Lessons from My Masters 16: Observations - Deception Part II

“Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased. Even when your spirit is calm do not let your body relax, and when your body is relaxed do not let your spirit slacken. Do not let your spirit be influenced by your body, or your body be influenced by your spirit.”

                                           ― Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings

In this installment I’m going to cover Deception more from a mental and philosophical aspect than any physical technique. The reason is, without having the proper mindset or context to understand it you’re wasting your time and your just not going to be able to develop it. Once again these are just my observations on these matters.

But before I get into all of that I need to clarify a few things for folks. Since my last blog post I've received a number of questions from folks on how do you do this especially under duress?

Fair question, so I'll clarify it because I don't want people to get the wrong idea about this stuff. Like I said before, Deception as with many things John has taught over the years is just "a thing". One of millions of "things" we as humans are probably capable of but if you don't even know it exists you never try to develop it. He doesn’t really call it “Deception” but “Slight of Mind”.

However, the point of my previous post was if you don't know what it is on a basic level "a learned thing" you never try it or try to develop it. The other thing is if you think it is something that takes a lifetime to learn you'll in most cases never even attempt to understand it. It's sort of like internal dropping. There are people who talk like it takes “forever” to learn, this way of thinking is just nonsense!

Maybe it took them a long time to learn it, so maybe they assume others don't have the ability to learn it faster than they did, but the truth is whether it takes ten years, ten days or ten minutes the point is it is a learned thing. The key I believe is in understanding that “Deception” is built into the movement of the art of Guided Chaos so there is an experiential aspect to it where you start with a basic idea and you then let your body take you to where you want to go. Or better yet, where your body wants to go without “thought” as you work the principles and sub-principles developing the different attributes. There are some things that can be directly understood but the majority of things within the art are not so obvious to the eye and have to be felt.  

(As a side note: I caution people on this closed minded way of thinking. Such thinking only closes off your mind to the possibility that these things can be done and thus your ability to learn them. The whole point of this series is to put it on the record that these things are very "real" and that they are not “tricks”, but things that to varying degrees we as humans can do. Whether you believe it, is really not my problem it's not my job to convince people of the truth. As I tell students all of the time I'm going to tell you what it is without reservation or apology. What you do with it is up to you but when I'm dead and buried you're not going to be pissing on my grave or memory cursing me because I didn't teach you something. No way Jose... As students who train with me on a regular basis know I download from "The Matrix" every week and explode heads.)

As I tell people all of the time just by the fact the Grandmaster is capable of doing these things "proves" it can be done. Now, ahem... whether you can develop the ability is another matter. I'm sorry but there's something to be said for innate talent and in my personal observations over the years. I believe many of the incredible things John does are based on an uncanny understanding of how people move under dynamic conditions and I believe, and this is just my belief. That this is more of an innate talent that he’s develop over decades of moving with people. It doesn’t mean we can’t learn these things but we need to understand there are some things that are unique to John that maybe he can only do.

On the other hand, and more importantly, (as I talk out of the other side of my mouth), how do you know you can do it if you never try? The point is you don't need to be a master to do these things you just need to be able to do it better than the guy who may attack you.

Besides if we're training for real to protect our lives or our loved ones why wouldn't you want every possible advantage? Why do people sucker punch people? Because it works! Now imagine being able to do that from any position at will even when people are looking right at you? Even when they are ready for it? Again why wouldn't you want to know how to do that?

Anyway to reiterate, Deception starts in the mind but resides in the body.

I've explained this before so I'll rephrase it like this:

How do you drop hit or internally drop?

How do you ghost?

How do you stay loose in the body during a confrontation?

How do you control your balance?

How do you know when to move and where?

How do you strike and know which weapon to choose on the way in?

How do you do the fright reaction?

Answer the phone?

Tool replace?

Step to a new root?

Stick with people?

How do you become unavailable yet unavoidable?

How do you do anything in your body for that matter?

Simple... You train it...

I could go on and on but you get my point.

If it can't be trained, then why do anything? 

Like I always tell students if you have to get into a fight in order to learn how to fight then why train? Why not just go out and pick a bunch of fights and see how you do? The truth is even if you've never been in a real fight before doesn't mean you can't learn how to fight on some level.

Also because it needs to be said, just because a person has been in a real fight before doesn't mean they did it well. Winning the fight sort of counts. My point is experience counts but it also needs to be the right kind of experience.

Before I went to combat I knew how to do fire and movement. I didn't have to figure out how to use my rifle in combat. More importantly the enemy is human and the enemies body moves and works generally the same way mine does. So what's the problem?

You're either trained or you're not.

Like I've said before we sometimes give the enemy too much credit.

As Sun Tzu said,

"To send and untrained people to war is to throw them away..."

Thucydides said,

"He who is best is trained in the severest if schools..." 

Considering these men lived at a time of constant warfare I think they knew what the Hell they were talking about.

It isn't any harder to understand than that.

No matter what it is you want to do it’s not enough to think about it you have to practice it. If you want to learn how to swim you have to get in the water and until you get in the water you don't get it. But if you never try? Well guess what? You never, ever learn!

The other thing is you have to then practice it the right way with the right mind set. Until it reaches the level of "Unconscious Competence" in the body.

Once you achieve that level you just "know".

Deception or “Slight of Mind” becomes just a thing among thousands perhaps millions of little things you just "do" in the body without thought.

Hopefully this clarifies it for folks.

By Way of Deception

“Whatever the Way, the master of strategy does not appear fast…. Really skillful people never get out of time, and are always deliberate, and never appear busy.”

                                     ― Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings

To understand Deception is to understand in my view the essence of the fifth principle of Guided Chaos, to Adapt, Overcome and Win! Without a healthy understanding of Deception, you limit your ability to “Adapt” to the situation and fix or influence the enemy where you want him to end the battle. In order to appreciate Deception, you must develop a certain level of “mental flexibility” to be able to seamlessly blend from one reality to another while your enemy is unawares that they are being lead into an ambush.

As I discussed in the last installment one of the observations I’ve had over the years is that those folks who train looking for the “magic technique”, who think in terms of Guided Chaos “moves”, or as I like to say create rules that don’t exist. Or even more tragic, there are those who are completely unaware that at the higher levels of the art, within movement. There is deception within deception within deception built into the movements of the Masters. This is that dimensional feel or aspect to John’s movement that I have elaborated on in past postings.

From my observation while almost all folks we’ve trained develop a lot of skill some never really get to where they really want to be, and in some cases because of their inability to understand it, in my view they never will. I’ll cover this in more detail at the end.  But suffice to say because of their mindset, they never even come close to developing these skills and in some cases never will in my opinion. As harsh as that may sound it is the truth.

Through Deception one of the things that you are able to do because it has the effect of altering a person’s perception of time or throw their timing off. You appear to move slow yet at the same time move in a manner where people cannot get out of your way. This has a weird effect as if they are watching what is happening to them in slow motion yet for some reason they can’t get out of the way. Part of this is because as you move in this fashion they are unaware that you are actually moving and adjusting with them. So from their perception nothing has really change so by the time they try to get out of the way it’s too late.

On Understanding Inverse Relationships

“To become the enemy, see yourself as the enemy of the enemy”

                                    ― Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings

I’ve spoken before about understanding "Inverse Relationships". This is all about changing the way you think about another person’s movement. I remember having this discussion with Grandmaster Perkins and he said something very interesting he said something along the lines of,

“Generally when a person is throwing a strike they’re only thinking about what they are doing. So as long as I know where their hands are in relation to my body everywhere their hands are not, are opportunities for me to enter. Their strike becomes my entry, their pocket becomes my entry point, their push my pull. Their movement at some point becomes my movement.”

Folks, I have to tell you this is brilliant stuff!  Because what he was basically talking to me about was not some specific technique but a way of thinking about movement. That it really didn’t matter what they did as long as he had control over his own body and could adjust based on their movement. He also said something else very interesting he said,

“When you’re moving it doesn’t matter whether the arm is up or down, whether you turn to the right or left. When you move in that instant you are the master of that motion. So when you move, I move, you step, I change. You still have to deal with my movement and my change as I change. That’s why I always tell you not to get caught up in technique because it’s just ‘a thing’. The more you focus on the thing the less you see of the other possibilities. I’ll be honest I really don’t know what I can do or what I’ll do because every situation is different all I know is I’m going to do something. I’m just going to go in and hit. At the end of the day you have to still deal with it. When I was a Cop I never stood still. I was always moving even if only slightly because I knew the perp's were always trying to size you up and if they thought they could take a swing at you and take out a Cop they would.”

When John stared talking to me more and more about how he is always moving a little what he really meant was he was already altering the future either through physical movement or anticipation. He was already throwing off the timing of the other person. The key to understanding this is this is as much as mental process as well as physical one.

But there’s more…

“You’re just dealing with motion.”

                                --Grandmaster Carron

Again, because what I am describing is a mental process as much a physical one in order to take this to the higher levels you have to literally alter the way you think about moving in general and how you interact with another person’s motion. As discussed over and over, too many folks are looking for me to tell them how to deal with this or deal with that. Like I said previously because understanding how to develop an adaptive mind in order to use deception is a mental thing. Some folks like I’ve hinted at for various reasons are not going to get there. They’re not going to develop it to the level they could or at all because they can’t get out of their own way or they just don’t have the ability to think in that fashion. It’s just the way it is.

They’re simply asking the wrong question.

Seeing with Your Mind

“Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye.”

                            ― Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings

This is a hard one for folks because we are brought up in a culture where we are conditioned to focus too much on what we can see rather than what we can perceive. Also in order to perceive what is going on you have to be able to see it with your mind first. If the very concept is not in your mind or if you don’t even believe it is possible then you cannot even get there.

I often have folks asking me how I disappear right in front of people and I tell them you first have to understand how it works. How the body perceives movement and how to move without telegraphing your intentions.  The next part is to understand that I am moving when I’m doing it, but I’m moving ever so slightly within movement, so that it fools your senses because you have to have enough sensitivity to perceive it, you just can’t see it. The only way to develop this is to develop your Body Unity through the principles where you have as much positive control over your body without thought that everything you do is merely an extension of your will. But again you first have to accept that it’s even possible in the first place.

 In Your Mind Everything is a Weapon

“The primary thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cut the enemy, whatever the means..."

                                        ― Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings

In all that you do, in order to develop your powers of Deception you must learn to make everything a weapon and as Musashi says, "...to cut the enemy, whatever that means..." When the Deception is ingrained or built into your very movement, there is not need to think about it because it's already happening within movement.  I was working out one day with the Zen Gorilla, Master Martarano and we were discussing this whole concept of inverse relationships and I said something along the lines of,

“When you want to understand this concept you have to look at the situation where for you the glass is always half full. Too many folks only look at the negative and so they ask the wrong questions. For them the glass is always half empty. They only see what can't be done and not what is also possible.”

Joe said, “What do you mean?”

So I said,

“They want to know how to deal with this or deal with that but what they should be saying is, if I had to deal with this or that what would I do, and what would I not do or allow? They’re more worried about getting hit than learning the one thing that will prevent it. Not being there is the first place. You see when you re-frame the question you get a different answer but that’s assuming you’re capable of asking the right question to begin with.”

So I tell him, “Let me show you something, just do whatever you want.”

So he tries to strike me which is obvious given my question. I then move with little movement and cut him off and his movement.

So he goes, “Oh come on!”

I said, “So how do you think I did that?

He says, “Well you know I was going to try to hit you so you were ready for it.”

I’m like, “Right but there’s something else.”

He’s like, “What?”

So I said something like,

“I made your movement my movement. Your strike my strike, your arm my arm, your hand my hand and when it’s my hand, or arm I get to do with it whatever I want. My point is and all I'm saying is when I look at it a different way where everything is mine I’m less hesitant, less defensive to dealing with your motion. The way I think of it influences how I act upon, or respond and react to it. When I think differently about it I make a different choice.”

At this point you may be asking what the hell does this have to do with Deception?

Everything…

When everything is yours you can direct people to the wrong conclusion at will because up until the point where they get hit as far as they’re concerned they were “winning”. As long as you let them think it was their idea they have no reason to change what they’re doing even as you steer them to their death. When everything is “mine” size, speed and strength just become “things” I have to deal with but not obstacles.

If you’ll notice as I’ve said in the previous post your will notice that 90% percent of what folks throw at John, he lets it pass by him. He makes no attempt to control people or block their hands. Now that doesn’t mean he won’t strike your arm if it’s in his way but he’s not blocking you he’s trying to break your arm. Trust me this is a different thing when you feel it there is a level of “Ruthless Intention” that you just know you want no part of. Grandmaster Carron had that as well. I can remember one time I was working out with him and I pushed him and I thought I had turned him around. Folks I have to tell you this like “never happens”.

Anyway, as he turned his back to me he just “gracefully” continued to turn and whacked me on the side of the head just below the ear with his opposite hand. Not hard but Just a “touch” with destiny so to speak just enough to keep me in the world of the living but close enough to the afterlife to show how easy it would be. Never saw it coming, it literally felt like I was watching a movie scene in slow motion. I was totally sucked into what he was doing.  It was effortless… Yet I could "feel" the intent in his strike. 

Grandmaster Perkins strikes like that as well but his movement is "so smooth" that he almost looks disinterested in what you're doing and then he hits you with a force that literally feels like getting struck with a three pound hammer. I was recently working out with him and he hit me like that where his movement looked like something out of "The Three Stooges". I could only laugh because as silly as it looked to be honest "it fucking hurt".  It just made no sense. To be able to hit people like that? He moves and adjusts within movement making subtle changes in his body as he goes along depending on what he feels you're doing. You think you can escape it but you can't. 

I was all about it...

You Need if Possible to have 100% Control Over Your Body 

“If you wish to control others you must first control yourself”

                              ― Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings

As I stated before from my observation while almost all folks develop a lot of skill some never really get to where they really want to be, and in some cases in my view they never will. I’ll give you an example, you have folks who have their own understanding of what “Contact Flow” is or is not or how It should be performed, here are some examples of what I'm talking about they are the "Deadly Sins" of Contact Flow and stand in your way of learning things like "Deception" or really almost anything.

• They’ll tell people Contact Flow is not for fighting. What?

Sure, Contact Flow is not a real fight. You get no argument form me, but the intent of the exercise is to help you develop the attributes through the principles of the art necessary for your body to adapt and move to do what you need to do when you need to do it in a real fight without thought. Otherwise why the hell are we wasting time with it? I’m sorry but this is just stupid to say.

• They will tell you that you always want to stay with the hands. What?

I can remember being under “The Wisdom Tree” with John and him explain to me that you don’t want to flail with your hands or try to control people’s hands what you want to do is learn to read peoples bodies or what he called “listen” to their body. So you could learn to deal with their motion etc. at no time did he teach or advocate clinging to people’s hands like the Frankenstein Monster. Here’s the question, so if the rule is to always stay with the hands, when do you get around to actually hitting someone? I’ll tell you right now if I know where your hands are then I know where they are not, I’m just going to go in and hit you. If I have to deal with your hands then I’ll deal with them but what I’m not trying to do is “control the hands”. Now, if what I just said is what they mean then they just need to say that, because this is one that I have to correct in people at least once a month. Understand, I do not control people’s hands I control their body by hitting them or disrupting the movement of their body throwing the monkey wrench in etc. It is through deception that at times I will fool their body into believing I’m all about their hands.

• That you want to prioritize sticking or control people’s hands. What?

Same as above. So when do you get around to hitting the bad guys? Also, when you are solely intent on sticking you’re being defensive and your ceding he battle to the enemy. I’m sorry but you can’t win on the defense. Sticking is a useful skill but it is no more or less useful that being able to Ghost on people it’s just “a thing”. They both work off of the same principle. You either know where the other guy is or you don’t and that’s a function of developing your sensitivity and not overly focusing on some specific technique.

• They rest their arms on top of other people’s arms. What?

I can tell you now if you do this all you’ve done is given up the use of your own arms. Answer? Don’t do it. Period. That’s what they teach in the heathen schools and is why I punch them in the face all of the time like it’s my job. Understand, this technique because folks in some of the internal schools of martial arts teach this, only works in the dojo where they’re not thinking about someone wind milling on their head.

• They create unnecessary space and encourage others to do the same. What?

This is not good… Everything within your Sphere of Influence is your space to use as you see fit. When you create unnecessary space you’re just giving the bad guys more opportunity to get back into the fight. This happens because they don’t know how to enter and "collapse their sphere" and take space while remaining “invisible” as they enter. They either tend to push people away or they push to maintain the artificial space they have created. Here’s the irony to that, the thing that they think protects them actually makes them vulnerable and the thing they think will make them vulnerable is what actually protects them. Go figure. Watch what John does, he creates this vacuum, this "void in space" as he enters and makes no attempt, I repeat no attempt to stop a person’s arms and allows them to enter into the space he has created and just crushes you. He has in the past described this void as like a “Black Hole” where people get sucked in and get crushed often by their own energy as they enter. It is a way cool skill to develop. The irony is he shows this to people all-of-the-time. I’ll say it again, and don’t take my word for it watch what he does and see it for yourself. It is the fear of getting hit that actually prevents them from developing the skills John uses to just enter with reckless abandon.

These "Deadly Sins" made up of contrived rules that don't exist are wrong because they go against nature. They rob you of your Freedom of Action and ability to Adapt by locking your mind into all sorts of naughty, naughty, and destroy your ability to use Deception. When your "life" or that of your loved ones is on the line you want every advantage possible. Why would you limit your options?

Well that's it for this installment hope this helps. 

Thank you.

LtCol Al Ridenhour

Senior Master Instructor

GUIDED CHAOS

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