6.1 Goal and Essence
Goal is the essence of doing, the deep reason for the action. Since the goal is the lighthouse of doing, it is better if all who is involved with the doing would know the goal, thus they are connected to the doing, thus the morale and spirit are higher. Martial arts student, who knows where the teacher is aiming, will follow the teacher with open eyes, will learn by understanding and will get deeper in research by himself and will not just imitate moves and drills like a monkey.
A goal does not have to be some supreme concept, it can be very pragmatic.
The goal is the mission of the rank above, not only in military, but in every doing and of course in martial arts. It is possible to construct a tree of goals, where every slot is the mission of the branch above and a goal of the branches below.
Constructing such a tree in martial arts is a very complex and dynamic project (it is changing with the years, experience and training).
Making such a tree helps making order in our mind and gives a direction for the training, thus enhances the efficiency of the training and study.
A military organization that works in the model of "Task-oriented Distributed Command" (the field commanders have degrees of freedom, responsibility and authority) is built with a tree structure by its nature. Each and every commander has a mission to accomplish and a goal to guide him\her. At head of the pyramid stands the commander in chief, his goal is defined by the political factors (of course in a democratic state. In tyrannical states there is overlapping between political and military ranks).
6.2 Usage Preferences
In far eastern martial arts there is a disease, they are all based on right hand usage. Even Miyamoto Musashi, with his unique style in Japan of two swords fighting, that wrote in his book "the book of five rings" that a warrior should not prefer any weapon and should know use anything as a weapon, wrote fighting tactics for right handed sword. Many katas and forms are performed on right side only (not right hand, but only in one direction, no symmetry).
The principle of preferences is about having no preferences. This is true for nowadays battlefield as well as for any other era. It is true, there is always a more comfortable weapon, preferred weapon due to many reasons, however it is most important for a warrior to know how to use every mean he has, standard or improvised. This is of course true as well for the commanding ranks, the commander should know how to use all the forces at his disposal without being sentimental towards any specific mean.
This is of course an ideal situation. In hand to hand fighting it can be achieved by training both sides of the body and by practicing armed combat. With correct weaponry training the practitioner can get to the level at which he\she can take any object and turn it into a weapon by understanding its physics and understanding its ways of use, even on field conditions without a specific training with that particular object type.
In nowadays warfare the multiplicity of technologies prevents the ability to be skilled with all the means, and yet it is important to know the means of the enemy and of our forces and to know how to operate them and how to neutralize them if needed.
6.3 Choosing of Battle
The choosing of the battle is very important. It is not cowardice to choose fight only battles we can win, this is wisdom. Of course, we would like to avoid battles we cannot win, but sometimes the reality might force us into a fight we would not be choosing, where the initiative is with the enemy. Of course, it is a must to do everything possible in order to win. Win == achieve the goals.
In a street fight the first goal will be to protect those we want to protect, second goal will be to not get hurt ourselves, third goal will be to neutralize the enemy by any mean at any level we choose (level of damage). Any damage level we inflict, should be chosen and not an accident.
Choosing the battle is not the only important decision to make. None the less important is the consideration rather we should put ourselves in a potential for combat at all. Usually it is better to avoid combat, for example, cross the road in order to not interact with a street gang, especially we should avoid when we have people to protect with us. Avoiding is not cowardice and ego or "respect" has no part in this decision at all. The goal is to not get hurt and not to prove something to anybody.
In case there is a need to protect someone, even a total stranger on the street, we should consider the situation rather it is realistic, or just bring to our death. It is o.k. to be a hero, but it will not help anyone if we will be dead heroes. There are situations where it is better to call the police and not save the day with our own hands (and it is really costs me with health to write this down).
At battlefield the principle is similar. As long as there is a choice, only battles that can be won should be fought. It is better to live and fight another day then to die in a total waist. This principle was true in the days of Sun Tzu, and it is true today as well.
6.4 Minimum Mistakes
My volleyball trainer at high-school used to say that the winner is the one who makes fewer mistakes at the game. This is true for any aspect of life, including war and hand to hand combat.
It is only a matter of time until mistakes will be made. I use the verb to make, because mistakes do not happen, mistakes are negative result of decision making process. Accidents happen, mistakes are made.
Due to the uncertainty of the battlefield, mistakes will be made. The idea is to make as few as possible, try to fix the damage that has been done and learn from the mistakes that have been made.
6.5 Voice of the Commander
In past days, when nowadays communication means were not exist, battlefield commands where transferred by signings such as flags. On ships the commander had to shout, overcome the harsh conditions of the battle and sea. It was very significant for the commander to have a voice that can be heard. The morale of the men was depended on this ability of the commander.
Nowadays voice of the commander is not just his ability to shout and be heard, but especially in his ability to be decisive and clear.
The idea is that those of us, who are interested in military command, must understand that our tone of speaking has an influence on our soldiers. We must be heard decisive, clear and that we know what we do, even if this is not the situation. Uncertainty of the battlefield influences us all and not always it is possible to make a clear decision, even then we must present equanimity. A commander, who presents equanimity in his voice, helps to suppress the opacity within his soldiers and raise their spirit.
6.6 Flexibility of Thinking
Sometimes we hit a dead end, repeating the same tactics over and over again, but without success.
Repeating same drill without success, same training without getting better, in fact every doing, military, combatant, or any other aspect of life might hit a dead end, stagnation, without progress and without achieving the goals.
There are two ways to confront this situation. The first is to try harder, again, without changing a thing. This way will usually fail. This failure is due to missing of something essential in the cause of the failure. In order to overcome the problem, it is better to follow the second way.
The second way is to stop, take a step back and re-exam the situation. Change of tactics, change of working method, can bring to a significant change in situation end even if this is not a solution to the main problem, this new way may bypass the original problem, thus overcome the stagnant situation.
Choosing to stop and search new solutions and not retry failed tactics is the expression of flexibility of thinking.
Usually, when we stuck with forceful block in one place, there will be a weakening in other direction and there is where the new act needs to be directed. This is true both in war and in martial arts.
6.7 Engaging in Combat
Engaging in combat is a very basic concept in warfare. If there is an interest to subdue, strategically or locally, it is a must to get contact with the enemy and engage him in combat and verify that the enemy has been indeed neutralized or annihilated as we wish. If we let the enemy escape, he will return and fight another day, we will not be able to interrogate him; we will not be able to break him and will not achieve our goal.
This principle is true for military warfare, which after all is all about men hunt. On the street we would prefer to avoid and run over engaging in combat, however in case we are in a situation where combat have been chosen, we should go for it to the end.
Engaging in combat is not just literal concept, but also metaphorical on. Engaging in combat is expressed with achieving goals in life, overcome hard times and limitations, both physical and psychological (such as a fear of flying led bullets toward us) such as study difficulties, get up and charge our goal… also metaphorically.
6.8 Tactical Variety
Tactical variety is a continuous principle to flexibility of thinking. Having flexibility of thinking is not enough. We should have real abilities behind the ideas in our minds. We must practice and know as much tools as possible, technics, methods and warfare lore. By knowing and understanding many tools, more options and courses of actions will be open for us in order to breach the enemy's lines.
Tactical variety is literally expressed as constant change of course of action and let us surprises the enemy, thus we have the advantage due to surprise and initiative.
6.9 Channeling and Maneuvering the Enemy
It is better to be smart then clever, it means that it is better to know how not to enter situation that it is hard to get out of them.
The interest is to cause the enemy to act according to our will, fall into our traps and cause the enemy entering into annihilation zones and uncomfortable situations, in which we are the dominant and avoid falling in the enemy's traps.
Of course, I have said nothing new so far. However, channeling the enemy, maneuvering him according to our will avoiding from acting by his will is a very basic concept in warfare, on any scale, thus it is important to mention it here.
The skill to think like the enemy, try to understand his ways of thinking, his strategy, how he will response to our moves and the ability to simulate are critical in planning. Games such as chess and go can help to develop this skill.
6.10 Sacrifice
An act of sacrifice is an act where we are ready to lose something in order to gain something else. It is a calculated risk.
There are two types of sacrifice:
The firs type is the one in which we are opening ourselves for attack, absorb part of the damage, but gaining an advantage somewhere else. The maneuvers of the enemy\opponent are, in fact making them act according to our plan and get into our trap.
The second type is where we are entering into the enemy's\opponent's protected zone, while we are ready to get some serious damage in case we fail, but in case we are success we get an almost immediate victory.
Sacrifice exists at all levels, at war, on the street. Sacrifice can be a strategic decision, for example, Russia can let the enemy to invade deep inside her territory and just sit and wait until "general winter" hits the enemy, just as happened with Napoleon and Hitler. Sacrifice can be on the tactical level (including sacrifice of men as bate, not nice and undesired, but this is also tactics), for example, on D-Day it was known that there will be severe casualties within the first line of attack.
Sacrifice can be at personal level, for example, an aggressive move towards the enemy's face while being open and ready for enemy's hit to the body.
Sacrifice is a desperate move, calculated step. It is not always recommended to use sacrifice however it is not wise to reject it out of hand. If one is unready to take risk and pay the price, he can lose initiative and find oneself on a defensive position and be submitted later on.
Despite what was said, sacrifice is not the first course of action to consider, unless you have a serious surprise advantage.
Sacrifice without stratagem and surprise is destine to fail and with a very high price!
6.11 Planning Transparency
A very simple idea for understanding, In order to get better cooperation from your troops, it is better to be as much transparent toward them with the plan and mission.
The principle in martial arts
In case of situation where you are in a need of protecting others, let them know what you want them to do (run, hide, etc.), thus you will be able to concentrate on fighting and will not have to wary about their whereabouts.
6.12 Intelligence, information warfare, intelligence warfare
Intelligence, intelligence is the field of interest that deals with gaining knowledge about the enemy and interpreting it. Amongst the fields of knowledge are the enemy's ways of thinking, the plans, the moves, the tools and means the enemy got, etc.
Information warfare and intelligence warfare, these are the lore of deceiving the enemy, spreading false or partial information. By spreading partial information, it is possible to look for information leaks, thus conduct counter-espionage.
The principle in martial arts
There is segregation between sport and real situations. In sport the information is gathered about the opponent from previous fights, media and statistics, such as weight, height, style, etc. this data is gathered, studied and relevant tactics and strategies are planned for each and every singular fight.
In real situation, the enemy in front of us is a closed book. There is a need to open it and study it in real time and in the same time not to tell ourselves to the enemy. Information warfare can be expressed, for example by concealing the dominate hand (in case there is one), concealing the true physical abilities, devising by imitating ourselves as drunk.
We need to pay attention for the enemy's stances, exam his balance, center of gravity. Out from the stances, a skilled person can feel and\or know the others intentions of kicking, range of fists, weakness of motion and possibilities of out-balancing and weak points.
The best form of training in order to gain those skills is to practice in free fights (sparring), with no protective gear (beside of a mouth guard), in a friendly way, Practicing the brain in reading of all those small and critical parameters in combat.
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