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Library: fighting, more philosophical
Books
Author: Lum
Date:May 7 1998
Seriously, you can't write a book that will teach people "how to fight". This
is more about the philosophical things that go on when fighting, and the
mindset of the "perfect fighter".
From the start, a master abhors direct combat and as a general principle,
avoids it. This is not b'cos she is cowardly, just cautios. She doesn't
welcome physical combat as this is just how people get killed, regardless of
how much "ability" they have.
A master operates in groups, rarely being alone. When she gets in a fight,
the first thing she checks is the opponents numbers. If there are too many,
she'll run. If she can't run, she'll do anything in her power to win. She
understands that there is no "honour" in combat, and there is no shame in
running.
In fighting, she operates without any limits. Within reason, there is nothing
she won't do if it will win the battle. She doesn't hesitate to take
advantage of anything. She uses whatever weapons she has on her person, or
that she can locate.
She makes every attack with the intention of killing her opponent. She
doesn't waste time with pointless attacks, and tries to kill with the first
blow. She never thinks of her attacks and "combination" or parts of some
larger movement, every attack should stand alone and be capable of killing the
opponent alone. She doesn't think ahead any further than the next attack.
This being said, she always fights "all-out". She never fights an actual
fight to subdue or disable an opponent. Within reason, of course, she won't
try to kill her boyfriend, kid, or cat if she gets in a fight with them. But,
if she's attacked by someone, she won't think twice about killing them.
This is why she doesn't hesitate to run away, since she assumes all fights are
to the death.
When fighting with weapons, she often neglects defense in favour of offense.
For instance, if she has a sword and someone w/o a weapon charges her, she
just sets the sword in their path. Though, most people are smart enough to
stop when she does this.
***
One of the largest problems in weapon fighting, be it sword or bokken or staff
or whatever, is just inexperience. Inexperienced fighters often fail to
maintain balance in their attacks, they'll overdo (too much movement and
predictability) or underperform (no potential to hit or do damage) their
attacks. They'll attack you when its obvious you can parry just b'cos they
can't find an opening and don't want to be underaggressive. Or, they don't
follow through with their attacks. A powerful attack uses the whole body, and
follows through as if the target was not there. Practice swinging at nothing,
at "air", and do the same when you attack someone.
Also, they're often predictable. If you can see even one move ahead, you can
win the fight right there.
***
What does this mean? A master tries to kill an opponent in a single attack,
leaving them no time to react. Three things can help this, 1) Attacking at the
right time, 2) Attacking at the right place, and 3) Attacking to the right
place.
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