Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Renewing the Winter Tradition of Reading the Classics and Other Matters

(Updated at 12:22 hrs.)

As mentioned before, being mindfully aware is the key to succeeding in any endeavor. Sometimes it does not hurt to re-read the classics to remind us of the various fundamentals of life. 

Recommended Classics
In previous posts, we have discussed the topic of taking one quiet weekend to re-read the classics (The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China, Dao De Jing, Zhuang Zi, etc.) during the winter season while standing.

One of the following weekends, some of the group will be re-reading some of the following books:
  • Against the Gods (The Remarkable Story of Risk);
  • Sherlock Holmes Detective Stories;
  • The Protracted Game;
  •  The Thirty-six Stratagems Applied to Go;
  • The Tao of Physics; 
  • Strategies for the Human Realm;
  • The Tao of Deception;
  • 100 Unorthodox Strategies;
  • Dao De Jing;
  • Zhuang Zi;
  • The Romance of the Three Kingdoms; and
  • other unique strategic classics.
Here is an abridged list of the past "hot" books that we have read:
  • Anti-Fragile; 
  • Made to Stick;
  • The Physics of Wall Street;
  • The Signal and The Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail- but Some Don't 
  • Turing's Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe
  • Bill James's Baseball Abstract
For those who are audio listeners, we recommended the following books:
The rest of us will also be working on our Tangible Vision and our Compass Script while drinking hot tea.

This specific tradition and the use of the standing table have also enabled us  to hone our strategic and tactical skills.

Other Traditions and Suggestions
Following are other interesting yearly traditions that some of our strategic associates have always abide by:
  • Renewing one's yearly subscription of Business Week, Wired, Psychology Today, The Wall Street Journal and The Economist;
  • Reviewing and updating one's tactical playbook;
  • Reviewing and updating one's contacts database;
  • Upgrading one's own technological infrastructure; and 
  • Updating one's own security practices.
Our friends at Cook Ding Kitchen and other strategic groups have always reminded us to abide the subsequent list of suggestions that would help the underdogs:
  • Donating some cash and/or valued books to the local libraries;  
  • Donating some cash and/or food to the local charities; and 
  • Offering strategic advice to the local non-profit charities.
Comment From the Compass Desk
Practicing the process of reading the configuration of a situation, reflecting on the pluses and the minuses and adjusting to the  situation, is the daily proclivity of a good strategic implementer.

In our case, we preferred the practice of assessing, positioning and influencing.  We will discuss about that specific practice in a future post. 

Side note 
The book reading tradition and the walking of precipitous heights originated from an associate who studied from a Wu Dang practitioner/TCM expert.

Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 25, 2014

More Food For Thought: A Pragmatic Idea for December 25


Comments From The Compass Desk
On this holy day, many people will pursue the historical strategic approach of  eating Chinese food .

Click here on the Jewish tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas Day.  
A few of our associates favorite Americanized Chinese food is  the General Tso Chicken.
While it is an slightly over-rated dish, some people consider it as comfort food. Click here for a quick history lesson on this "fun" dish.

#
The late and great Red Auerbach the former coach of the Boston Celtics (a professional basketball team) , always had Chinese food for dinner regardless whether his Boston Celtics team won or lost a game.   ... He always insisted that his team consumed Chinese food for dinner, especially before a game. 

The presumption was that good Chinese food should never create the feeling of "heavy" with the eater.  Whether Coach Auerbach and his team have ever completed a Chinese "nine course" banquet, is a different story.   


"Being light is right" is the basic principle of consumption.  ...   The state of lightness enables one to be agile and mobile.  Conclusively, this state causes one to feel balanced. 

In our case,  some of us have always followed the Compass Principle of being balanced. 



Chinese Food + Netflix = A Good Day



Be  safe. 

Sunday, December 21, 2014

The Dao of the Strategist: Protecting the Body Through Mindfulness



To be proficient in the strategy game, the strategist realized that he/she must be mindful of their own well-being.

Click here on more information on the topic of stressing one's body from the top down.

Near-Final Comments From The Compass Desk
Click here for our perspective on building a mindful center within one's own being.





Thursday, December 18, 2014

Succeeding in the Field Game with the Moscow Rules or the Sunzi's Victory Temple Model

(updated on 12/27/14 11:18.11)

It has been rumored that the some or most covert field operators have usually function under some aspects of the Moscow rules especially in chaotic times. Whether one could use this set in a complex setting is quite questionable.

The Moscow Rules
Following is an abbreviated list of the probably-fictional Moscow Rules that has circulated around the Internet and in fiction:
  • Assume nothing.
  • Murphy is right.
  • Don't look back; you are never completely alone.
  • Everyone is potentially under opposition control.
  • Go with the flow, blend in.
  • Vary your pattern and stay within your cover.
  • Any operation can be aborted. If it feels wrong, it is wrong.
  • Maintain a natural pace.
  • Lull them into a sense of complacency.
  • Build in (the) opportunity, but use it sparingly.
  • Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. (borrowed from Muhammad Ali, aka Cassius Clay.)
  • Don't harass the opposition.
  • There is no limit to a human being's ability to rationalize the truth.
  • Pick the time and place for action.
  • Keep your options open.
  • Technology will always let you down.
  • Once is an accident. Twice is coincidence. Three times is an enemy action. (taken from Ian Fleming's novel Goldfinger)
  • Don't attract attention, even by being too careful
Click here for another version of the rules.  

Following is the International Spy Museum (Washington, D.C.,) version of the Moscow Rules are given as:[2]
  1. Assume nothing.
  2. Never go against your gut.
  3. Everyone is potentially under opposition control.
  4. Don't look back; you are never completely alone.
  5. Go with the flow, blend in.
  6. Vary your pattern and stay within your cover.
  7. Lull them into a sense of complacency.
  8. Don't harass the opposition.
  9. Pick the time and place for action.
  10. Keep your options open.
"Although no one had written them down, they were the precepts we all understood ... By the time they got to Moscow, everyone knew these rules. They were dead simple and full of common sense...".[1]  
- Tony Mendez
Source:  wikipedia.org

Regardless of the political change of our global economy, the Moscow Rules are still utilized by some field strategists. ... Whether it is effective in a complex setting, is questionable? 

So, do you think it is important to learn the the Moscow Rules before going on the field?




Comments From The Compass Desk
So, what is wrong with using these rules?  They lacked the tactical specifics on how to utilize it and when to employ it. 

To be strategically effective, the field operators must possessed proper training and practical experience.   Having the strategic instinct is an asset. 

  • Do you know when should one "assume nothing?"   ... 
  • Do you know when the Murphy Law is applied?   ... 
  • Do you know when to go against your instinct and when to go with your instinct?
  • Do you know why one should vary their pattern of operation and stay within their cover?
  • Do you know when and how to lull them into a sense of complacency?
  • Do you know why harassing the opposition is a bad idea? 
  • Do you know when is a good time to harass the opposition?
  • Do you know when to pick the time and the place for action?
  • Do you know when to keep your options open?
  • Better yet, do you know when to go with the flow and blend in?
Those who are deep in the strategy game, usually mindfully understand the notion of assessing the configuration of their Big Tangible Picture instead of just using the rules, for the obvious reason of minimizing negative after-effects.  When the factors of risk, uncertainty and volatility are numerous, applying this result-oriented process model becomes relevant.

Operating on simple rules and/or on base instinct could only go so far. Those who succeed with that approach usually succeed in simple strategic settings. But they frequently grinded toward their target in unique complex situations.

#
The Victory Temple Model
“These are the ways that successful strategists are victorious. They cannot be spoken or transmitted in advance. ... Before the confrontation, they resolve in their temple (or conference room) that they will be victorious, have determined that the majority of factors are in their favor. Before the confrontation they resolve in their temple (or conference room) that they will not be victorious, have determined a few factors are in their favor.  

If those who find that the majority of factors favor them, will be victorious while those who have found few factors favor them will be defeated, what about someone who finds no factors in their favor? 


When observing from this viewpoint, victory and defeat will be apparent.”

- Art of War 1 (Paraphrased from the Sawyer's translation)

Click here for more information on the Sunzi's Victory Temple Model.

# One of the best books for understanding this perspective is Dr. Ralph D. Sawyer's Tao of Spycraft.
Ralph Sawyer's first book on the history of Chinese intelligence, The Tao of Spycraft, was written to help correct what he perceived to be a general "lack of interest in China's achievements in the thorny field of intelligence." He adds that a detailed historical treatment is needed for two reasons. First, "no nation has practiced the craft of intelligence or theorized about it more extensively than China." Second, the current government in China employs the ancient precedents and practices that have proved successful for thousands of years.15 The result was a very detailed account of the techniques employed long before the Christian era by Chinese warring states. These methods were informed by the principles elucidated in Sun Tzu's Art of War and concentrated on the theory of agents, evaluating men, and the importance of terrain. In The Tao of Deception, or the way of the unorthodox,16 Sawyer extends his approach to espionage, surprise and deception in warfare.
Since Chinese warfare is and has been guided by fundamentally different principles--with the emphasis on the unorthodox--from those applied by European military tacticians, Westerners must learn the oriental approach, and Sawyer provides examples drawn from events throughout the dynastic periods (2853 BCE-1911). Sawyer acknowledges the use of deception in the West, but he contends it is not yet as integrated into military thinking and planning as it is in China. The final chapter discusses deception's applicability to intelligence operations in today's Peoples Republic of China, including their implications for possible future conflict. The book is extensively documented with both Chinese and English sources, many of the latter translations from Chinese.
Neither of Sawyer's volumes is easy reading--they are not introductory texts. And for readers unfamiliar with Chinese history and language, the task is doubly difficult. The names and relationships require considerable concentration. Nevertheless, for those who are concerned about China's historic and contemporary approaches to intelligence and deception operations, it is worth the effort.
Source: intel. central

This book espouses many intelligence gathering concepts, that does not directly connect to the topic of strategic and tactical factors. You just have to discover it and take the time to connect it to your situational setting or you can wait for us to publish some aspects of the Victory Temple algorithm.

There are other great books to this thematic subject. We will discussed this topic in a later post.

Click here for more information on the Sunzi's Victory Temple model.

Side Note: Then there are those who preferred to operate in the field by using the Phoenix List.



Comments From the Compass Desk
So, which strategic approach would you choose?

Knowing the rules and using simplified models in a complex and chaotic setting, could only go so far.   In most cases, grinding one step at a time is psychologically tasking.

In the Chinese strategy game, one focuses on the singularity (the Dao) of the situation before deciding on whether to pursue the obvious move or the exceptional move (non-obvious move). 

None of us are field operators. Nonetheless, we are just good observers who understand how the strategic process of properly assessing the Big Tangible Picture and the levels within it, could offer a slight advantage. 


The Dao Of The Compass 
Assess your grand setting by using the macro principles from the Seven Military Classics  of Ancient China.

Position by deciding the specifics of your strategic view (priority objectives, approach, condition guidelines and escapative guidelines) before developing your script of moves and counter moves 

Influence the setting with your script of moves while quietly assessing and positioning forward.

Suggestion: 

When or if you are residing in a chaotic field, carrying your copy of Sunzi's essay and/or a list of the Moscow rules is not going to help at all.

Wear your hoodie, carry your "Go Bag" and keep on moving while staying mindfully aware of your settings and beyond. Reflectively know what is the Big Tangible Picture before assessing its configuration in terms of threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths.


Positioning yourself forward with your script


Influencing your setting of the Big Tangible Picture with the macro concepts from the Sunzi classic.


Good luck!

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Preparation Precedes Performance: Preparing The "Go" Bag for a Chaotic Setting

In our information economy (search, mobile and cloud), some members of the masses have become addicted to the immediate gratification of technology. 

What would happen to the masses if the power source behind the technological element of the information economy is nullified for whatever set of reasons? Concurrently, what would they do if natural disasters become a seasonal trend.  What would you do?

Planning and the preparation are the general steps of our "Position" stage.  ... One must be agile, light and mobile on the field regardless of the situation.  ... . 

To prepare for the uncertainty of life, it is important to possess the right essentials (tools, etc.)  and not use it than to need it and not having it.  ...                              
                    
Preparation Precedes Performance
Here is the updated "Alpha" list of gear for one's everyday carry (EDC) purposes:                  
  • a compass        
  • a polycarbonatic clipboard and notepaper.        
  • a Swiss Army Knife (and a Leatherman's multi-tool)     
  • a devoted blade (Emerson, SOG, etc.)  
  • a roll of duct tape                     
  • a LED flashlight and backup batteries    
  • a set of N95 masks
  • a set of vinyl (medical) gloves
  • a Nalgene plastic water bottle (BPA free)
  • a pair of Sunglasses
  • a Smartphone  (with backup batteries)
  • a light pack of USB gear cables (esp. the USB to mini USB cable)            
  • a few large capacity USB flash drives
  • a Faraday-type of container. 
Compass Guidelines for Field Preparation
  • Be light, agile and mobile.  
  • Always carry necessities not accessories.
Here is the updated "Bravo" list of gear for the accessories bag (aka. "The Go Pack #2")  It is nice to have this prepackaged set of gear for extreme climate-driven terrains.                    
  • A set of paper maps of one's terrain
  • A good durable backpack or a quality vest w/ multiple pockets. 
  • A disposable cloth towel
  • A few elastic bands
  • A durable garbage bags            
  • wooden and metal toothpicks                   
  • non-metallic paper clips and metallic binder clips                           
  • Rolls of cash and coins
  • chewing gum, chocolate bars and energy food bars                                
  • a set of specialized magnets
  • a set of small screwdrivers and some screws             
  • a digital watch                                                 
  • a ball point pen and a wooden pencil                                        
  • a colored electrician tapes
  • a cloth towel
  • a dryer's lint filter                
  • a magnesium fire starter
  • a set of colored flares         
  • a set of colored b-day candles                 
  • nylon fishing line and hooks
  • a portable hard drive
  • a USB to mini USB cable                                       
  • a ethernet cable
  • safety pins
  • plastic straws
  • a mini first aid kit (TCM and Western medicine- band aids/gauze, anti germ gel, etc.) 
  • Yunnan White Powder (This Chinese powder medicine works for minor laceration)                                                    
Conclusion
Always be prepared and always know when to gear up.  ... As mentioned before, it is important to be prepared (possessing the right essentials) and not use it than to need it and not having it. Fwiw, this bag makes a good X-Mas gift to those who live in the extreme terrain.  

#

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Succeeding with Inefficiency: The Delusion of Poor Strategic Thinking


Source: http://www.xkcd.com/1445/

"90% of strategies fail due to poor execution. ..." - Harvard Business School research

"Three out of the four projects never leave the starting line." - Anonymous 



60%+ of strategies fail due to a misunderstanding of the goal and their surroundings.”     - 2009 Survey from Projectsatwork.com

70% of all strategies fail,  (Most of these strategies were basically sound, but could not be executed). 
-  An estimation by Fortune Magazine 

Comments From The Compass Desk 
We believed that the origin of this problem begins in the poor understanding of the following three points:
  • the poor assessment of the Big Tangible Picture of one's terrain;
  • the poor positioning of oneself through the planning and preparation" process; and
  • the "influencing of the terrain and the competition within it.
One cannot plan and execute when he/she does not understand their grand terrain and beyond. Do you agree?

Thursday, December 11, 2014

The Failure of Innovating in a Moderately Innovative Economy



The states who do not possess any companies that innovate, will find other ways to increase their revenue base. At that point, the race to the bottom become pertinent. 

Click here and here on how Subaru increased their competitive advantage by influencing the New Jersey state government to play the role of bottom feeder.






Monday, December 1, 2014

Post November 2014 IPTV Trends


The Possible Decline of Cable
Busting the Cord Cutting Myth
Nasdaq
I gathered all of the video subscriber data from the top publicly traded cable, satellite, and IPTV operators. Combined, these companies account for about 85% of ...


Dutch IPTV up at expense of cable
Broadband TV News
Cable still accounted for over half (55%) of digital TV subscribers in Q3, despite losing market share to the increasingly available IPTV services over DSL and ...



What the Consumers are Doing 
53% of gamers download at least one title a month
IPTV News
CDN specialist Limelight Networks has released its first annual Consumer Gaming Trends report, which explores global trends in consumer video gaming and ...


UK kids topping up TV hours with online viewing
IPTV News
New Ofcom research reveals the extent to which children are topping up traditional live TV viewing by watching online video clips and catch-up TV. Ofcom's ...


IPTV to account for a quarter of UK TV views by 2018
Rapid tv news-11 hours ago
Research from Quantum-Web has revealed the success of BT and TalkTalk in driving the UK IPTV market which the analyst predicts will account for 23.7% of ...


Hungary digital television subs up 13000 in October
Telecompaper (subscription)
In October, the number of subscriptions on wired networks (CATV and IPTV) rose by 5,000 to 2.056 million compared to September. Of these subscriptions ...


US pay TV takes quarterly subscriber hit
TBI Vision
IPTV provider AT&T U-verse was the biggest pay TV gainer by far, adding 216,000 customers in the quarter, against 114,000 for Verizon FiOS. “The pay-TV ...


The Possible New Trends 
4K TV shipments surge 500%
IPTV News
TV shipments improved 4% Y/Y in Q3'14, and LCD TV shipments alone rose nearly 9%, according to the latest findings in the Quarterly Global TV Shipment and ...


Streaming sticks expected to help fill 2014 Xmas lists
IPTV News
New analysis and insights from Parks Associates predict smart watches and connected entertainment devices, including game consoles and streaming media ...


OTT pay-TV revenue to hit $10 billion in 2018
IPTV News
Over-the-top (OTT) pay-TV revenue is forecast to grow from $5.8 billion in 2014 to just over $10 billion in 2018, according to market research firm Infonetics ...


Infonetics: Pay-TV OTT Video to Hit $10B by 2018
PCC Mobile Broadband
... growing significantly compared to cable TV, satellite TV, and IPTV in the pay-TV segment, according to Infonetics' Pay TV Services and Subscribers report .


Video to equal 55% of all mobile data traffic by 2020
IPTV News
The latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report, a comprehensive update on mobile trends leveraging big data from live networks worldwide, launches today.


OTT Video Market Attractiveness Index Worldwide Country ...
DigitalJournal.com
For pay-TV operators, OTT video has become an important alternative to the established cable TV, DTH and IPTV platforms. OTT is so prominent that today the ...




Since 2009-2010, we saw this trend coming.  

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving 2014


Regardless of our settings,  it is important to stay centered and be thankful for the many simple things.   ... 

If one is innovative and strategically brutal,  their chances of succeeding in the U.S. of A (the hotbed of opportunity and growth)  increases greatly.  If he/she is located in Europe (and some other unnamed countries, the odds are against them. 

Click here for the obvious reason.

Have a good holiday.






Friday, November 21, 2014

A Quick Book Review on Sawyer's Zhuge Liang Book ( Strategy, Achievements and Writings)


One of our associates was recently surfing Amazon and noticed the criticism of Sawyer's book on Zhuge Liang.  We found the negative comments to be interesting but wrongly stated.

The Compass View 
Zhuge Liang was a ancient Chinese strategist whose current base of fans have ignored his flaws and his frailty for the usual reasons of supporting the "the friendly and intelligent underdog/nice guy."

Fact: Zhuge Liang did almost everything that enabled the Shu State to survive. Unfortunately, that effort was not able to conquer the Wei state.

One man is never enough to change the course of history. Simultaneously, the majority of the masses are focused on the end-results regardless of the situation.

One Possible Reason
Tactically, he was always looking for that "unique" grand tactical factor (the force multiplier) instead of winning by "qi" (as in qi/zhieng) and courage.

Analysis
Zhuge Liang almost always repeated the same "grand tactical approach" and "tactical modes" without ever changing the means.  Being strategically predictable created the act of "immediate gamification" by his enemies. 

Another Possible Reason 
Concurrently, there was always a chance that the Shu's court was penetrated by political collaborators, agents and spies from the other states whose goal was to subvert from within.  

None of these incidents were never recorded. This possibility could have also prevented Zhuge Liang from ever succeeding.

The Possible Grand Reason 
We believed that the minimization of tangible resources, the constant flow of disorganization, and the lack of having a good operational team were some of the key reasons for causing him to meet his  "Peter Principle."  The stress of those many challenges and a few major strategic losses transformed Zhuge Liang  into a shell of himself.  He later became an extreme cautious person.

In some historical instances, those mentioned points have usually caused the downfalls of his campaigns.  

Retrospectively, we would never know what were some of the undocumented causes behind the collapse of the Shu state.

Summary
Psychologically, many of us admired and adored the ever-persistent underdog. However, history only awards the victors and the founder of the Jin dynasty became the winner.  

We concluded that Dr. Sawyer's book to be a well-founded counterpoint to the historical legend of Zhuge Liang. 

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Thoughts on Assessing Strategically from Bill James, A Successful Baseball Strategist


"We are always right, except when we are wrong,
We are always on target except when we’re off.
We are always on time, except when we are early, or when we are late.
We do the best we can.’’
2014 Bill James Handbook 

Source: ESPN

Click here on an interesting but short interview on the Great Bill James from FT . com!   

You can visit his site at BillJamesonline.com.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

The Non-Possible Reason Behind the Patriots Victory Over the Colts (42-20)




To the neophytes,  the winning element was the Belichick's hoodie.   The hoodie does not, plan or execute.  

However, the record of the gray hoodie improves. Click here for part two on the record of the gray hoodie.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Happy Veterans Day


It is important to take time to think about the many people who have served this country and thank them and their families as well.

Improving One's Centerness Through The Practice of The Chinese Qiang (The Chinese Spear)




(updated with new material at 11.28.14  0118 hrs)

Instead of bringing up the usual strategy and tactics topic, we decided to continue the discussion of strategic centerness through the practice of the Chinese spear.    Fwiw, we occasionally use the martial arts analogy to explain "the physics of strategy."  For most serious reading on the various martial arts topics, please visit the Cook Ding's Kitchen site.

# Following is a minor update of an article that an associate wrote many years ago.  

Some members of our group have practiced a myriad of martial arts systems, possessed a commonality of having these three attributes: great patience; superb "mind over matter" control; and centered focus in their practice of  the spear and/or the Chinese double-edged sword.  Interestingly, they are able to extend this meta-physical state to the many task- objectives that they are focused on.

This arcane skill is based on one's integrated centering of xin, qi and shen.  One does not master this skill by playing with their smartphone.

(My preference is to practice my state of centerness through my keyboard while standing upright and drinking a 32 oz of Gatorade .)

The Chinese Spear: The King of Chinese Long Weapons
"When you use the spear you must judge where you are going to hit and focus your eyes on the target. Focus your eyes on your opponent's head, torso, or foot. When the spear is thrusted, you should coordinate the weapon with your mind, hands, and feet. Your spear should shoot like a dragon rising from the sea. The motion must be able to surround the opponent body. With that action, you will be able to hit him."

The spear (ch'iang/qiang) is as ancient as China. Not only is it considered to be the oldest military weapon in China, the spear was originally developed as a horse soldier's weapon. Before 400 B.C., foot soldiers used either a nine foot spear or an eighteen foot spear. These spears combined a thrusting point with a hooking or slicing blade.

As a footnote, there are other types of spears- snake-head pattern spear, single hook spear (hooking fish spear), and double hook spear (hooking fish spear). 

Unlike the spear that is used in other parts of the world, the Chinese spear was never meant to be thrown. Instead, a specialized set of techniques was developed that strongly resembled the single-headed staff techniques. Staffs of various lengths derived spillover value from some of the spear tactics, although they have complete systems of their own.

HISTORY
In ancient China, many advanced martial artists/warriors knew that this pointed implement under the usage of a proficient spear player, was usually both lethal and formidable.

Historically, two of the top spear proponents were the famous General Yueh Fei and a woman warrior- Fa Mu Lan. Both warriors were considered invincible due to their proficiency of the spear in combat. (Stories have it that General Yueh Fei developed the Xingyi mind-shaping boxing system based on his proficiency with the spear and the other martial art systems that he has previously studied.)

It has been rumored that during the "Water Margin" period of ancient China some of "Leung Mountains" heroes of the "Water Margin" fame were proficient spear players. The best spear player of that group was a "Leopard Head" Lin Chung whose finishing move was the "Returning Horse Spear Thrust." This movement was a reverse body, retreating tactic that lures a pursuing attacker into a state of emotional frenzy. Then the spear player would abruptly stop and deploy an overturning body spear thrust at his opponent. When executed correctly, the spear rarely misses its target.

Side note: The will to implement any high risk, highly successful technique prevails when the one's skill of implemented precision and control is greater than that of the opposition. This practice usually becomes the superior advantage in certain situations.  Two of the principal factors to the successful implementation of this unique movement are: the subtle, pre-staging step before  this movement and the establishment of "the conscious will to dominate." We will discuss this matter in a future post.

Yang Cheng Fu of the Yang Family Taiji fame have always carried a short single-head spear for defensive reasons. It served the dual training functionality of a straight sword and a short staff.

Under the guise of warfare, the British in the mid-nineteenth century concluded that the Chinese spear was far superior to their bayonets. Currently, this weapon is now shorter and its motions are compressed to the average total of thirty different methods.

Some of the famous spear exercises are from the Shek (Stone) family; the Ma (Horse) family; the Yang family, the Wu Family, the Wu Dang system, the E-mei system and the Northern Shaolin system.

In the 1950s and the 1960s, there were weapon competitions in both China and Taiwan featuring only the straight sword and the spear.


ABSTRACT
From my experience regarding to some Chinese marital arts training programs, the student must learn at least several martial art open-hand sets, the sabre set, the staff set, the straight sword set before a spear set is taught, for the reason of developing certain categories of techniques (i,e., chopping, twirling, thrusting, etc). certain types of "mind to body to eye to hand" coordination, speed, concentration, etc  

In most cases, the spear is generally taught after the student has obtained a firm understanding of the staff. It is the ideal weapon for the student whose physical characteristics are agility and speed. In the hands of an expert, the execution of a spear can be considered to be nearly invincible.

Regardless of the martial arts systems, spear techniques are designed to teach the significant principles relating to fluidity, grace (smoothness), good balance, precision-based attack, and defense techniques. With proper practice, the quickness and the overall agility of the spear player can be enhanced.

While the Chinese straight sword is considered to be the most difficult to learn (discussed in a later article), the spear is considered to be the next most difficult of all Chinese weapons to master. Like the straight sword, the proper execution of this instrument can also amplify the "mindful" focus of the practitioner.

During ancient China, certain spear forms were practiced on a horse while the rest of the other forms were practiced on an open field.

Because of the range of the terrain within China and certain social reasons, the spear was famous in the northern side while the staff was famous in the southern side.

Due to its vast history and its lethal but proficient techniques, the spear has been nicknamed "The King of All Chinese Long Weapons." 

The contemporary Chinese martial art systems have integrated an assortment of "flowery" staff movements into the spear exercises which dilutes its emphasis on quantity thrusting movements.  

The Construct of the Spear
For basic spear training, the recommended length for a spear with tassel is 7 feet and 2.5 to 3.0 pounds). One way for a beginning spear player to evaluate the proper height of a spear is to point the fingers upward to the sky and then measure from the ground to the same vertical plane where the middle finger is pointed upward. The height of the spear is then assessed.




In the Bagua system (and a few other exclusive martial arts systems), the dai qiang ("long spear") has one spear head and is normally a minimum length of 3 meters long. The average weight of a basic spear head is 0.75 lb.   The spear should utilize six red-colored tassels.

The Chinese Spear as a Weapon


The above picture shows a Bagua system player demonstrating a double-headed spear technique (Shuangtou sheqiang aka. "snake spear with two heads"), which is normally about 2 meters long, with a spear head on each end.

Technical Emphasis
Compared to heavier bladed weapons, the spear was moderately light and possessed a long reach. Its techniques were simple but efficient. During combat, spear players were never underestimated in combat by smart non-spear players. One wrong tactical move by the opposition and the sharper point of the spear could immediately thrust in and through their body.

The main purpose of learning to use a spear is to build power by learning correct body methods (shenfa) that open up the joints and dynamically stretches the tendons. This method must be used to improve one's skill. People, who do not practice martial arts or do not practice it correctly, will have rather stiff joints that limit their range of movements. Through proper long spear practice, one can open the joints, increase flexibility, and hence improve agility of movements. 

There are some spear sets that emphasize the connection between full body motion, subtle wrist movements and waist movements that can emit powerful circular movements, which can be technically lethal in combat.

Externally, the proper practice of the spear centers on  full body coordination and the mastery of the point thrust techniques with no extreme physical force. 

Basic spear exercises usually feature elements of twirling, thrusting, swinging and figure-eight spinning. (These fundamental elements are also found in most staff sets.) 

The two basic combinational movements of the spear are the upward slash and the jab-thrust (poke). Some of the advanced spear techniques can be characterized by free-swinging smoothness, a sequence of confused foot patterns and deceptively simple but efficient combinational tactics, the same characteristics that apply to the each school's unarmed tactics.

The ancient Chinese Martial Art Classics stated that "a spear that moves in a constant rapid-fire pace, can never be defeated."

The Thrusting Motion
In the beginning of any training, emphasis should be placed on the use of its point or tip. The spear player must be able to thrust the tip of the spear quickly and accurately in any direction. The consummate spear player should be able to move like a "dragon" when using the spear; that is, the movement should be agile and precise.

The spear is held with the front hand to balance the spear while the back hand is used to control and guide. It has been said that a spear in motion "starts like a flying phoenix and accelerates toward the target like a comet." (The tassel should be moving as one unit with the spear.) If the striking motion of a spear is consistently straight, it is then considered that the spear player has achieved the acme of perfection.

Another classic description of a correctly performed spear action is "quick as a serpent's tongue."

Some spear thrusting techniques require the rotation of the spear's head to be as small as the circumference of an orange. If this movement is achieved consistently, the spear player has apparently mastered this difficult striking technique.

Besides the basic act of thrusting, there are numerous categories of offensive spear techniques and surprise maneuvers that could be utilized by the well-trained spear player. Generally, a proficient spear player should never be underestimated in combat.

Side Note: The tactical combination of Lan, Na and Zhan movements will be covered in a future post.


The Other Techniques
Thrusting is not the only thing that a spear player practices on. Other techniques ranged from deploying circular movements to changing the grasp of the weapon without ever loosing any contact with it. Both actions are difficult movements to deploy when going full speed with a spear.

When utilizing a spear in combat, it is important that one should never move the point of the spear too far away from the center line of the torso.

The reading of an old marital arts classic tells us that "a technique will get you through times of no muscle better than the muscle will get you through times of no technique."

The  Technical Comparison of the Staff and the Spear 
Generally, there are some differences between the learning of the staff and the learning of the spear.

Generally, the strategic emphasis of the staff is on the development of the coordination skill that synchronizes the following factors in an ascending order:
  • the "strength" factor; 
  • the "specific tactical technique" factor 
  • the "accuracy" factor; and
  • the "speed" factor.  
Compared to the staff, the order of the factors for the spear is quite different. The general emphasis is on the development of the "technical" skill that synchronizes the following factors in an ascending order: 
  • the "specific tactical technique" factor; 
  • the "accuracy" factor; 
  • the "speed" factor; and 
  • the "strength" factor.  
In some martial art systems, the novice martial art students are usually taught the staff exercise first while the advanced martial art students are usually taught the spear exercise during the last stage of training for the reason that the techniques within a spear is a integration of certain tactical techniques from the sabre, the staff, and the straight sword.

Some systems have emphasized that the spear is an extension of the Chinese straight sword or certain open hands techniques.  An assortment of the various techniques are quite similar especially the execution of the spiral motion thrust. 

The Technical Parallels Between the Chinese Spear and the Chinese Straight Sword
Depending on the Chinese martial art systems, the bio-mechanical movements and the principles of the spear can be applied to the straight sword. With certain martial arts systems, the bio-mechanical movements and principles can be interchangeable between the straight sword and the spear. (There are also certain open-hand combat concepts that can be applied to the straight sword and vice-versa.)

While the spear is a longer weapon, the straight sword is physically a faster weapon (due to the obvious attributes) in a short to medium range distance-based field situation (three to seven feet). In some situations, the swordplayer can occasionally triumph against the spear. 

What makes the Chinese long spear a supreme combat implement is the emphasis on the point first and then the edge, especially in a medium to long range field situation. (Again, this specific emphasis is very similar to the Chinese straight sword). 

In that category of combat, the point is more effective than the edge and the advantages in using the point are greater range, centralized power, and safety from most counter moves. 

The two principal techniques that are involved in the usage of the spear are the point and the edge.

[ The Point ]                [ The Edge ]
-----------------------   -------------------------
Thrusting                      Wide-hooking Tactics
Parrying
Feinting

The following are some of the traditional ways for using a spear (is very similar to a Chinese straight sword):
1. Piercing, thrusting upward
2. Hacking, bringing downward
3. Splitting, going right to left and then downward
4. Jabbing
5. Thrusting upward
6. Chiseling, cutting the edge back
7. Groping, holding the spear or sword parallel to the body
8. Throwing, wielding the spear or the sword flatly right to left
9. Rushing, holding the point upward
10. Deflecting, by horizontal cross-cutting
11. Hooking, with the point dangling downward
12. Upholding, parrying with the spear or the sword crosswise
13. Spinning, to and from maneuver
14. Scraping, with the edge half cutting
15. Stretching, by poking the point upward
16. Whirling, with the point moving circularly

As a historical note, advanced Chinese straight sword and advanced Chinese spear training included the targeting and striking of the nerve points on the opponent's body. This phase of lethal training is usually privately taught to the most advanced and loyal students.

Side Note: An associate's favorite solo training exercise is to center the point of the spear in the front middle point of your target,  maintaining the front hand on the middle section of the spear and the back hand on the tail of the spear while being positioning in a specialized "right angle" sitting posture (nicknamed as the "San Ti" posture).


As mentioned before, a proficient spear player should never be underestimated in combat.  Nevertheless, the general adage of martial arts combat is that the player of the weapon makes the weapon, not that the weapon makes the player.  Knowing the exceptions to this adage is what divides the proficient field strategists from the masses of average field strategists.

Mastering the Spear
From a Big Tangible Picture viewpoint, the spear is the directional key that unlocks the treasure trove of relevant Chinese martial arts methods such as body work, tactical comprehension, etc.  (The Chinese straight sword does the same thing from a different perspective.)

The focal point to mastering the spear and certain weapons (that are taught in the internal martial arts systems) is to know the interrelationship in the body methods (shen fa) between the hand forms and the weapons.

The Benefits From Learning the Spear
Metaphysicially, the general spear exercise instructs the player the attribute of focused directness through its emphasis of point thrusting maneuvers and the centering of one's attention on the point of the spear while mindfully performing the controlled accuracy of each strike and being aware of one's own terrain and beyond.  

Following is an abridged list of the items that a  good spear exercise does for the spear player 
  • Creates body control through the torso; 
  • Develops angular control; 
  • Emphasizes sticking energy; 
  • Emphasizes coiling energy; and 
  • Integrates the concept of whole body action into each spear movement.
While the above list is admittedly partial, this practice usually results in the implementation of the most absolutely efficient movements. 

Understanding the "bio-feedback" psychology that originates from the practice of spear and the sword is the key to mastering the internal martial arts. Not many people understand that point for the apparent reasons of intellectual laziness and the need for instant gratification.

Side Note: The practice of the spear can also be  applied to other strategic matters if one understands the physics of strategy from a three-dimensional perspective.  It complements the general learning of field strategy like a heavy punching bag to a western boxer or a kick boxer. However, this process takes many months to learn and to master.   ... In our world of immediate demand of instant gratification, mastering the comprehension of "the physics of strategy" through the practice of the spear becomes irrelevant to those who are embedded with the thoughts of immediate success.


Not All Spear Sets Are the Same
In the Chinese martial art world, there are many flower spear exercises that contain many flowery spin movements and minimum "whole body" thrusting. There are more staff-like movements in those spear sets than there are "spear like blocking and thrusting" movements. 

A properly designed spear exercise demonstrates the importance of extended centerness through the conceptual-based physics of directness. 

Through the practice of a good sequence of techniques,  a "customized" weighted spear also becomes an efficient (and an inexpensive) weight-lifting device.  

We will discuss more on the connection between the specific technicality of the spear and the physics of strategy in a future post.

The Reality Check 
In a confrontation scenario, the strategic approach of the ultra class spear player is usually consisted of implementing a series of rapid and baffling turns and attacks. Its combat maneuvers and movements should be executed abruptly against the opponent. Often enough, the opponent would not be able to build a defense or mount an offense against it.


To the amateur spear player, the proper benefit that derived from the proper practice of the spear is prevailing in a physical confrontation at the local pool hall. However, this pseudo benefit is quite impractical. 

When was the last time anyone really needed a spear-like object in a physical confrontation? 

Retrospectively, carrying a spear out on the street for self defense reasons, is purely obscure and futile in our modern setting for the apparent reason of non-practicality. The preferential move in our "law and order" society is to carry the business card of their favorite "legal eagle" and utilize it in a near-confrontational situation.  This tactic does not prevent the possible bruising from the opponent.  But it is a good "psy. influence" maneuver.

Suggestion: Six Harmonies Spear Video
To the budding students of the Chinese spear, the Six Harmonies Spear video training is available at Wing Lam Enterprises (www.wle.com). It is highly recommended for those spear newbies who are looking for a well-developed starter set. 

Click here [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9u5zJefh_M ]  to view the entire spear set.

Wing Lam Enterprises also markets other spear training and other martial art videos.  (We highly recommend this web business site for e-commerce. Also, Sifu Lam is a super nice guy. )
"To master any spear or straight sword thrusting technique, one integrates the body and its function. He or she must concentrate their attention on a target point without ever letting their eyes wander. Your qi and mind will sink, and your inside and outside (referring to the grand Six Harmonies concept) will coordinate. Focusing your mind and eyes onto that one point is the most important thing when you begin to practice." 
 - Anonymous Spear/Sword Player.

One could achieve the conceptual "Six Harmonies" state through the practice of centerness.  While some martial art schools have believed that it is better to master the grand "centerness" concept before learning any non-open hand implements, the trends of the marketplace determine what is really needed. 

We highly recommended the learning of the spear for the purpose of extending one's strategic awareness, not for the reason of combat. Those who wanted to confront and clash, we highly recommended the employment of a "Legal Eagle" not a "Desert Eagle."

Conclusion
Currently, the spear exercises of most Chinese martial art systems feature both the "point-thrust" method and the various "baton twirling" techniques from single- and double-headed staff exercises. Our research has shown that during the Ming Dynasty most of the spear exercises contained more spear-like thrusting movements than twirling staff techniques.

Some of the systems that correctly emphasized the proper spearplay are the Chinese internal marital arts systems (Bagua, Taiji, Xingyi, Six Harmonies and Eight Methods) and some northern Chinese external martial art systems (Baji, etc). However this circumstance usually depends whether the teachers of those systems teach that particular implement and the proper fundamentals.

The following list outlines why the spear is known as "The Emperor of Chinese Long Weapons":
  • it is a superb implement for training the centering of one's concentration while building the accuracy and the speed of various spear techniques;
  • it is a favorite training implement of many advanced-skilled martial artists;
  • it is historically known for its remarkable effectiveness on the battlefield;
  • there are more weapon exercises for spears and straight swords than there are for sabers and staff; and 
  • it is usually one of the two primary weapons used in most Chinese weapon sparring exercises.
The Value Proposition Behind the Practice of the Spear 
As previously mentioned, the value of the spear in modern warfare is close to zero. (Suggestion: In a pre-conflict situation, the superior strategic move is to secure a good lawyer who will represent your view.) 

The true value of practicing the spear is the development of extending one's mindful centerness.  It is difficult to describe this metaphysical state unless one has properly practiced the art and science of centerness

As mentioned previously, one can develop a proper strategy, only if he/she is in the proper state of centerness. One can get it through the practice of straight sword and spear. (There are a few other technical distinctions between the practice of the sword and the spear.  Ask your teacher if he/she knows what they are. It should be quite apparent to those who possessed a deep understanding of them.)

Side Note: Mindful Centerness
This meta-physical strategic model is based on the principles of relax, ground, center, calm and whole. You can read more about these principles by clicking here.

By being "mindfully center", one could extend this practice to these other implements:
  • the sabre;
  • the straight sword;  and 
  • the staff.
In some cases, the emphasis of centerness could minimize the potential spiritual conflict within the bladed instrument user. However, we will discuss that topic in a future blog post, especially how one could also achieve this metaphysical state of centerness while doing other task-objectives. 

Minor Jotting
In life, the ambitious strategist must strive to be "the spear player", not the "'sideline' spear carrier." History has shown that the role of becoming a spear catcher is not a good idea.  ... Good field strategy begins by understanding the "Five Critical Strategic Factors" behind the biology, the chemistry and the physics that are operating within one's current terrain. ...  Think about it.  ... Good luck to those who are interested in their possible pursuit of spear playing.  

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The Absolute Chinese Martial Art Training Guideline

練拳不練功,到老一場空;

練功不練拳,老身先空。

- Anonymous

" Practicing martial art without effort, (creates the enlightenment of) by reaching the physical stage of seniority, means that there is emptiness. 
(In other words, he/she would realize that nothing was ever accomplished.)

Practicing effort without practicing martial arts (creates the enlightenment that ) the non-aged body is empty.  ..." 



Note: In other words, he/she would realize that the body is empty of the internal essence (jing and qi).

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