I didn't know where to look...!

Last night at the salle we discussed where to look whilst fencing. (Well, I was asked to talk about a related subject and expanded beyond it...). There is much debate about where to focus your attention to your opponent whilst fencing; the hands, the body, the feet etc. Let me quote some of the old Japanese masters as a reference:
Musashi says, "The eyes are to be focused in such a way as to maximise the range and breadth of vision....." "In martial arts it is important to be aware of opponents' swords and yet not look at the opponents' swords at all. This takes work".
Munenori says, "There are three points on which to focus the eyes: (1) the Two Stars (the opponent's two hands gripping his sword); (2) Peak and Valley (the bending and extension of the opponent's arms); and (3) when engaged, the Distant Mountains (the shoulders and chest).
Takuan Soho says, "When facing a single tree, if you look at a single one of it's red leaves, you will not see all the others. When the eye is not set on any one leaf and you face the tree with nothing at all in mind, any number of leaves are visible to the eye without limit. But if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there."

So what's that all about? Well, in effect, the three men are saying roughly the same thing. As usual Musashi is not giving it all away and offers a general guideline to the eyes' focus. He throws in a little teaser about being aware and yet not looking for good measure. Then, as is his wont, he admonishes the student to work hard.
Munenori's advice is much more practical, although couched in flowery terms and reflects a very pragmatic and serious approach probably grounded in gritty combat. Munenori didn't become sword instructor to the Shogun without knowing the reality of his craft and although his words initially seem specific, it soon becomes obvious that in order to focus on three things, you can't really focus exclusively on any of them. Once again, there is a hidden meaning behind the obvious one.
Soho (who was Munenori's Zen teacher) really nails the subject using a brilliant metaphor. If you focus on one small thing you miss the whole. This really sums up the topic for me; when I fence I try to cultivate a general awareness of my opponent. There are far too many ways an opponent can distract you with their hands, feet or movement if you focus on any one of them. Far better to gain an overall impression of what is happening and allow your instincts and training to guide you. If you want to see something in the dark, don't look directly at it, look round it. Our brains have a brilliant ability to piece together patterns from scattered information, so trust yours to work for you!