Forcing Loss of Balance
Musashi advises using surprise and flexibility to disrupt an opponent’s balance in combat. The passage contrasts that responsiveness with holding one rigid posture.
THE IDEA
FORCING LOSS OF BALANCE
A warrior can lose his balance because of danger, surprise, or difficulty. When you attack, you should do so with no warning of any kind. Once your enemy loses his balance, your attack will be virtually impossible to stop. If you stand strong and rigid, your spirit will be very easy to read and you will be beaten because you are not flexible. The same is true of being too loose. Flexibility is a very important attitude. Things will not always go your way regardless of your practice and your attempts to define your own existence. Therefore, how can you always maintain strictly one posture? In large scale combat, attack where the enemy is not expecting you to. Likewise, in one-to-one combat appear to be one thing and then attack as another. Never give the enemy a chance to see your true spirit. It is easy to lead a horse when you know how to hold the reins. When your enemies are deceived, you will be able to control any situation because they are expecting one thing and you strike at them with another. It is the same with feigning a punch and throwing a kick.
When to use it
In a negotiation, consider an alternative proposal when the discussion is stuck, then assess the response.
In sports, change your rhythm or strategy mid-game to confuse the opponent and create scoring opportunities.
In a difficult conversation, notice whether repeating the same approach is helping and consider another way to explain the issue.
In business planning, compare an unexpected product approach with familiar competitive responses and test the assumptions behind it.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Feint in Combat
In one-to-one combat, you appear to throw a punch but instead kick, causing the opponent to lose balance and making your attack difficult to stop.
Surprise Attack in Large Scale Combat
In large-scale combat, attack where the enemy is least expecting, such as a flank or rear, to throw them off balance and gain control of the situation.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
How can you apply the principle of unpredictability in your daily interactions to maintain an advantage?
In what situations do you tend to be too rigid, and how can you cultivate more flexibility?
Think of a time you were caught off guard. How could you have used this concept to regain balance and turn the situation around?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Musashis book of five rings the definitive interpretation of Miyamoto Musashis classic book of strategy (Kaufman, SteveMiyamoto, Musashi)