To Hold Down A Pillow

[Alan Armstrong]

To hold down a pillow means not allowing the enemy's head to rise.

In contests of strategy it is bad to be led about by the enemy.

You must always be able to lead the enemy about.

Obviously the enemy will also be thinking of doing this, but he cannot forestall you if you do not allow him to come out.

In strategy, you must stop the enemy as he attempts to cut, you must push down his thrust, and throw off his hold when he tries to grapple.

This is the meaning of "to hold down a pillow".

When you have grasped this principle, whatever the enemy tries to bring about in the fight you will see in advance and suppress it.

The spirit is to check his attack at the syllable "at..." when he jumps check his advance at the syllable "ju..." and check his cut at "cu...".

The important thing in strategy is to suppress the enemy's useful actions but allow his useless actions.

However, doing this alone is defensive.

First, you must act accordingly to the way, suppress the enemy's techniques, foil his plans, and hence command him directly. When you can do this you will be a master of strategy-Miyamoto Musashi

Miyamoto Musashi and Bruce Lee seem very similar in their respective martial art disciplines, universal truths are inevitably roads made of the sme stuff that lead to the same place.

It seems "Jeet Kune Do" or "The Way of the Intercepting Fist" also seems like "The Way Of Miyamoto Musashi"

Do you see the similarities between their methodologies?

[sensei8]

To hold down a pillow or to not hold down a pillow; that's the question!! Do I have that mindset? I believe that I most assuredly do!!

What worked for Musashi, no matter what it was, worked for him, and was unique for him. I respect that, if nothing else!!