A FAIR FIGHT... NO SUCH THING.

Here's Merriam-Webster's definition of fair:

¹fair

 adjective \ˈfer\

6 a : marked by impartiality and honesty : free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism <a very fair person to do business with>

b (1) : conforming with the established rules : allowed (2) :consonant with merit or importance : due <a fair share>

Here's my definition:
A construct taught to young children to help overcome their tendency to favor their "id" over all else.

In other words, FAIRNESS IS TOTALLY ARTIFICIAL.

You've heard it before:

LIFE isn't fair.

ALL'S fair in LOVE and WAR.

Seems like fair doesn't apply to these relatively major phenomena.

The concept of fair is not a naturally occurring phenomenon.  It works for games of chance and sporting events to minimize the effect of natural advantage and dishonesty.  It keeps betting friendly.  It teaches children to share.  These are good things.

Unfortunately it doesn't occur in Nature.  Ever.  Nature instead works on the concept of dynamic equilibrium.  That is basically an ever shifting state of balance.  Things happen one way, then they eventually happen in a complementary way.  We exist in nature, but we create these constructs to facilitate the existence of "peaceful" society.  It's worked for thousands of years, and probably will continue for thousands more.  The problem is, the idea of fair is rendered null and void when one party simply chooses to ignore it.

CHEAP SHOT.

LOADED DIE.

FUNNY DECK.

STEROIDS.

Suddenly the concept of "fair" is thrown into question.  Because outside of a carefully officiated game, the party that throws "fair" to the wind normally gains an upper hand over the "FAIR PLAY" guy.  This often results in the whole affair devolving into something rather nasty and dishonorable.  Or it results in the "cheater" coming out on top.

But every now and again, the cheater is defeated by someone who understands the abstract nature of fairness.

"Now are you saying to fight fire with fire? To meet a cheater where he lives?"

HELLS NO.

I am saying to be prepared for the true nature of things, and not expect that someone is going to compete with you on equal footing.

Sports attempt to equalize competition with weight classes, drug testing, event location, qualification, etc.  Life does no such thing.  When the Spartans met the Persians at Thermopylae there was no fairness involved.  When the ninja of Iga were wiped out, Nobunaga was not looking for a fair fight.  When a larger, stronger, more experienced Sonny Liston tried to blind young Cassius Clay, he sure as hell had no intentions of being square.  The idea is to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.  That way, if everything is on the level, you can excel.  But if life throws you an asshole (ahem, CURVE) then you can be prepared to meet the challenge.

"I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.

A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough

without ever having felt sorry for itself"

-D.H. Lawrence

If something doesn't go your way due to an actual or perceived inequality, it does you no good to pout about the absence of "fairness". Instead, look to shift the balance back in your favor. (AM I SUGGESTING THAT YOU CHEAT? ONCE AGAIN, NO.) Whatever resources you have, redistribute and fortify them. You're more fortunate than many if you even have the opportunity to regroup and counterattack.

My philosophy is that there are 3 WAYS TO TRAIN:

1. Train to protect yourself on the street.  This is the most basic form of training.  It is to protect yourself from one or more untrained assailants in a real world situation.  When one trains this way they assume that they are more skilled than their opponent and that the element of surprise, speed, and technique are advantages.  Many martial artists train this way, and a large number of them overestimate their abilities.

2. Train to face other Martial Artists.  This is a higher level of training, but often of less use than the first.  This level of training often focuses on competition and sport, both of which have rules and fouls.  Sport fighters often develop blind spots to "illegal" techniques and thusly have no defense for these techniques.  Wanna beat your average boxer?  Kick him in the legs.  Or just tell him that you're gonna kick him in the legs then punch him in the face.

3. Train to protect yourself from the perpetual threat of ninja ambush. IMHO, this is the ultimate goal of training.  A ninja ambush implies a confrontation where one is at TOTAL DISADVANTAGE.  Outnumbered, over-matched, and caught off guard, this is the most one-sided confrontation in which one can imagine being involved. When one trains in this manner, they all but accept that their last moments may be in the absence of anything remotely resembling fair.

This concept also extends to all parts of life.  I do not expect to be treated fairly.  When I am, I am grateful.  All the rest of the time, I work to stack the deck in my favor to offset any treachery that I may encounter.

I seek victory, not fairness.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: I got that last line from Splinter, the master of the Ninja Turtles.  I don't care where it comes from, wisdom is wisdom.

-LW.

CONTRIBUTIONS!

Here is some content that some of my readers have recently brought to my attention:

Zenpencils:

http://zenpencils.com/comic/3-unknown-always-be-prepared/

A cool little webcomic with some interesting inspirational quotes.  And while I'm on the webcomic kick, check this one out:

http://friedchickenandsushi.com/

Shameless plug for a good friend ;)

Here is a blog that was referred to me, and this post is very similar in tone to my 'Sword musings...

http://www.earlytorise.com/a-lesson-from-abraham-lincoln-on-persuasion/

The writer makes some valid points and interesting parallels.

If anyone reading this has some content they would like to contribute or AN IDEA FOR AN UPCOMING POST, please feel free to contact me.

-Lonewolf 

KEEP YOUR HANDS UP.

The "guard". The hallmark of every fighting style on the planet.  To the savant, an immediate indicator of a fighter's school.  But it serves other purposes as well.  To an untrained attacker, one's guard may serve as a deterrent. "Uh-oh, this guy knows some shit", is the most common reaction.  Many use it to bluff their way out of a confrontation (Hell, I did it when I was a kid, to great effect), while others use it to initiate conflict.

Skip to 1:08, or just watch the whole thing ;)

So formalities aside, the main reason to keep your hands up is to avoid this:

Getting knocked the F*CK out. 

A good guard protects one from an opponent's attacks while simultaneously keeping you ready to mount an attack.  Any guard that favors offense at the expense of defense leaves it's user "unguarded".  Conversely, an overprotective guard hinders the ability to seize an opportunity to strike.  An effective guard dynamically balances offense and defense.

Now we often hear of someone being "guarded" or "having their guard up" in day to day interaction.  This would be an example of an overprotective guard.  If you walk around from day to day and people can see that your hands are up, it puts them in a confrontational posture.  However, just to protect your well being and personal space, (I believe) it is necessary to be on guard without looking like you're on guard.  Especially in negotiations.  Be prepared to protect your interests and command respect from the opposite party, and be prepared to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself.  The key to this "relaxed guard" is knowing yourself.  You must be aware of how comfortable you are in the situation, and that will determine how much you will take, and how much you can give. (I sense that this will be it's own blog entry)

I'm not going to go into how to hold your guard, because there are hundreds of variations on the basic guard, and they all serve the same purpose.

Now the "relaxed guard" is actually a higher level of guard because it requires more confidence by the user because it actually "invites" an attack by creating the illusion of an opening in the defense.

Ali was famous for fighting with his hands down, and as you see, it invites attacks which leave the opponent open for a counter.

Bruce's version further illustrates the point.  These guys were confident in their speed, reaction, reach and timing so they could violate this cardinal rule of fighting.  They were also confident in their assessment of their OPPONENT'S ABILITY. (Yet another blog to come)  The end of this clip leads into the final level of "KEEP YOUR HANDS UP"...

It's called "PUT YOUR HANDS DOWN".

The ultimate form is formlessness, to paraphrase Bruce, Musashi, and many other enlightened artists through history.  I learned this through Ninjutsu's SHIZEN NO KAMAE (natural stance)

It's literally standing with your arms at your side.  Depending on the situation and the opponent, it is either the ultimate taunt/invitation to attack, or the ultimate deterrent.  Once you have mastered the guard, you can basically forget the guard.  This is one of the great ironies of life that I love running into repeatedly.

Now do not forget: SHIZEN IS THE REPRESENTATION OF ONE'S TOTAL CONFIDENCE IN THIER CONTROL OF A SITUATION. It should never be used as a bluff. Ever.

So once again, the application of the "KEEP YOUR HANDS UP" concept is left up to the user.  Whether physical or metaphorical, you want to protect your self and your space, while remaining able to strike out and seize the day.