I used defense to protect myself. Sounds simple but I think you will discover in the following article the concept of defense is more complicated than most martial artists understand.

 

I began my martial arts training like most in the early 1970's, practicing taekwondo, Japanese karate-do and judo at local martial arts schools. My instructors were highly competent in their various martial arts but something was missing, I did not realize it at the time but I do now.

 

Now fast forward to 1980, I am a second dan in several "do" styles and I myself am accomplished for the times.

 

Then I met the late Sensei Stan Hart, a collector of martial arts if you will. Sensei Hart like I had black belts in various "do" arts like Aikido and Shotokan karate-do. But Sensei Hart also studied a rare form of Okinawan kempo that I had never seen; this kempo was completely defensive in tactics and followed the Sun Tzu closely in strategy.

 

The first time I met Stan we were in a parking lot of a Chinese restaurant. He was trying to explain defense to me, a young strong karate man who thought he could knock down a brick wall if I wanted.

 

I told him, "Stan I have no idea what you are talking about and I am a second dan in karate and taekwondo I am sure my instructors would have told me these things". So Stan said attack me and I will show you. I asked him what attack? Stan said, "You choose the attack you are the attacker".

 

So I grabbed him by the right shoulder and launched my right hand at his jaw. I did not hold back I went after him hard.

 

I immediately felt his cover stop my attack and at the same moment felt a sharp pain on the inside of my left knee. Fleeting moments later I felt a pain in my neck just below the ear, this all happened in what seemed to me at the exact same moment. I was out; I mean drool on your chin on the asphalt out. Sensei Hart had a student for life.

 

Now please don't for a moment think I am putting down "do". I continued to study judo, taekwondo and karate-do all my life competing in many tournaments and having a wonderful time. I developed an ethical and moral code and a work ethic I will always value. I am simply pointing out this kempo had an entirely different emphasis, one of defensive tactics and raising technique only to the level of art.

 

 

 

The Art of War is an ancient wisdom text and arguably the source knowledge for defensive tactics and strategy used in Shuri lineage hard style kempo and karate. To understand kempo from Okinawa one must thoroughly understand the Sun Tzu. The running theme throughout the Sun Tzu is the concept of taking the enemy "whole". This is directly related to the concept in Shurite kempo of life protection.

 

Sun Tzu tells us to take an enemy whole is superior to destroying the enemy, Shurite kempo strategy would tell us to protect life is the goal of the skilled kempo practitioner. This is not simply a philosophy of peace or altruism but actually gives us a tactical advantage when protecting ourselves.

 

Defensive advantage is the least understood tactic in self protection and in a series of articles I will help you understand this important concept. It is also important to note when I use the term Shurite kempo I am not referring to a specific style of martial art but simply to the methods used and practiced by the Shuri palace guards training under Bushi Matsumura. Many modern karate styles from Okinawa, Japan and Korea are descended from this tradition so the following information will be useful for RKC members practicing this type of hard style martial art.

 

 

 

The Art of War is a 6th century BCE treatise on strategy and tactics primarily concerning a state’s ability to protect itself. So why is it important to an individual martial artist? For one it is one of the best guides to recognizing skill, skill in yourself and others. This may seem like an easy thing to do but believe me this ability is not highly developed in the general population. The Sun Tzu will also aid you to recognize things that are utterly unskilled.

 

Sun Tzu said: "In seeing victory, not going beyond what everyone knows is not skilled. Victory in battle that all-under-heaven calls skilled is not skilled. Thus lifting the down of an autumn leaf does not mean great strength. Seeing the sun and the moon does not mean a clear eye. Hearing thunder does not mean a keen ear." Chapter 4 Form

 

So what is Sun Tzu trying to tell us here? Several things, beginning with the fact that many things that appear skilled are simply demonstrations. Rehearsed demonstrations show little skill besides the skill of demonstrating. Many times you will see a rehearsed self-defense demo that looks astounding but the skill being evoked (self protection) is not present at all. In itself this does not hinder the martial artist but spending your time practicing to demonstrate skill instead of actually becoming skilled is detrimental.

 

Sun Tzu tells us defeating the easily defeated is not skill. An attacker throwing a preplanned attack at a manageable speed is very easily defeated. This builds little skill and should be the very beginning progression.

 

 

 

Demonstration training permeates the martial arts world. Many two-man type training sessions are simply to learn a technique then demonstrate it later for an instructor or for an audience. Many martial artists make a living doing seminars and must make the technique "look good" to sell themselves.

 

Most martial artists practice against a specific attack at a specific moment. The problem with this type training is the attacker will actually pick the time, place, method and most importantly he will pick the victim. The victim does not get to pick the attacker or any of these advantages. Sun Tzu would tell you that methods for victory cannot be transmitted in advance. This caveat specifically pertains to techniques against known attacks. We must somehow advance beyond this type training.

 

 

 

in addition:

 

 

You simply cannot practice offensive martial arts methods for self protection, you are not the attacker you are the defender. You must use defense. This is your only real hard advantage, for Sun Tzu tells us that there is invincibility in defense and vincibility in offense. An attacker cannot use an offensive movement without opening a hole in their defense. You as the victim cannot attack first, it simply will not happen. The attacker picks the time of the attack not you. The fact the attacker’s method is offense is your only advantage; he must have an opening if he uses offense. Since you are using defense you can have no openings, don't give up your only advantage. Remember the attacker owns time, ground, method and choice of victim.

 

When I watch martial artists practicing self-protection I almost always see them using offense not defense to stop the attack. Why? Because they can, the nature of the attacker – defender relationship is too cooperative when it should be confrontational. This is not philosophy I am referring to it is tactics and strategy. It boils down to this, if you can use an offensive movement against an attacker who starts first he is not a threat, in Sun Tzu's own words he would be easily defeated. Don't train to protect yourself against the easily defeated, train to protect yourself against the most viscous and tenacious attacker one could imagine. Do not underestimate your attacker; you will most likely have very little foreknowledge of his ability or intentions.

 

 

 

in addition:

 

 

So what does the great Sun Tzu recommend? He tells us to train properly and use progressions. To evaluate our skill and the skill of others and eventually although form is of utmost importance Sun Tzu tells us to become formless.

 

This is important because of the trend in the last 30 years of practical "bunkai" using fit in type movements for kata postures. Sun Tzu warns against this type of method for training.

 

Why? Primarily because people will try to back in a technique against a specific attack. One can look at a karate kata posture and envision all sorts of technique; I have even seen judo throws backed into proper karate kata. Does this mean the original author had this technique in mind, of course not.

 

Fit-ins can be helpful for beginning progressions but this method should go no further than that. Practice kata to perfect form then become formless, rise above the orthodox.

 

 

 

In addition:

 

 

The Sun Tzu is a short document but the meaning goes very deep. To deep to capture well in one article so in this first article I will examine how one can evaluate skill, skill of oneself and skill of others. This is done using the five elements of appraisal and is covered in Chapter one of the Sun Tzu. This part of the Sun Tzu is addressed to the Ruler. For an individual martial artist the Ruler is your ego or emotional self.

 

Let us examine how the five elements apply to a single person.

Tao – Way or Path, ones way of life.

Heaven – Elements we are unable to change, we go with it or against it.

Earth – Ground and or the physical situations one is in.

General – An individual's logical self our tactical mind.

Method – Proper training application for defense and controlling the advantages (shih)

 

In the second excerpt above Sun Tzu talks about knowledge of oneself and the attacker. This is done using the 5 elements and 7 appraisals. So knowing our self we simply need to count as Sun Tzu would say, take an appraisal of our self. But if we do not know who is going to attack us how can we know the attackers capabilities? We cannot, so we assume the worst. He is bigger, faster, meaner and more vicious and tenacious then we are. Remember he picked us we did not pick him.

 

This means we must not engage him in a fight but use defense and escape the attack. As soon as we leave our defensive method we will lose our only advantage.

 

 

Let us discuss method and some concrete training advice for hard style martial artists. How does one avoid the pitfalls Sun Tzu warns about when he talks about attempting to transmit victorious behavior in advance? For one do not practice specific technique against specific attacks, set up your two-man kata or self protection practice with a progressive resistance relationship between the attacker and the defender. This may sound obvious but in my experience it is somewhat rare.

 

So you may begin simply with the defender knowing that a high left hand is the attack and show the person how to properly cover the body and use defense. When he or she is accomplished at this add a high right, now the defender does not know which attack is coming high right or left. Then a low right, then low left, then push, then wrist grab. Get it? As you add in more variables the mission of the defender becomes more difficult and thus more formless.

 

Now simply varying the attack is not enough. The level of the intensity of the attack must also have a progression. So when a person for instance is escaping from certain grab now it is time for the attacker to hold the lock harder or throw the punch faster.

 

Some of this progression may be done with kumite but many dangerous movements have been removed from most hard style kumite practice methods, so two-man kata is necessary.

 

So when do you know you are in the method. Remember me talking about the perfect fit-ins we see many martial artists practicing. When you can have the attacker throw any attack, punch, push, grab, or kick at close range at any level or target and you are hitting movements that resemble fit-ins you are beginning to understand formlessness. Oh and by the way this is not a one step, by that I mean the attacker throws the attack from a no step distance, close range. Good luck it is not easy. So what is next in the attacker – defender relationship combinations of course.

 

 

This article is intended to be a brief overview of the Sun Tzu. In following articles we will dive deeper into the ideas of defense being superior to offense. How one can identify defense from offense, this is more difficult than you might think. And more on the Okinawan philosophy of life, protection as it relates to Sun Tzu's concept of taking whole. Eventually using the information in the articles, reading the Sun Tzu and practicing the training progressions one will begin to shape their mind to respond without hesitation in a defensive manner.