HEIHO

by Phillip Starr

In so far as (Japanese) martial arts are concerned, the term “heiho” is translated as “strategy.” In Chinese, the characters for heiho (兵法) are pronounced, “bingfa.” Literally, it means (roughly) “art of war.”

There is, however, a distinction between strategy and tactics. Strategy is the overall, big picture; tactics are the means by which you achieve it. For instance, if you are suddenly confronted by some thug, you have several choices of response;

• You can run away.

• You can do something to cause him some pain and when he is sufficiently distracted, you can run.

• If you must engage him, you can grapple with him and pin him to the ground until you both decide to go steady or whatever...

• You can turn him into dogmeat.

These are strategies...the general, overall picture. If, for instance, you decide that you must turn him into dogfood, just HOW you're going to do that involves the use of tactics. And effective tactics always achieve maximum effects with minimum effort.

Really effective heiho is plotted out prior to engagement, rather like a game of chess – actually, the old Japanese game of “go” (which originated in China where it was/is known as “weiqi”) is a much better example. And it is applied not only to martial arts, but business dealings as well.

For instance, one young martial artist who was visiting another school was asked for a “lesson” by the instructor. This is an old but acceptably polite way of issuing a challenge. Recognizing the request for what it was, the young man accepted and when asked what type of weapon he wished to employ, he selected a staff.

He then informed the school's instructor that at his school, it was customary to begin seated in seiza and bow. The instructor complied, seating himself on the floor facing his intended victim. He placed his wooden sword (bokken) on the floor at his left side, where he could quickly bring it into action. The visitor held his staff vertically, which is common for those seated in seiza, armed with this weapon.

Courtesies were exchanged. Then the instructor advanced his left foot (which is normal) as he prepared to stand and adopt his fighting kamae (posture). The visitor raised the butt of his staff from the floor slightly and quickly slammed it down on his opponent's instep, causing him to grimace and gasp in pain. He then snapped the staff forward, striking the instructor on the forehead. Another squeak of pain. But he was a tough sucker and grabbed for his sword. Too late. The visitor was on his feet and easily knocked the bokken away, sending it skittering across the floor....and the predator found himself on his back with his intended victim holding the tip of his staff against his throat. The lesson was over.

Heiho.

Sun-Tzu's book, The Art of War, written around 512 BC, presents us with several fine ideas that can be readily used in single combat. For instance, he cautions against completely surrounding an enemy as this will cause the foe to fight with great ferocity, like a cornered tiger. Instead, he recommends that one should leave (what appears to be) an opening through which the enemy can escape. He'll make for this “hole” in our defenses and can then be ambushed by archers laying in wait, who will pick off his men easily.

When I visited Japan, one of the sites I saw was the Imperial Castle in which the Emperor is housed. Although outsiders cannot get inside the main walls, there's plenty to explore on the outside. As we walked into what appeared to be a small courtyard, my student (who was also my guide), Hiro, explained the setup to me. “The heavy wooden door to enter this area wasn't too difficult to break through”, he explained. “The enemy thought they had broken through, but this is just a small courtyard. That (he pointed to another large door) is almost impossible to break through...and up there (he pointed to a smaller building with slitted windows overlooking the little courtyard) were archers. They would pour arrows down onto the enemy. The doors through which they had come had been shut. They'd stepped into a terrible trap and would be slaughtered to the last man.

Apply these ideas to your sparring practice. Don't make your defensive posture impenetrable; leave an opening and allow the opponent to attempt to enter through it. Then bushwhack him. You are, in a very real sense, controlling what he does.

Heiho.