Profiting and Succeeding by Knowing the Pragmatic Practices of Successful Strategists

Following is an update of Pragmatic Practices (3): Compass Rules of Strategy:

• Scripting the first 25 tactical plays, the adjustment plays based on the first tactical plays and situational plays in a sem-predictable setting
• Always ensure that each move has a purpose;
• Study problems and challenges in terms of completeness;
• Always record each relevant project and then study it; 
• Reading the Eight Classics (Seven Military Classics of Ancient China and Sun Bin's Military Methods { Art of Warfare}), Dao De Jing and other classics once per year;
• Listening to audio books while doing non-lethal mono-task.
• Building patience and control by practicing the various "Standing and Centering" exercises of Yi Quan, Taijiquan Baguazhang, and other internal martial art systems.
• Focus on the objective while being mindfully aware of one's settings and beyond
• Assess, Position and Influence

More to come. 

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，未老身先空。

- 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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copyright (c):  2014 Compass 360 Consulting Group  All Rights Reserved

Interesting Trivia on The Best Practices of World Class Strategic Thinkers and Achievers

Following is our abridged list of proven and unproven trivia that we have researched:

Beethoven

• Rewrote his music composition constantly until it was visually perfect

Bill Walsh

• Always scripted a gameplan before proceeding on anything.
• Usually implemented a starter script of plays that barely had any connections from any recent games.
• Always had the minimum of one more scripted play than the competing coach.
• Believed in the concept of the system over goals. (If one believes in the system and follows it, the score takes care of itself.)

Jiang Tai Gong  (known as the Father of Strategic Studies)

• Emphasized on the practice  of creating a situation that lures the "intended and willing" target toward the fisherman 
• Emphasized on the practice  of catching orcas and sharks not goldfishes and guppies
• Emphasized the practice of reading the situation, profiling the principals in a situation and identifying their configuration before ever deciding on the objective and the tactical approach.

John Nash (Nobel Prize Winning Economist)

• Brainstormed his ideas while cycling in a figure eight pattern and humming J.S. Bach's The Art of Fugue.

Mike Shanahan (former coach of Washington Redskins) 

• Uses a 15 Plays starter script to determine the tendencies of the competition 
• Always took proud in possessing a larger playbook than the competition

Miyamoto Musashi

• Dedicated himself to his profession by practicing the art of minimalism.
• Utilized two swords in certain combat situation while carrying a minimum of three implements.
• Utilized a wooden sword once he realized his sword skill has reached the highest level of swordmanship.

Mozart

• Was known to use a standing table when writing his music
• Visualized the content of his composition before writing his music
• Wrote his composition in one attempt.  

Steve Jobs

• Always emphasize on simplicity and quality in his products.

Sun Bin

• Emphasized on the practice of being tenacious, guile and insightful in adverse situations
• Emphasized the employment of various bait and lure tactics for the purpose of influencing the competitor into a disadvantageous situation
• Able to recite the entire text of the Art of War essay

Sunzi

• Emphasized the art of strategic efficiency in his famous essay  (Art of War)
• Believed in the approach of prevailing in a competitive situation through the exploitation of unorthodox and orthodox tactics

Wang Xu

• Taught the development of one's foundation of awareness through the various exercises for the purpose of learning strategy 
• Focused on the process of assessing, positioning and influencing one's settings while becoming mindful of the objective of being strategically effective.
• Taught Jiang Tai Gong's Six Secret Teachings to his many students (Sun Bin, Zhang Yin and others) .

Wuzi (The writer of Wuzi's Art of War)

• Believed in dedicating oneself to the grand cause of his employer.
• Specialized in strategic efficiency

Zhang Liang

• Strategize on being positionally ahead of the situation through the implementation of a "complete" strategy.
• Famous for 
• Preferred to operate from a remote site. 
• Buried with his copy of "Six Secret Teachings."  It was  rumored that a copy of "The Three Strategies of Huang Shek Gong" was included in the process.

Zhuge Liang

• Understood many subject matters (agriculture, engineering, meteorology, geology, etc.).
• Relied greatly on certain circumstances before acting. 

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Succeeding Through the Practice of Scripting in a Competitive Setting ( An Old S.F. 49ers Tradition)

Updated on 12/28/2016  8:38 hr pst  (formerly 082813 18:38 hrs)

"I was always consumed with the X's and O's of football. It was like a chess game to me. I could see 22 people in my mind when I closed my eyes. I can see exactly where they are, exactly where they are going. If it's not part of your nature, you're never going to make it big. " - Bill Walsh's, three-time World Champion Football Coach for an AIM's Investment Funds commercial (a part of Investco Funds Group) in 2002

This unique skill set of visualizing the multiplicity of moving components within a play is one of the many reasons why Bill Walsh, the late head coach of the San Francisco Forty Niners, was considered one of the greatest NFL football coaches and game innovators.

Beside being the innovator of the West Coast Offense, he created the practice of scripting and running a opening plays (or starter plays) script of 25 that served various purposes during the game.

Note from a Previous Post
"The Script" is a game preparation and implementation tool that was invented by Bill Walsh, an American head football coach of the San Francisco 49ers and Stanford University, during which time he popularized the West Coast offense. 

Walsh went 102–63–1 with the 49ers, winning ten of his fourteen postseason games along with six division titles, three NFC Championship titles, and three Super Bowls. He was named the NFL's Coach of the Year in 1981 and 1984. 
-  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Walsh_(American_football_coach) 

The Public Perception of Scripted Opening Plays
A Walsh innovation was scripting the first 15 offensive plays of the game. Walsh went as far as to script the first 25 plays but most teams stop at 15. Since the offensive team knew that the first 15 plays would be run as scripted no matter what, they could practice those plays to perfection, minimizing mistakes and penalties. By ignoring situational play-calling and increasing the game tempo, scripted plays also served to confuse the defense and induce early penalties. Executing these plays successfully could establish momentum and dictate the flow of the game. It also gave the coaching staff an opportunity to run test plays against the defense to gauge their reactions in game situations. Later in the game, an observed tendency in a certain situation by the opposing defense could be exploited.               
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_offense#Scripted_plays

The Tangibility Behind 
The Opening Plays 
(Starter) Script 

The Purpose

"In planning, never a useless move.  

In strategy, no step is in vain. " - Chen Hao

The purpose of the script is to evaluate how the other team reacts to each offensive play at the opening stage of the game. The strategist uses this "feedback-based" intelligence to plan his offensive strategy for the remainder of the game.

Regardless of the game situation, the disciples of the West Coast Offense are instructed  to stay with the script regardless of the down, the distance and the defensive alignment, except for the fourth down.  However, circumstances have changed the practice of this rule.  It is up to the practitioner to decide on the certain particulars of this approach.

Building the Script Before the Game
The team's chief scout would report to the offensive coordinator on the strategic and tactical tendencies of the next competitor by viewing their previous game films.

The offensive coordinator would build his play list based on their technical strengths, the competitor's base defensive responses and their competitor's weaknesses and then decides on the preliminary script. 

Idealistically, the offensive coordinator informs the players "the particular plays behind the script" one to three practices before the game day. On the last practice, the team rehearses "The Script."

Beside eliminating anxiety (rather than creating anxiety) among the players. the offense coordinator discovers whether the players are able to master those plays and then decides whether to adjust the technicalities of certain plays.

Conclusively, the implementation of the script requires a great deal of game experience, sound and solid preparation, numerous practices, discipline and emotional intelligence for the offensive coordinator and the quarterback  to run the script.

Side note: Our research tells us that each team performs the process of building of the play list and the script and the practicing of the starter's script quite differently.  What we are doing is merely stating the basic fundamentals behind this unique process.

Preparation Precedes Performance

In the field of observation, fortune favors the prepared.  - Louis Pasteur

Once a play (from the starter list) is implemented, the chief observer/decision makers must perform the following:

• Recognize the counter-response for that situation (the called play, the down, the yard markage, the field position, the type of players on the field, the formation  and the counter response) 
• Examine the patterns of data that support the analysis
• Analyze the quality of data on the possibilities of a deception.
• Decide on what would the next play be when this situation occurs again.. 

The above diagram is a layout that organizes a great number of different tactical plays for different situations.

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The Walsh's View

The Master of the Game Plan

Preparation and Execution Perfected

Bill Walsh, ever the innovator, conceived a plan, now routine in the NFL, to "script" in advance the offensive plays he would call early in a game.

Walsh still remembers the criticism and skepticism from the NFL coaching establishment that greeted him in the 1970s when, as an offensive assistant with the Cincinnati Bengals, he started scripting plays. All the planning could be done in the office during the week instead of on the sidelines during the frenzy of a game.

With a script, the offensive players could devote more study time to plays that definitely would be used in the game, as opposed to studying an entire game plan that invariably included a bunch of plays that would not be called. 

"It got to the point where our offensive team really wanted to know those plays," Walsh recalled. "The players really appreciate the idea that you're giving them a (head) start on the game. You can sleep easier, you have more confidence going into the game, and you're more at ease.

For the coaches, you can feel comfortable that the game is almost on automatic pilot when it starts." "You know what's going to be called and there's no reason to make a mistake," veteran tight end Shannon Sharpe said of the system in Denver, where coach Mike Shanahan scripts the first 15 offensive plays every week. "You already know if (the defense does) this, who we're going to. So that makes your job a lot easier." 

Just about every team in the NFL now uses some form of scripting. Walsh used to do 25 plays, but most teams now script about 15 plays. There are, of course, some misconceptions about scripting. While there might be a long script of plays, they are not called blindly in order. "Would you run 25 in order? No," Walsh said. "Let's say, of the 25, you'd run 18 or 19 sort of in order. If something really worked or you saw something in the defense, you'd go back to (a play).

To me, it was just sort of a safety net because there's so much emotion to start the game, you want to think clearly, and this, in a sense, forces you to stay with a regimen that you clinically planned prior to the game.""The scripting saved us because I couldn't think," he said. "It was minus-35 wind chill, and there was no way I could look at a game plan or pull something out of my head. All I wanted to do was run for cover, go in where it was warm, for survival. So in that case, the plan was what saved us."

Excerpts are from NFL Insider/NFL.com article from 2002 by Ira Miller. 
http://www.squidoo.com/billwalsh

The Compass View

Q: Most coaches utilized a 15 play starter script. Why did Walsh utilized a 25 play starter script?
A: The aim of the 15 play script is to immediately attack the tendencies and the physical weaknesses of the opposition's defense. In the case of the 25 play script, the intent was to reveal the entire opposition's defensive arsenal in certain situations while pinpointing their true weaknesses. 

Q: What categories of plays were in Walsh's starter script?
A: An assortment of pass plays and run plays that has never appeared in previous games. The players, the blocking scheme,  the shifting and the motion of certain players would change while the base formation rarely changes. Walsh would occasionally throw in a few gadget plays that their opposition has never seen before (i.e, the no huddle, hurry up approach with a no audio signal play call, the reverse,  the end-around, the flex flicker off the reverse, the "Halfback option" pass, the play action pass off the medium draw, the "Statue of Liberty " play, etc. )

The 25 Plays starter script was a subset of his master script that also consisted of many other categories of situational plays.  We will discuss more about that topic in a future post.

Some amateurs believed that they know what "The Script" is about and how it works. (Finding information on the web or asking your drinking buddies could only go so far.)  However there are a few experts who understand its true range and the reason why it works.

Many years ago, we have heard that a former Niners player referred "The 25 Plays" as "The 25 Lies." The story behind that statement is based on that the opposition would become so focused on stopping Walsh's 25 play script that they forgot to focus on the rest of the game. 

Retrospectively, it is also a psychological gaming tool and an "informational feedback strategy" tool.

The implementation of a 25 play starter script requires a person with great patience, control and strategic insight. Rarely does anyone ever talk about the keys for the following:

• when to stay with the script;
• when to leave the script; and
• when to return to it.

Retrospectively, Coach Walsh was literally running a real time experiment for the purpose of identifying their tendencies in certain situations. At a later stage of the game, he would then exploit them with various deceptive plays.

We remembered that there was a stat about Walsh's success with the script that his team would have already won the game whenever they possessed a "10 to 14 points" lead by half time. . One could only presumed that his superb ability to script plays, calling the right plays or instructing his quarterback to make the right adjustment call were the cause for Niners success. A great amount of credit also goes to his coaching staff for preparing the team.

The Compass Solution

Compass Principle: The time that it takes to assess, and to position is inversely proportionally to that the time it takes to influence.

Walsh (and others) have successfully used the play script to assessed the motives, the methods and the modes of the competition. Then he positions his team by deciding on the counter response plays that are based on the competitor's move. The influence stage begins when those implemented plays exploit the strategic weaknesses of their competitor. 

The success of one scripted play usually leads to another "positioned" play.

More Notes on Scripting and the Next Hot Trend   
Regardless that this unique practice is commonly being used by many football coaches, our research tells us that many of them do not possess the mindfulness and the strategic training to use it properly. 

Concurrently, some of their quarterbacks are not required to run "The Script" during a no-huddle situation. It is quite rare that they are running a set of scripted plays.

Their foremost objective is to score first, score fast and score often.  This hurry-up approach presses the competition to play "catch up"  by creating immediate tactical mismatches.

By studying the videos. analyzing the specific stats and knowing the competition's individual weaknesses and tendencies, immediate exploitation becomes a higher priority.  Revealing their tendencies through base scripting have become a lower priority.   We will touch more on this approach in a future post.

Learning the script process is not that difficult. It just requires someone who possessed  a basic understanding of the scientific method of trial and error and the skill to assess a situation. Patience is also a requirement. He or she must also understand what are his priorities for that macro situation  and have the fortitude to stay with the approach.

If you need a new approach to gain a competitive lead, read the strategic configuration of your terrain and script your tactical plays. This strategic approach will not guarantee you an automatic win. However, it would offer you the psychological feeling of knowing what are your chances of succeeding.

An New Update For This Post

The San Francisco Forty Niners team has updated the number of plays in their "starting plays" script somewhere between 30 to 38 plays.  

We presumed that you know the reasoning behind this updated quantity of scripted plays. 

The Psychology of Strategy

The macro key to developing the script is to have properly assessed one's competition and the strategic factors that are behind the grand situation, It begins by collecting sound and solid data Then, visualize how certain data are connected 

Through visualizing  the specifics of each tactical situation, one could successfully build the list of plays and develop the starter play script with minimum difficulty.  

In our competitive economy, time line is usually short  and resources are occasionally  limited. The successful strategist knows that every advantage counts. 

The Will to Prepare is Usually Greater than the Will to Win  
Successful competitors have always understood the specifics of why one prepares. Through the practice of the script, they are focused on the process of preparing themselves of gaining strategic momentum. While reviewing the script, one could mindfully see the continuous execution of the plays or the worst case scenario occurring.  

To those who are interested in achieving best performance, we recommended the practice of scripting one's operational activities as a daily task.

The Compass View: The Urge to Improvise

Regardless of the circumstances, many people preferred to operate from the seat of their pants.  Due to their love to improvise and invent, they usually go with their gut instinct.  This specific feeling enthralls them. It is a basic human nature.

Most of these people do not like to spend anytime, assessing their competition.  Some of them feel that they are men or women of action.  With the urgency of "making something happen now", these leaders believed that "the will to make the event happen" will give them the victory. ... In some rare situations, these bold visionaries-thinkers would get "lucky" and prevail.  ... In most cases, their operation teams are usually the ones who saved their vision-driven employers.

The worst case scenario from of this uniquely-efficient practice is a competitor who knows the tendencies of the bold thinkers and understands their concealed motive for each play. The projected outcome should be quite obvious.

In an extreme competitive situation,  the amateurs regularly lose their motivation and begin to ad-lib. In most cases, they never return to their script.   We have seen it repeatedly. The successful implementers of the script usually have the experience and the fortitude to persist and persevere.

Remember that the will to prepare (a script and the team) is greater than the will to win.  In a future post or our future book project, we will explain more about the psychology and the planning and preparation process behind the act of scripting. 

The Question of The Day

How do you apply this protocol to modern day business?  (We will touch more on this topic in our future book project.) 

Click here for an example on how Coach Walsh utilized it in a non-football situation and click here for how a current Niners kicker assesses, positions and influences from the field level.

Random Comments From The Compass Desk

In complex times, one cannot properly assess and plan without collecting the right amount of tangible data.

The complexity of our society has influenced us into thinking about the need for a pragmatic solution. Building a script is the first step. ...  Learning how to to focus on one's grand objectives while being mindful of the influences that impact their grand settings and beyond is the key.

Those who constantly prevail in some of their competitive endeavors, usually have the superior skills in the areas of strategic assessment, operational planning and tactical adjustment.  ... Sometimes, they just succeed because of the predictability of their situation (i.e., poorly skilled competition, etc.) 

Occasionally, the probability of chance (aka. random luck) plays a heavy role. ...  It never hurts to have a specific script for all predictable worst case scenarios.

To succeed in an antagonistic endeavor, the successful strategists must have already collected the proper data on their targeted opponent. before studying their "strategic efficiency" state. 

Since, many modern head coaches of all sorts are scripting their plays. It tells us that the scripting tool works quite well.  This modus operandi should enable anyone to ascend above the plateau of competitive equilibrium  by preparing him or her to set the pace of the situation and to learn something unique about the competition.

Our understanding of how the strategy game works, has enabled us to integrate certain technicalities of "the starter script" into our proprietary strategic process model.  This overview allows the implementer could see the connectivity of their Big Tangible Picture (BTP) at a glance before deciding on the script-based tactics.

We at Compass360 Consulting have always applied our own version of the script in the operational side of our projects. If you are interested in seeing our presentation of this pragmatic process, please send us a note. 

We are currently contemplating on publishing a white paper or a book on our unique approach on scripting and staging a competitive situation.  

Suggestions
To secure your winning edge, center your attention on the script. 

Assess the Big Tangible Picture of your competitive setting and build plays that enables you to capitalize on tactical imbalances that offers a totality of advantages.

Choose the favorable situation and decide the right play (aka. the solution) that offers you the best probability of succeeding. 

Know when to adjust from the script  and when to return to it. Conclusively, the score will take care of itself.   ... 

Focus on one situation at a time while be mindful of one's own terrain and beyond.  No script development and implementation is perfect in the beginning stage of the process.   This exercise is a practice toward perfection.

Additional Side Notes 
For the Niners Faithful, we recommended this great book by Daniel Brown- 100 Things 49ers fans should know and do before they die  and Bill Walsh, Steve Jamison and Craig Walsh's book -  The Score Takes Care of Itself.  

Our associates at Cook Ding's Kitchen have always reminded the novices and the neophytes that one cannot successfully strategize if he or she is not able to stay focused on their immediate objective. They also reminded them that the reading of the Art of War does not help either.  

Click here to know the differences between a script and a list.

Click here on someone who does not think much of Walsh.  Our response is that a good strategist is someone who knows the "Anticipation.  Adjustment . Advancement" game. 

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