Art of Fighting | Yin & Yang

The idea of Yin & Yang is a concept that goes back centuries in Eastern philosophy.  Yin & Yang symbolizes the positive and negative forces of nature, showing their equality and their interdependency.  Without Yin, Yang energy has no control and quickly destroys itself.  Without Yang nothing will be achieved.  Yin relies on Yang to supply sustenance or drive.   For without it, Yin energy will subside, giving in to its surroundings and withering away.  One without the other cannot exist.  An excess towards either extreme results in instability.

How does this relate to fighting?

Let’s relate it to a simple physical action first. A marathon runner runs to build his endurance.  He, with practice, is capable of running great distances without rest.  The act of running is Yang in itself.  Rest is Yin.  A man cannot run forever.  He needs rest to rebuild his strength. Moreover, there can be no Yang without Yin.  Even though the act of running itself is Yang, it also contains a bit of Yin.  The great distance a runner achieves is only through practice.  In this practice he finds the traces of Yin within his exertion.  He finds at a steady, even pace to balance the supply of oxygen (Yin) with the exhalation of CO2 (Yang).  With this balance, the heart rate drops to a more constant level enabling the runner to relax (Yin).  While running is Yang, it can be maintained for a greater period of time by utilizing Yin to create a balance.  Also, seeing that it takes practice to achieve this balance, it can be assumed that prolonged periods of Yang, results in finding Yin.  Hypothetically, If the runner did not even his pace and pushed himself to run faster and faster, he would quickly find Yin by collapsing from exhaustion.

MAKING IT A STRATEGY

The example above illustrates the necessity to equal the forces of Yin & Yang.  As a strategic ideal, Yin and Yang must play a part in every aspect.  Every action and every reaction should have equally balanced parts that make up the whole.

Punching, for example, Must have both Yin & Yang.  In the straight lead for example, the punch is launched (Yang), the hand is held open and relaxed (Yin), at the moment of impact the fist is clenched (Yang).  Afterwards, it relaxes again going back to Yin.  The same is applied to all attacks, be it a kick, a punch, or even a head butt.

Bruce Lee stated, “Make your opponents attack your attack”.

In action, not only are the tools themselves balanced in nature, but also their application is in accordance to the principles of Yin & Yang.  To go all out and throw everything you’ve got (Yang), without thought as to where and when for the appropriate attack, you will find Yin as you lie unconscious on the floor.  Bruce Lee stated, “Make your opponents attack your attack”.  What’s meant by this is that his actions should depict yours.  If he throws out a jab, your movement is made in accordance to his.  His attack is Yang.  Your immediate response should be Yin. Either avoid the attack by redirecting it with a parry or evade it by moving out of the way.   In both cases Yin begets Yang.

Contradictory to the principles of Yin & Yang, many styles of martial arts such as Karate, attempt to block the oncoming blow.  A block is a Yang action, whereas a parry is Yin.  The block uses force to stop or deaden the blow while the parry softly redirects it.  Utilizing a block pits Yang against Yang.  Its success depends on having the strength to overcome the attack.  Meanwhile, the parry balances the situation by using Yin to avoid the Yang.

COUNTER ATTACK!

The launching of a counter attack also depends on both Yin &  Yang.  While the opponent attacks with the jab (Yang), you evade (Yin), slipping underneath the blow, you strike to the ribs (becoming Yang).  His reaction is Yin as he recoils in pain. This is a perfect example of ”fitting in” or adapting to the situation.  You have made his attack your attack! While still following Yin & Yang, there are an infinite amount of counters that would work in this situation.  Experiment with it!

INITIATION OF ATTACK

It is not necessary to wait until you are attacked to utilize this strategy.  There are many ways to initiate the engagement with Yin & Yang in mind. For example, if an adversary stands idle, unsure of his attack, moving forward you can press him (Yang) forcing him to react.  If he reacts by stepping to the left (Yin), you can intercept his motion with a hook punch, using his movement against him.  If he reacts with an attack to keep you away, you simply “fit in”, striking him at a moment where he is vulnerable.

Another method would be to leave yourself open as a decoy.  Hoping the opponent attempts to take advantage of that opening, you are ready with the appropriate response.  Being open you are Yin, attacking your weakness he is Yang.  Or the opposite may be true.  Being mischievous and controlling his actions you are Yang.  His falling for your ploy makes him Yin.  Regardless of how it is perceived the outcome is the same.  The action ends with you striking him (Yang) and he, once again, recoils in pain (Yin).

THE VERSATILITY

there is always a Yin and always a Yang

Yin & Yang are the perfect strategy for any adversary.  No matter the situation there is always a Yin and always a Yang.  It’s not like having a strategy that fails when the situation presented is not ideal for that action. A specific game plan never works.  An art that is built on one strategy alone is Tae Kwon Do.  Their main goal is to kick their opponent in the head.  The idea behind this is that the legs are the strongest weapons and the head is a most vulnerable target.  The failing in this plan is two fold.  First, the head as a target is relatively hard to hit with the feet as compared to others such as the knee or the groin.  The second is that it doesn’t take in consideration the fact that they may run into a puncher that gets inside those kicks.  Having concentrated on their primary goal, they are caught unprepared for fighting in this range.  Their kicks are superior but by neglecting their hands they are defeated.

A well thought out strategy leaves room for variables.  One does not attempt to plan out the engagement step by step. He cannot create a counter for every attack.  He cannot completely dictate the actions of his adversary.  A fight is “alive”, it is ever changing and the variables are endless.  Yin and Yang; what better strategy to adopt?  It too is alive, ever changing, varies to infinity. Discover the Yin and the Yang and you will see things as they are and not how they should be.