Stealing Arrows

I watched a John Woo film called “Red Cliff” last night and was struck by one particular scene. The story was about a group of Lords who stood up to a tyrannical Prime Minister in ancient China despite being out-numbered and isolated. At one point they run out of arrows and their venerable and knowledgeable chancellor hatches a cunning plot to steal some from the enemy. He sails some ships toward the enemy fleet in a thick fog and provokes the complacent enemy generals into firing volley after volley into his cleverly padded flotilla, thus collecting a huge amount of arrows for their cause. The enemy do not realise they have been duped until it is too late, believing that their superior resources and strength will gain them victory. Their over-confidence in their own strength proves costly.


It struck me that there are parallels in fencing. Have you ever met an opponent who was so sure of one technique that they used nothing else? Perhaps a compound attack or a parry riposte that they did repeatedly? In effect they are presenting you with an opportunity to steal their arrows…. That compound attack could be provoked and defeated by revealing an opening then doing successive parries. That parry riposte could be defeated by a first counter. There are always opportunities to turn an opponent’s strength against them….