is a key difference for martial arts and combat, where, unlike sports like golf, Batman could be attacked at any time. This means having to be focused with general attention on someone or something but also having the ability to be aware of other threats. Batman has to be aware not just of threats to himself but also of the safety of the people he is trying to protect or people who just happen to be around when a crazy event is unfolding.

  A good example of this appears in the opening panel from the “Hush” story arc (Batman #608–619, 2002–2003). The setting is at an opera that Bruce Wayne had been attending. Suddenly pandemonium ensues when Harley Quinn, an associate of the evil Joker, tries to steal jewelry and money from all those in the audience. Batman suddenly appears, leaping through the orchestra pit and taking in all that is happening around him. Despite the chaos of the scene, he remains calm and detached and thinks
strategically about minimizing damage and loss of life. He is the consummate professional peacekeeper in this instance. Right in the first caption his thoughts show he is aware of everyone when he says, “My first responsibility is the safety of the patrons.” He is then shown trying to maneuver so that the fight stays localized to the orchestra pit, and he succeeds in keeping the danger to a minimum for everyone else. Clearly the environment is chaotic, yet Batman is able to calmly deal with all issues that arise, including exploding grenades, flying batarangs, mace, and smoke everywhere!

  Now, I will admit that it is currently impossible to get actual scientific information about changes in brain activity during a superhero’s battle with multiple henchmen in a crowded theater. However, we can get a basic idea of focus and “no mind” and observe someone’s brain when he or she imagines doing something. As you may remember, in Chapter 7 I mentioned that the part of the cortex called the supplementary motor area is active both when you actually do movements and when you think about doing them. Also recall the motor cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum discussed in Chapter 7, in connection with stages of motor learning. Using a modified form of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), activity in the brain during skilled movement has been examined in golf. The sport represents an interesting blend of fine motor skill and gross muscular effort. Regardless of the task, expert athletes produce smooth, effortless, and precise movements. They can also reproduce the same movement pattern with little difficulty or variability.

  John Milton and his colleagues at the University of Chicago conducted brain imaging while high-skill (members of the LPGA) and low-skill (novice) golfers imagined the preshot routine for a one-hundred-yard approach shot. It turns out that more skilled golfers actually have less activity in the areas of the brain associated with motor learning: the cerebellum and basal ganglia. Golf has some clear similarities to martial arts but also some key differences. Like martial arts or crime fighting, golf involves thinking on your feet and dealing with unforeseen events but certainly doesn’t have the same risk of injury or death as Batman’s nocturnal rambles!