Balance (21 page)

Perusing
the wall,
Michael
choos
es
a pair of
Gurkha
knives,
large curved-
blades
originating from India.

W
ith
nothing more than
a rather simple looking
four-foot
oval
staff
,
Takada
moves to the
center of the
sparring
mats
.

Following,
Michael positions himself in opposition,
one kni
fe
held
behind his back, the other
blade pointed down along his forearm in front of him. 
He
knows Taka
da is fast and highly skilled
, definitely not someone to be underestimated
.

A
cross from Michael,
Takada
remains perfectly still
, not even assuming combat posture
.

Michael moves back and forth in short semi-circles around
his opponent
, continuously closing the distance between them. 
Unfazed,
Takada remains
motionless
, forcing
his pupil
i
nto the offensive.

U
ncomfor
table with his approach,
Michael
backs
away
.
 
He
wants
Takada to react to
h
is advance
in some fashion,
allowing
a strategy to
formulate
, whether
defend or attack. 
Again,
he
presses
, moving along his opponent
’
s perimeter
.
A
s before,
Takada
remain
s
completely still
,
exasperating
Michael’s
frustration. 
Angered,
he
lung
e
s with his forward knife, feigning attack
,
pulling it back defensively
,
sim
ultaneously spinning
,
the
other
k
nife
sweeping i
n a
n
arc
, headed
toward his teacher’s neck
.

Takada
ducks under the slicing blade,
strik
ing
with his staff
to
the back
of
Michael’s left knee
,
collapsing him to the floor.

Jumping
to his feet instantly
,
Michael
rub
s
the back of his
leg
.

“
Y
ou have to stop assuming everyone will react the same way.  You need to an
ticipate the unexpected.
” Takada
admonishes.  “
What’
s the last thing you would expect me to do when you advance
d
?”

“Stand still
, obviously.
”
Michael responds, wounded.

“
Okay
.
W
hat’
s the most likely thing I would do
?”

Michael hesitates but a moment,
“
Move
your staff
in
a defensive
manner
?
”

“Good.
S
o
,
somewhere between the most likely and the least likely,
is
where my reaction will fall.”

Michael completely confused,
appeals,
“I don’t understand?”

Takada rephrases
,
“When you approached me, what did you think I would do?”

“
I didn’t.  I was waiting for you to react to my advance. 
You weren’t doing anything, so I didn’t know what you’d do.”

“Correct,
and
that’
s where you failed.  You knew I would react in a manner somewhere between doing nothing and
positioning
my staff defensively.” Takada explains.

“But that could be almost a
n infinite number of
possibilities
.”

“Yes, but considering I was standing prone, my reaction had to
originate
from
there
.  In your mind
,
picture me moving from a prone position to a defensive
one
,
taking into account
the path
my body
would
follow
, arms, legs, feet, hands … waist
. 
Now
,
are there any other potential actions I might take in response to your advance?”

Michael considers the question for a moment,
“A counter aggression, you could opt to
attack
.
”
A
nswering
confidently now.

“Yes, excellent
.
N
ow
,
picture the most effective counter-
attack to your assault.  Base your assumptions
on
the first part of your sequence, s
ince your opponent will react to what they see, formulating
their reaction on
an anticipated continuation of your
initial movement
.
”

“So if my initial movement starts out looking like a simple thrust, my opponent will formulate their reaction assuming a thrust?”

“Yes,
to a degree.  U
nderstand
,
for every assault the reaction can be defensive
,
or offensive
.
  So
,
if you thrust,
anticipate
two different reactions.
”

Michael
nods,
acknowledg
ing
Takada’s message
.

“Michael, you’re fighting style is based on formulating an assault
in reaction
,
to your
opponent
’s
reaction
.  If your opponent is aware of your style,
as I am
, your predictability becomes a detriment.
I
f
I do
no
t react
, you can
no
t formulate the counter
.  If they wait long enough,
they
can
force you
into
an
uneasy
offensive.  So use that approach against them
.
”

Michael regards Takada skeptically.

“
Anticipate the defensive and offensive
reactions
to
your assault
.  A
s you act
, offensively, it will force them to react.
K
nowing what to look for, you can immediately alter your sequence to their reaction, which you
should have anticipated.
Does this make sense?”

“So
,
you
’
r
e
saying to lead with a feint, to force a reaction
I base my assault on.”

“
I
n essenc
e. 
I
t will become more complex
than
a feint. 
Also, y
ou may want
to
commit to your initial move to avoid predictability
. 
Remember, as Rena’s
Dispatch
,
you
r
primary objective is
her
safe
extraction
.  You may have to enter the immersion yourself to
facilitate
that
extraction.  You will not have time to dance with a non-aggressive impediment to
her safety
.  You have to be always moving forward.  Does that make sense?”

“Yes
.
”

“Let’s try it again.”

Mi
chael and Takada face off
.

T
aking no time for hesitation
, Michael becomes the aggressor,
mov
ing
into Takad
a, leading with a sweeping kick.
Takada
react
s
,
jumping over the
extended
leg.  Michael, expecting the defensive move,
torques
his hips hard, launching himself in
to
a backward spin, completely leaving the mat, striking Takada with a reverse
roundhouse
kick
,
square
to
the c
hest.  The impact
,
so violent
,
it
launch
es
Takada
,
sprawling
backward across the dojo.
He lands in a heap several feet away.

Takada collects himself, “Excellent combination, but be careful leaving your base
.  Once airborne, as I was, it’
s hard to react.  If I had anticipated your salvo and maintained my base, you
would’ve
been at risk.  Learn to compact your moves
, power from shorter faster
sequences
.  Focus on your Jeet Kune Do training … Again.”

Focusing on faster combinations, Michael
again the
a
ggressor, drops
low, punching with the knife at Takada
’s
mid-section.

Takada block
s
with his staff in a downward motion with both ha
nds, leaving his face exposed.

Michael swings the
other
knife
, up and across,
toward
his opponent’s
throat.

E
xpecting the second knife at hi
s exposed face,
Takada
spins the staff
like a baton, blocking
Michael’s strike at the wrist.

Then
,
to Michael’s surprise
,
Takada’s staff
separates
.
A
hand on each
end
,
the
halves
slide fluidly apart i
n opposite di
rections
,
exposing long
razor sharp
blades fixed i
n each
length
.  If Michael’s reflexes had not been remarkably fast, the motion of exposing the blades
would’ve
severed has hand at the wrist.

F
all
ing
backward s
tunned,
Michael
glanc
es
at his
arm
, making
sure nothing is missing.  “What the hell is that?
” He
exclaims in utter amazement.

Takada stands over him smiling.  “Always expect the unexpected.  A non-aggressive opponent in a com
bat setting can mean two things,
intimidation or deception
.  Never under estimate the element of surprise.”
Takada
explains,
help
ing
Michael u
p.

Michael
examines
the twin swords.  Each weapon is four-feet
long with
the
blade
making
up half of the weapon’s
overall
length.
A slot in the handle, twice the blade thick
ness
, permits the blade of the twin to slide in along
side
the
other,
like a sheath.  The b
lades, much like Japanese Katanas
, perfectly straight,
n
o taper from hilt to tip, razor sharp along both edges and the squared off tip. 
With
the
blades
sheathed, the two handles
lock together, form
ing
a perfectly normal looking
four-foot
staff, equally capable in combat, as Takada
masterfully
demonstrated.