Certain aspects of First Action Self Defense relies on the use of surprise attack and hiding in escape. We can refer to the teachings of the ninja warriors known as the 'Shadow Hand'. The Shadow Hand Ninja were/are well known for their powers of 'invisibility'. Whether or not actual invisibility is possible or not is not of concern. The type of invisibility (aka stealth) used in First Action Self Defense can be learnt and used by anyone, and many of the tactics are often used by people everyday whether they realize it or not e.g. children playing hide and seek, magicians performing slight of hand, modern military warfare etc.

The first stage in cultivating our own powers of invisibility is to understand the basics of how humans see. Knowing how others see will assist you in making him see what you want him to see, as well as preventing him from seeing what you don't want him to see.

The first thing a human sees is movement. It is mostly instinctive for us to know that by remaining motionless, we are less likely to be seen. It is the best way to avoid detection.

Movement can also be used to distract an opponent. The untrained human eye has a habit of following movement I.e. If 2 objects are seen together and one moves while the other remains motionless, our eye will instinctively follow the moving object. This redirection is very common in a Magicians repertoire, especially for sleight of hand techniques. In combat we can use it by feigning blows to one part of the body, then striking another.

Once we detect movement, we subconsciously associate what we think we have seen with known objects that look and move in a similar fashion way e.g. a human or a dog. This means that if we can mask our shadow, shape and silhouette of the 'five pointed human' (head, legs and arms') it will help us to avoid being detected. E.g. a human facing forward is easily identifiable, but simple standing side on, or crouching down, distorts the natural perception. If we are at a distance from our observer and/or in poor light, it is easy to fool his eye by contorting to a similar shape of common objects in our surroundings.

The next thing the eye will see, and what the mind will remember, is color. Simply taking off your blue jumper to reveal a red t-shirt can increase you chances of escape in a crowd. Dazzling colors and sequins can be used to distract an opponent, in the same way a magician dresses his assistant in colorful and sexy outfits. Color is also all about light. Light can be used to your advantage in many ways. Shine it in his eyes, make him face the sun, hide in the shadows etc.

Note: The human eye adapts to light much faster than it does to darkness. It takes between 30 minutes to an hour to get your 'night vision' but a flash of car headlights will take it away with 1 or 2 seconds. Once your night vision is active, avoid looking into white light. Red or blue light can be used to see with less effect on your night vision, also it does not travel as far as white light so is harder to detect by your opponent.

The normal line of sight for a human is not far off straight ahead. Maybe a little to each side and up and down. Knowing this means that if we approach or hide out of the 'usual' line of sight then we decrease the chances of being detected. This is also true when striking. Approach from behind and/or above or below. Crouch below, use overhangs, use objects between you. Possibilities are many.

Another way to use line of sight to your advantage is to obstruct your opponent's perspective. A small object close up can block the view of a very large object which is at a distance. The use of this may require some planning and/or on the spot clever thinking but can be very useful.

Lastly, we can take advantage of the way the human brain functions when it sees things. The human brain automatically groups similar objects together and makes assumptions about what they are e.g. several boxes stacked haphazardly would appear too small to hide a human, but if stacked correctly, it can create a large internal space. First Action Self Defense uses this principle in weaponry also. Most people see only the 'intended' use for an object I.e. a stick is a stick, a chair is a chair, a skipping rope is a skipping rope. By thinking 'outside the box' we can see alternative uses for these things.

So although actual invisibility is most likely impossible, by using scientific knowledge and a bit of inventive thinking we can increase our stealth and use it to our advantage in many ways.