The System
Rick Tew’s Martial Science
A multi-martial art system founded on the philosophy of ninjutsu, built over more than twenty years of live-in teaching and organised so that a complete beginner and an experienced fighter could train in the same room.
RTMS is a complete martial art system with five ranking levels, combining traditional structure with modern full-contact training, weapons work and outdoor movement.
- Founded on
- The philosophy of ninjutsu
- Structure
- Nine areas of focus · five ranking levels
- Per level
- Two skills drawn from each of the nine areas
- Weapons
- Sword, stick, knife, staff
- Includes
- Full-contact MMA, grappling, Muay Thai, Krav Maga style street combat
- Taught in
- United States, Thailand, New Zealand, Europe
What the system covers
- StancesApplied realistically, not held for form
- RollsForward, backward and shoulder, over varied ground
- FallsHow to fall and still get up
- StrikesHand technique and boxing application
- KicksKicking technique and Muay Thai application
- Body movementGymnastics, stealth movement, combat movement
- KnowledgeThe mental curriculum — awareness, focus, strategy
- Combat & self-defenseGrappling, street combat, scenario training
- WeaponsSword, stick, knife and staff
Beyond the nine, the system adds advanced body movement, street combat and scenario-based training — the parts that take technique off the mat and put it somewhere unpredictable.
A system, not a collection
In Rick Tew’s words: “No, we are not just combining Muay Thai, fitness and MMA and calling it a martial art camp. Instead, we offer a traditional martial art system from the ground up with five ranking levels that include modern and realistic strategies.”
Full-contact MMA has been part of it since the beginning. So has grappling — Rick wrestled in high school and was adamant that ground combat belonged in the curriculum from day one. He was also an avid kick-boxer, and made sure realistic training was always available to students who wanted it.
What the structure produces is organised variety. The system is the same for everyone; how a student moves through it is not. The stated goal was to build around the individual — developing existing strengths, eliminating weaknesses — rather than requiring every student to conform to one rigid form.
That included knowing what to leave out. Not everyone wants full contact to the head, or repetitive striking that causes damage over decades. Rick had been in the martial arts long enough to know which is which.
Why it is not one style
“If a warrior knows only one style, it will be easy for his enemy to determine how he will move, think and attack. If a warrior knows many arts and adapts them to his changing environment, he will be an unpredictable and formidable opponent in any situation — what we call a Total Warrior.”
Which is also why the system avoids named signature techniques. A named technique becomes a limit. A student with one answer to a problem loses to a student with a hundred.
What students train in
Ninjutsu training is hard on clothing. Rolls, falls, ground work and outdoor terrain load the seams in a way mat-based arts do not, which is why practitioners train in a heavyweight cotton uniform rather than a lightweight gi or a costume reproduction. Training cloth runs 12 to 14 ounces; costume grade is typically 6 and fails inside a season. Kage Ninja Gear has made a 14oz version since 2009.