Himitsuheiki

Himitsuheiki was a minor martial art which appeared in the 11th century. It was highly unconventional and unorthodox, uniquely suited to the Mantis as they were accustomed to utilize a variety of improvised weapons, as ropes, bottles, and random debris.

Style
The art was one of speed and fluid movement, which allowed a resourceful opponent to draw upon his environment to gain advantage on an attacker. The intent was to bewilder and drive away an opponent, to either make their escape or disable his foe. Some combined Himitsuheiki with other martial arts to create an impressive array of unpredictable attacks and countermoves. It was a highly individualized art, two practitioners would not take the same path.

Training
Sensei taught a student to constantly be fully aware of all their surroundings, constantly looking for something, that could be used as a weapon.


 * Novices learned to use their environment as a weapon, taking advantage of their surroundings and using them to exploit an enemy's weakness.
 * An experienced student quickly obtained a weapon even in desperate situations, and could discard weapons quickly to confuse and disorient an opponent.
 * In the hands of a master, any object was a deadly weapon, which were generally used and quickly discarded with distracting flourishes so that the practitioner could deftly avoid attacks in the confusion.