Jizaikan

Strategy Is Essential

I own a lot of martial arts books. There are a whole bunch of different kinds of them too. Some books deal with philosophy, some with history, but most martial arts books tend to discuss self-defense or fight scenarios. In these books, the instruction that is given to the reader, is that of basic martial arts techniques. I remember reading an “advanced” kung fu book where the author did not pursue anything more than basic fundamental striking methods. Rarely does one see strategy being taught or even mentioned.

Why is it that strategy is rarely brought up? Is it not important? Does strategy not apply to real world situations? Of course not. It is my opinion that strategy is usually not brought up for two reasons. The first is that most people do not study martial arts long enough to be instructed in the ways of strategy. The second reason is that I don’t believe most martial artists really know what strategy actually is and have misconceptions about it.

It is usually the case that a martial artist spends his or her time learning basic ways to move the body and respond to particular types of attack until that person reaches black belt. Usually at black belt, the martial artist begins to learn the ways these movements really tie in to each other and form the basis for strategy. Some times strategy is not brought up even then, and must be figured out by the student all by himself. Before joining the Jizaikan, I studied another martial art for years and all my training consisted of less than what we study in our skills and drills classes. That is how some martial artists can train for years and years and never even think about strategy. They don’t know there is more to what they do, then they already know.

Some martial artists who think about strategy, get the wrong impression. I had a discussion with a martial artist, of a different style, a few months ago about it. He believed strategy was about planning what he would do if his opponent attacked him a certain way. He thought of it as “if my attacker comes at me this way, I’ll do this, but if he does something else, I’ll do that.” Basically, he thought strategy was like playing a game of chess. Instead of being open to all possibilities, he thought strategy was about planning his counters for moves that never come. He said he preferred to fight on “instinct”. He thought that strategy would involve too much thinking during a situation, when there is no time to think. He had what I discovered to be a common misconception about what strategy is and how it is used.

So if strategy is not about being able to think up counter moves for the anticipated, specific movements of an attack that may never come, then what is strategy? In my opinion, strategy is the tactical approach one uses when engaging an adversary. Strategy is best described as the use of principles. Entering, setting up attackers, shomitsu, nimitsu, and all the other principles and secrets are strategies that are used to make the warrior’s goals more easily obtained. No battle can be won using only kihon or fundamental skills. Can you imagine a general trying to win a war without strategy? Fundamental skills are the foundation for building strategy; that is why they are fundamental. Tying different strikes together in different ways creates kata, which imparts a principle, which forms strategy.

Let’s look at how one uses strategy. In the Koto ryu, there is a kata called, ten chi. In ten chi, the aiki ninjutsuka (practitioner of aiki ninjutsu) seeks to pitch the enemy forward by striking at the groin with a rising kick. The principle teaches one that attacking the groin will make a man thrust his hips backward and naturally pitch his upper body forward. The strategy of this kata shows that by making him come forward, your enemy falls into a trap; in this case, a well placed punch to the face.

Strategy shows us that simply striking with random, albeit powerful, attacks will not allow us to win against an enemy who is somewhat skilled in combat. Just like a general can’t win a war by simply trying to “shoot the other guy first”; we can not win by hoping our strikes are stronger and quicker than our foe. No one picks a fight they expect to lose, so you can be sure that anyone who plans to fight with you has some confidence that they will win. Using strategy allows warriors to win by more than sheer luck, and is essential to mastering the martial way.

Of all the books I own, I have only one that discusses strategy in great detail. Miyamoto Musashi’s Book of Five Rings is as applicable to martial artists today as it was when it was written, nearly 400 years ago. There have been many translations, but the one I recommend is Kenji Tokitsu’s version, because unlike other translators he is also a master swordsman and provides commentary and in depth analysis of Musashi’s strategy. You might be surprised to see that many of his secrets are quite similar to the principles we study in our own system.

Martial arts are not just about being able to hit harder or faster than the other guy. Look past the techniques you practice and see the principles behind them. Once these principles are ingrained into the way you move, combine it with other principles to form strategy. Such training will allow us to become competent warriors on the path to mastery. Most fighters tend to win fights through either sheer tenacity or luck, but we shall win through skill.

Author – Lee Scott
The Warrior’s Edge dojo