Art Of Fighting Without Fighting

In Bruce Lee's "Enter the Dragon", Bruce takes the opportunity to display what he called the art of fighting without fighting. He is on a boat on his way to Han's Tournament as an undercover agent. The boat is filled with other fighters who plan on competing in this tournament of elite fighters. One of the fighters on the boat happens to be a bully and is bullying one of the other fighters on the boat. At some point he ask Bruce if he is scared him. Bruce just stares. He then says,"What's your style?". Bruce replies, "I call it the art of fighting without fighting". The bully asks Bruce to show him some and Bruce said that there was not enough room. He then suggested that they take the little safety boat that was attached to the big boat to an Island close by where they could practice. They bully agreed and Bruce began to help him down into the boat. Once the bully was in the boat, Bruce untied it and made sure the bully knew he had lost the battle.

I see Jiu-Jitsu as an art where this principle can be displayed very well. In Enter the Dragon, Bruce was dealing with bullies but I think this principle can be applied even in every day jiu-jitsu training. You can take the techniques of jiu-jitsu and use them in an very rough and aggressive manor or you can take them and use them in a very gentle, patient, methodical manor. To apply the art of fighting without fighting in your every day jiu-jitsu training you must learn the gentle, patient and methodical art of jiu-jitsu.

The best way to practice this concept is to literally go into a rolling session with the mind set of not fighting. Yea, your going to grapple. Your going to practice and fight in that sense but what your not going to do is struggle or force anything. You are simply going to let it happen. You are not going to create an opportunity or situation to attack, you are going to focus only on what's given. Even when you do attack, you are not going to use much energy at all. You are just going to relax and go with the flow or as Rickson Gracie once said, flow with the go.

In order to apply any of the techniques you learn in jiu-jitsu you have to have the opportunity first. What I mean is that you have to

1. Be able to identify the right time to use the move.

or 2. Be able to create the right time to use the move.

An arm bar, for instance, can either be given by your opponent posting on your chest or you may have to work to set it up and trap it in order to get that opportunity. The art of fighting without fighting relies on you learning to focus on identifying what is given. So often when we roll we are trying to do this or that and in the process we waste lots of energy trying to create a specific situation when in fact a different situation or opportunity is all ready given. Be aware and willing to go where your partner leads you.

One of the best ways that I have found to practice this is with your eyes closed. When you close your eyes you tend to feel more of what is given rather than trying to create. It is important to explain this to your training partners before you roll. Tell them that you want to practice rolling with your eyes closed and ask them to keep theirs open so they can keep you from bumping your head into anyone or anything. When you roll you will use some energy. You can't just play dead and expect to gain anything. You have to use some energy but the idea is to use as little as possible. Use a partner that is a little less skilled than you and try your best not to fight to keep a grip, hold a position, escape a position or submit your partner. Do not struggle to do anything. Be technical. Be aware, gentle, patient and be methodical. Then when people ask you what style you practice, you can say the art of fighting without fighting.