Is there a superior technique? Part 1

During my research, in a Chinese military academy, I came across a classical Chinese text that had been lost for 1000 years and was only partially preserved on strips of bamboo. Like the famous work on strategy by Sun Tzu it was called “The Art of War“, and was written by Sun Bin in the period between 475–221 BC, which means that the author lived after Sun Tzu.

I am quoting this text in its entirety, as it is very hard to find, describes the nature of the Chinese strategic thinking in succinct sentences and introduces us to this exotic approach to achieving effectiveness.

However, the text is also very special because it repeatedly answers the question of whether there is such a thing as an all-superior technique with an emphatic NO.

"Qui" and "Zheng"
"All things between heaven and earth follow these rules:
When something has reached its extreme, it starts to develop in the opposite direction; when something has waxed full, it then wanes ... Flourishing and fading succeed each other. This is exemplified by the succession of the four seasons. Something prevails only to be prevailed over. This is exemplified by the 'Wu Xing', or the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth) interacting. No living being can escape the cycle of life and death. That is in the nature of life itself.“

Here Sun Bin is expressing the Chinese philosophy that every process has a so-called "tipping point", where everything suddenly turns into its opposite. What he does not say, but is known to every fighting expert, is that the approach of this tipping point must be recognised in time and exploited to launch an attack.

"Capability and incapability coexist. That is in the nature of all things. Advantages and disadvantages exist side by side. That is in the nature of all situations."

As in the game “Scissors, Stone and Paper“ there is no such thing as the absolutely superior, ultimate fighting technique that can vanquish all others. Everything depends on the situation.

"Therefore, all things and situations with form ('Xing') can be named and recognized. All that is named and recognizable can be prevailed over. Thus the sages know how to use the characteristics of things to overpower them, and there are inexhaustible ways of overpowering things and controlling situations."

When contemplating Chinese strategy we repeatedly encounter the viewpoint that the opponent must be shown no fixed form. There should therefore be no fixed pre-fight position for the Master (!), no fixed technique, and neither should the Master make the first move, so that he does not reveal himself and adopt a fixed form.

"War is a contest between dispositions seeking to prevail over one another. All distinguishable dispositions can be prevailed over. The question is whether you always know the right method to use to overpower a particular disposition. The changes in the mutual checks among the things in the world are as everlasting as heaven and earth and truly inexhaustible. Examples of this are so numerous that you can exhaust all the bamboo in the states of Chu and Yue and still cannot record them all. (During the Warring States Period in Sun Bin's days, people used bamboo strips to write on.)"

As soon as we recognise the “tendency“ (or trend, direction) of a process, we can defeat it.

"All things with form use their own special characteristics and advantages to prevail over all other things. It is impossible, however, for any one thing to use its advantages to prevail over all other things."

Once again the strategist is warned that there is no ultimate technique.

"Therefore, while the principle of one thing prevailing over the other is universal, you still have to find out which thing to use in order to overcome another, for each situation is different from another."

Repeats the admonition that every situation is different, and that prefabricated solutions are not the way to success.

Let us all take the message of this approx. two and a half thousand year-old text into the New Year with us, namely that there is no such thing as the ultimate, unbeatable technique of which the Internet dreamers dream when they should be training.
It is not for nothing that WingTsun has this motto: "Hand against hand, foot against foot – there is no unbeatable technique".

Let’s be realistic: everything depends on the situation, to which we must adapt our actions. Prefabricated techniques learned by heart have no chance in the real world, and give you none.

Wishing you all a very happy and successful New Year,

Your SiFu, SiGung ...
Keith R. Kernspecht

(You will find the second and final part of Sun Bin‘s text with my comments in my February editorial)

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