Earth Strategy Know Your Surroundings

[Alan Armstrong]

Earth strategy:

Location location location, in open battles and when building a fortress, location and position are determining factors for maintaining dominance over the land.

In single combat, positioning oneself in a better place than the opponent is always a good strategy.

Taking a place or another person's land in times of old, was one thing and keeping it was another story.

Earth strategy deals with positioning, taking positions and being in a position of advantage.

Earth strategy also deals with distance, closing, holding and controlling with action.

Earth strategy implies distance, far and short, and how to get there effectively and in relative safety.

Earth strategy contains bridging tactics, in times of war controlling and destroying bridges was a very important issue also crossing wide rivers, lakes and oceans included.

From a single combat standpoint, bridging tactics still apply.

The forearms in martial arts are considered to be bridges, as bridges are devices to cross from one place to another with, the problem is however that people block or protect with their bridges; as all this does is, creates a great way for the opponent to cross and attack with.

The problem arises when using the forearms as bridges, instead of a shield, that can also be used as a weapon.

In combat getting past the opponent's defenses is considered to be good but not enough realistically as the opponent can still strike back at will.

Ideally getting past the opponent's defenses and controlling the fight is the most important thing for your safety and to provide you with an overwhelming majority victory.

Earth strategy deals with all terrains in combat with troops or one on one, know your surroundings and make good use of it, to your advantage.

Are you making full use of you Earth strategies?

[sensei8]

Topography and its surroundings must be quickly observed so know what both the advantages as well as the disadvantages are. The world is all around us, and our attackers surveys what the immediate area will or will not provide them their necessary advantages. This is so true for our attackers so that their ambush will be in area(s) that they're well aware of.

So, get the students outside of the dojo as often as possible, and drill various situations on unfamiliar topography. Teach them how to recognize how the topography can be used for them as well as how the topography can be used against them. This way, your students will do all that they can do to stay away from recognizable threats within any given topography.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!!

After all, it's our responsibility to even, as much as possible, the score!! Our attacker will more than likely attack you outside of the safety of the dojo!!