Miyamoto Musashi: Principles of Invincibility

Miyamoto Musashi was an invincible samurai in Japan Feudal Era. He survived more than 60 duel and passed away peacefully on his bed. Facts about his historical existence are admitted.

One of the historical evidence is the book he wrote in 1643, entitled The Book of Five Rings. In this book he explained his principles of using sword.

First, he suggested to hold a long sword in one hand and a short sword in another hand. He said with this configuration you can overcome fight in any terrain.

Second, you must always fight with your back or your side to sun-shine direction. Do not fight in position with your front to sun-shine direction, except you have no choice. This is important to have your vision undisturbed.

Third, do not use sword techniques rigidly. Best technique is technique that saves your life, not standard technique which does not develop your skill or your position.

Fourth, if you are being ganged up on by many samurai, do not wait for enemies' attack. You must control them, not being controlled by them. Rush and attack quickly to one direction and then rush again to other direction. Repeat this method. With this method, Musashi could defeat about 20 until 30 samurai alone in duel.

These are principles described by Miyamoto Musashi in his book. Hopefully they will be useful to Martial Lovers.

Unarmed Tactics: Fighting Many Armed Opponents

Fighting many armed opponents without a weapon is the heaviest form of fighting. Although you are skillful, this is still difficult to accomplish.

Basically, you must understand how to fight single armed opponent first. Because it is impossible for you to defeat many armed opponents if  you can not handle only single armed opponent.

These are suggestions for you if you have to fight many armed opponents:

Tactics 1:

It is better to run away if you are not very skillful. If you have been surrounded, penetrate out surrounding opponents. Find weakness or weak opponent. You could aim your escaping there.

Tactics 2:

When you are running away, try to find object which could be used as a weapon. It can be a wood stick, big stone, metal pipe, chain, etc.

Tactics 3:

You can enter a narrow path where only an opponent can fight you. It is an advantageous position. In here, you can disarm an opponent. The weapon you get can be used to fight them.

Tactics 4:

If you have to fight openly in wide terrain, you should fight fast. Have an opponent a living shield, so your risk of being injured could be reduced. Please see your trusted trainer to explain and demonstrate what I mean.

Fighting many armed opponents does not only need intensive training guided by a trusted trainer but also brave heart, deep calmness, and certainly: luck. My above explanation is only suggestion to help you fighting such opponents. Not best principles you must apply on absolutely

Unarmed Tactics: Fighting Many Unarmed Opponents

This is heavier form of fighting than 1-on-1 unarmed fight. This form needs good understanding too.

Basically, there are two choices. First choice, you will fight. Second choice, you will escape.

If you decide to fight, apply on "hit and run" tactics. Fight fast. If you need to, you could run freely during fight. It is better to use combination of punch and kick techniques most. The principles of this form of fighting is almost same as to defeat Type 1 of 1-on-1 unarmed fight.

But if you see too many opponents, more than 5 persons, it is suggested to escape or to run away. If you have been surrounded, penetrate out surrounding opponents. How? Look at the surrounding. You will find weakness or weak opponent. You should aim your escape there.

If you have been exhausted but opponents still going after you, stop running and face them. Shout at them to get their braveness dropped. This shocking action will frighten enemies. Usually only one or two braver opponents who will fight you again. When you have been refreshed, you could continue your action by finally fighting them again or escaping.

This is unarmed tactics to fight many unarmed opponents.

Unarmed Tactics: Fighting Single Unarmed Opponent

One-on-one weaponless fight is the simplest and easiest form of fighting. This is also the basic form of any Martial Art. But it does not mean it does not need good tactics and understanding.

Based on body size, we could divide opponent into 2 type. Type 1 is big bodied opponent, Type 2 is small bodied opponent.

How to Defeat Type 1:

Speed and agility are needed to defeat this kind of opponent. Launch various punch and kick techniques to fatal points of opponent's body. I suggest you to move by light/narrow stance. If you have to, you may have little running. Do not get close, and avoid applying throw techniques and/or lock techniques. It is hard to defeat this type with such techniques.

How to Defeat Type 2:

This is contrary of Type 1, small bodied opponent. You must get closer to win. Restrict his/her movement range. Use throw, lock, or break-joint techniques most. Move by heavy/wide stance. Avoid unnecessary move.

It seems easy if our opponent do not practice Martial Art. Now, how will we fight well-trained opponent?

First, you must identify his/her martial type. Close-fight martial art or far-fight martial art? You must know it first (to define types of martial art, please read my former article: Two Categories of Martial Art).

Second, apply reverse martial type of the opponent. If he/she has close-fight martial art, fight with far-fight martial art (or principally the same method on Type 1). If he/she has far-fight martial art, fight with close-fight martial art (or principally the same method on Type 2).

Above explanation is tactics of Weaponless 1-on-1 Fight. I will explain how to fight many unarmed opponents in my next article.

Secrets of Winning Deadly Fight

Martial Lovers are also Peace Lovers. Although we are well-trained fighter, we only fight if we are forced by. You could see a proof of this statement at Shaolin Priests' Attitude. They are polite, civilized, and peaceful people. But it does not mean they can not fight strongly.

But fact of life does not say either. Sometimes we must fight for our life. Even this fight is deadly. Our choices are simple: to disable or to be disabled.

According to my private experience, these are very important points we must apply on when deadly fight occurs.

When the fight is going to occur (but uncertainly occur), look at opponent's hands. Do not look at her/his eyes. You must see whether the hands placed behind his/her back, placed in a bag, placed in pocket, or covered by a thing. If they are, you must suspect a weapon held by.

When the fight begins, quickly and directly apply on fatal technique to disable opponent. Do not give opponent even a second to develop his/her position. If you have been in bad position already, get advantageous position quickly. Keep in mind, real fight only takes extremely short period of time. It takes only seconds to assure the quick and the dead.

These are points we must know and apply when we are involved in deadly fight. Remember, I do not suggest to kill but to disable. To understand what kind of action we should apply to various fight situation, please read my previous article. Visualization Training : Applying Appropriate Action on Fight Situation.

Visualization Training: Applying Appropriate Action on Fight Situation

Martial Lovers, a wise man said, "Life is a choice"

In martial training, we learn how to win any fight. There are fatal techniques and non fatal techniques we train. And there are also many choices we could apply on to win or survive in real fight. To simplify them, these are choices we could apply:

1. Killing or injuring opponent

2. Disarming or disabling opponent without injuring opponent

3. Disfighting opponent (persuading opponent, getting in a room, ignoring, and so on)

4. Fleeing

The choice we decide to do depends on situation we are facing with. It is a suggestion to visualize all fight situation in your mind, thus visualize what you will do to overcome them. Visualization training is important because there is almost no time to think in a real fight. What you will do spontaneously and borne by your unconscious mind.

Now let us start visualizing situation below. You should visualize these situation thus visualize your own action to overcome them. I will not give you answers. A situation may have 1 or 2 answers.

Situation 1

Your drunken brother has come back from a bar. He is getting mad without a cause. Now he is going to hit you.

Situation 2

While you are walking on street, you meet a crazy people. He has drawn his knife, and now he is attacking you.

Situation 3

You are a soldier in a combat now. Enemies' commander is in front of you. You both are out of ammo.

Situation 4

You are being trapped in a massive chaos. Suddenly many people shout and chase you. It seems so well they are going to attack you without any mercy at all to show you.

Situation 5

You and your wife would get divorce. Last morning the misunderstanding had been cleared. You canceled divorcing. This afternoon, your brother-in-law who has not known it meeting you. In his anger, now he is going to attack you with a hammer.

How to Select Suitable Martial Art Based on Your Nature

It is good suggestion to select suitable martial art based on your nature. But this one is very different with to select suitable martial art based on muscle kinds.

To figure out your nature, ask one of your friend to be your partner in a fight game. Like you did in your childhood age.

After the game over, remember what kind of techniques you did most.

Did you prefer to use punch techniques merely? If yes, it is good to select Boxing.

Did you prefer to use kick techniques? If yes, Tae Kwon Do or Jeet Kun Do may be suitable for you.

Did you prefer to use combined techniques of punch and kick? Karate or Thai Boxing could be suitable for you.

Did you prefer to use lock techniques and/or throw techniques? You would better select Judo, Aikido, Wrestle, Pencak Silat, and so on.

Did you use combination of all techniques? If yes, you could select Kung Fu, Ju Jitsu, Shinto Ryu, Mixed Martial Art, and Ninjutsu.

Do you like armed fighting? You could select Wushu, Kung Fu or Ninjutsu.

Human's nature is unseen, unheard, intangible, and immeasurable. Explanation above is only an approach to predict your possible nature. Not to assure exact one.