Strategy has become another buzz word in the business world. We have “strategic” this and “strategic” that - often they aren’t actually very strategic though! Some folk are a bit intimidated by the adjective “strategic” - imagining it is complex. However, strategy actually simply means skilfully getting the better of an opponent and achieving an end. It’s especially pertinent to combat in that respect.
In combat, the strategic end has to be first and foremost our own survival, under normal circumstances (there are some circumstances, as any good soldier knows, where self sacrifice may be the thing that is required and necessary), and then secondly, the opponent’s defeat. In life or death situations it may even have to come down to his death.
Twenty five centuries ago, Sun Tzu, in his thirteen chapters of “The Art of War”, rightly saw strategy as a vital matter in governing the old Chinese kingdom. He felt that in life-or-death situations, strategy was actually the Tao of surviving and that its study couldn’t be avoided by any worthwhile warrior. He felt that any preparation for battle must incorporate its five principles, as well as a thorough understanding of what they entailed.
The first principle, (Tao), concerns understanding the underlying feature shared by all things in our sensory experience. The second (Nature) is the “higher principle” which rises above the common knowledge of men. It is the Yum Yeung principle. Sun Tzu represented this as "heaven" (tien). The third is situation, distant or immediate, obstructed or easy, constrained or unconstrained and offering either life or death. The fourth is the leadership principle (chiang), intelligence, credibility, humanity, courage, and discipline. The fifth principle (fa) is art - being led only by the physical laws of heaven and earth and not being bound by the theoretical limitations of common men and their laws or ways of seeing and understanding .
How does this apply to Wing Chun Kuen? Well, in brief, I think in this way:
The five principles, when translated appropriately can teach us. Tao teaches us what is common knowledge according to common expectations. Everyone lives and dies, and danger is inevitable from whatever the source. Having confidence when faced with danger is logically better than not having confidence. But most are gripped by fear as the common expectation is of harm or death. Having false confidence can also be disastrous. Whence comes realistic confidence? From competence. And whence comes that? From selecting the best art and teacher you can find; absorbing and incorporating his teachings into your being; and, maintaining a high standard of skill by intelligent training which reflects the way you will fight.
Tien teaches us the limitations of our enemies according to the principle of structural determinism and the limits of human biomechanics and the line, speed and timing necessary for an attack. Tien teaches us how to use our power properly against even the strongest opponent. This involves an appropriate knowledge of how to apply balance, body unity, optimal structures, and structurally strong and weak points of the human body.
Situation teaches us that we have certain advantages and disadvantages contingent on situation, time, place, and environmental conditions. Some places and people are dangerous - avoid them. If they cannot be avoided then act to avoid confrontation. If confrontation is unavoidable, act to defuse or de-escalate it. If it cannot be defused or de-escalated, know how to flee or if cornered, how to terminate it rapidly, safely and decisively. It teaches us how to accurately assess the odds of surviving a threat.
Chiang teaches us to develop and employ intelligence, credibility, humanity, courage, and discipline. We need to understand our art, why we do things, how to do them, and how to apply them. We need to understand the cycle of the Wing Chun forms and/or sik - how to control our own structures, centre, centreline and force; how to control our opponent’s structures, centre, centreline and force; how to regain lost advantage and save ourselves when disadvantaged; and, how to utilise weapons. We need to know how to develop and maintain courage and present credibly both before any combat and during it.
Fa teaches us to analyse combat without illusion or delusion and without preconceived notions based on tradition or authority that lacks empirical validation under real world conditions. It teaches us not to focus on historically accepted techniques but only on the physical laws (Sun Tzu would say “of heaven and earth”) and not to be bound by the theoretical limitations of common martial artists (for example, that you must be big and physically strong) and their rules or conventions and ways of seeing and understanding combat reality.
Sun Tzu wrote that we should be familiar with these five principles and understand them to triumph, or, failing this - fail in combat. Read his book and reflect on it.