Lessons in the Art of War. Martina Sprague
the translations.4 A specific word, such as force, can have different connotations and mean, for example, strategic military power or brute force. To further illustrate the difficulty associated with defining war and combat, one might note that the United States Department of Defense Dictionary of Military Terms lacks a definition of both.
It can nevertheless be established that a student of karate, taekwondo, jujutsu, hapkido, and other traditional martial arts must study the history and culture, as well as a range of techniques and forms, if he is to reap the full benefit of his studies. By contrast, martial arts that were developed primarily for the military battlefield of today or for street defense, such as krav maga and other reality based self-defense eclectic styles, tend to be more limited in scope (although not necessarily less effective) by teaching techniques that are simple to learn and easy to remember when performed under stress, and that work against a variety of attacks. Those who benefit the most from the study of these types of fighting arts are generally specialized groups of people, such as law enforcement, military, or rape prevention specialists rather than the general populace. As stated by Jim Wagner, a police and military defense-tactics instructor, “People who must fight for a living quickly learn to depend on a streamlined arsenal of proven techniques.”5
Sun Tzu reminded us in the first paragraph of the Art of War, that war “is a matter of life or death,” and should therefore “be studied thoroughly.”6 Clausewitz likewise recognized that nations are built through violence and continue to relate to each other through violence, and that war is a normal state of human existence. This chapter defines combat by examining its destructive elements, the value attached to the initiative, and its scientific and creative components. It distinguishes between ideal and real war, and demonstrates the importance of knowing your enemy and yourself in order to counter the effects of friction and chance.
Key Points: What is Combat?
War is destructive even for victors. Engaging an adversary in battle should therefore be done only after careful consideration, when there is a serious threat to one’s safety, and as a means to an end and not an end in itself. Although Sun Tzu and Clausewitz wrote from the perspective of mass armies, their respective theories apply to individuals engaged in single man combat and are easily transferrable to practitioners of the martial arts. Sun Tzu said, “Generally, management of a large force is the same as management of a few men... And to direct a large force is the same as to direct a few men.”7 As reinforced by the Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, the “spirit of overcoming others” is the same regardless of whether you are fighting a thousand opponents or just one.8 Clause-witz likewise compared war to a Zweikampf, or duel, between two people and recognized that “war is nothing but personal combat on a larger scale,” with the purpose of forcing the opponent to succumb to one’s will.9
Judo practitioner imposing his will by attacking his adversary’s center of gravity; in this case, his opponent’s balance. (Image source: Lance Cpl. Scott M. Biscuiti, Wikimedia Commons)
Whether you are a karateka, judoka, sumo wrestler, or boxer, the goal is ultimately to defeat the adversary by imposing your will on him through a strike or kick, takedown or throw, by pushing him out of the ring, or by attacking with such overwhelming force that you destroy his fighting spirit and compel him to surrender. Ideally, all moves should be done on your terms. In competition, points should not simply be scored, but should be scored well. The skilled martial artist seizes the initiative, presses the attack, and takes advantage of weaknesses in an opponent’s defense by attacking his center of gravity.
Shotokan karate, founded in Okinawa by Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957 CE), is a no-nonsense hard style that relies on straight strikes and kicks with the bodyweight behind the blows. As such, it demonstrates the value of seizing the initiative through linear moves and determined offense. Circling the opponent is done mainly as a diversion. The purpose is to “kill” the adversary or end the fight with a single blow, with each technique fully developed for maximum effect. Although a chief priest at the Buddhist Enkaku-ji Temple in Kamakura, Japan has written on the memorial to Gichin Funakoshi that “there is no first attack in karate,” one should remember that seizing the initiative refers to a fight that has already begun when the option of walking away no longer exists. When the opponent commits to the attack, the defender seizes the initiative, for example, by timing a strong front kick to the adversary’s advance, catching him in the midsection and knocking him to the ground as he moves forward. Gichin Funakoshi said:
When there are no avenues of escape or one is caught even before any attempt to escape can be made, then for the first time the use of self-defense techniques should be considered. Even at times like these, do not show any intention of attacking, but first let the attacker become careless. At that time attack him concentrating one’s whole strength in one blow to a vital point and in the moment of surprise, escape and seek shelter and help.10
While both Sun Tzu and Clausewitz stressed the importance of seizing and holding the initiative and striking the enemy at a time when he does not expect it, Sun Tzu believed that a conflict could be brought to conclusion successfully through a combination of factors, including politics, economics, and diplomacy. Protracted war should be avoided, because it was a drain on the resources and fighting spirit of the people. Striking the enemy preemptively was therefore acceptable, as long as one had conducted a critical examination of the situation and determined that an attack against the enemy’s plans, alliances, or forces would shorten the duration of war.11
Clausewitz likewise believed in avoiding protracted conflict but discounted diplomacy as an element of war.12 Combat, by definition, must include a physical engagement or else it is not combat. Battles should be fought to the finish. In Clausewitz’s mind, the idea that martial arts are purely acts of self-defense would have been an absurdity. The “character of battle, like its name, is slaughter (the German word, Schlacht, means both [battle and slaughter]), and its price is blood.” Although it has the capacity to break “the enemy’s spirit more than it [takes] lives,” the object is to dominate the adversary by acting with concentrated force, quickly and without pause, and outfight rather than outwit the opponent.13 As reinforced by the United States Marine Corps Warfighting Manual, initiative and physical domination of the enemy must be present in order for it to be war:
At least one party to a conflict must take the initiative for without the desire to impose upon the other, there would be no conflict. The second party to a conflict must respond for without the desire to resist, there again would be no conflict... We can imagine a conflict in which both belligerents try to take the initiative simultaneously—as in a meeting engagement, for example. After the initial clash, one of them will gain the upper hand, and the other will be compelled to respond—at least until able to wrestle the initiative away from the other. Actions in war more or less reflect the constant imperative to seize and maintain the initiative.14
However, violence is not necessarily chaotic madness. Imposing one’s will on the adversary brings purpose to conflict and justifies the use of force. Consider a self-defense scenario, attempted rape, or kidnapping. While the adversary is trying to impose his will on the victim, he or she is simultaneously trying to impose his or her will on the adversary as an element of defense. The person who succeeds at dominating the other wins the battle. Although the martial arts are frequently marketed as self-defense, once conflict is under way and one cannot escape, initiative and offensive action are needed to win. If neither fighter in a martial arts competition is willing to take the initiative and engage the opponent, there can be no competition. In fact, martial artists have on occasion been disqualified in tournaments for failing to engage, running from the opponent, prolonging the fight by purposely spitting out the mouthpiece, or showing timidity. When a martial artist enters a competition, it is assumed that he has come to fight by physically imposing his will on the other fighter. To further demonstrate a point, after the opponent, taken down by a leg