Do you approach every sparring
match or self-defense scenario the same way regardless of who your opponent
is? Do you ever take into consideration
who your opponent is before choosing an approach?
In military tactics, this is
critical to winning a campaign and this fact has been well known for
centuries. In Sun Tzu’s The Art of
War [1] written in the 6th century BC he states “Thus it can be
said there is no standard military operation, just as there is no normal shape
to water. He who gains victory by
skillfully adapting to the enemy’s strength and weaknesses is called exalted”.
And this may be common sense but
how does this apply to martial arts and one on one scenario?
Gichin Funakoshi addresses in his thirteenth principle “Make
adjustments according to your opponents” in his book The Twenty Guiding
Principles of Karate [2].
Funakoshi states, “One can understand the importance of
choosing a strategy according to the enemy, of handling his “emptiness and
fullness.” This concept is not limited
to the command of large numbers of soldiers but can be applied, in a narrower
sense, to the technical aspects of combat in karate-do.”
So you may be asking “What is this narrower sense?”
For me, the narrower sense is due to the fact we are looking
at specific people versus an army or large force and the tactics and strategy
against a large group are more “narrow” than an individual or a few people.
And you also may be asking and “How do I adjust?”
For opponents I am familiar with, I can make specific
adjustments since I know their preferences and potential vulnerabilities. I know some people like to come out kicking,
so I am ready for a step aside. I know
some people like to try to catch kicks, so I may fake or be ready to turn a
front kick into a side kick. Some people
like to do take downs, so when they move in I either take their ground away or
go extra heavy so their technique is not effective. For those that have tells, I take advantage of
those in different ways, but one is to move in to jam the technique before it
is effective.
For opponents I am not familiar with I would make more
general adjustments. For instance, long
legged people, I will move inside and perform techniques that will break their
balance since my center of gravity is so much lower. For opponents that are larger and/or appear
physically stronger, on the street I would quickly attack towards the groin or
knees or go towards the head to move
their head back and possible get them to lose their ground. And during the interaction, I would continue
to try to learn more specifically what their strengths, vulnerabilities and
tells are.
I believe if you play to just your strength it may go
straight against the strengths of your opponent and then the outcome may be
more uncertain. If you play your
strengths combined with weaknesses or vulnerabilities of your opponent, your
odds have increased tenfold.
So next time you take the mat for sparring, take some time
to think or learn the strengths, weaknesses and tells of your opponent and
adjust during the match and let the outcome dictate if this was a good strategy
or not.
Regards,
Kelly
“The wise man
adapts himself to the circumstances.” ~ Confucius (551–479 BC) was a Chinese teacher,
editor, politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese
history.
Reference
1.
The Art
of War by Sun Tzu
2.
The Twenty
Guiding Principles of Karate: The Spiritual Legacy of the Master by Gichin
Funakoshi
