Div.4 Chapter 28

Attacking your Opponent’s Blind Spot

“How can you think about so many theories?”

“Who thinks about them? I simply follow them naturally.”

In order to seize your opponent’s center and subdue him, you should avoid his full parts and attack his blind spot. The blind spot can mean a crack in his pose, a crevice in his motion, a bend of his mind or a disordered aspect of his life. Where can you see the opponent’s blind spot? There are three types of blind spots according to their respective source: mind, pose and motion. Thus we refer to them as blind spots of mind, pose and motion.

First, you can find your opponent’s blind spot where his mind is scattered or it slants to one side. The biased mind is one with a distorted view that fails to judge all things fairly. If he is careless you can discern a blind spot just there. Likewise, if he clings to a certain intention you can discover a blind spot behind it. Therefore, as a Taekwondo-Een you should by all means make certain that there is neither slantedness nor scatteredness in your own outlook.

Second, you can find your opponent’s blind spot where his pose collapses or is scattered. The scattered pose is a biased and inharmonious one in which each part will be at odds with the others and the crevice amidst such cracked functions creating a blind spot. Therefore, you should always make efforts in your daily training to maintain a good pose and through such sound poses to always maintain an upright life.

Third, you can find your opponent’s blind spot in between his moves, for his pose slants and his mind becomes scattered between motions. The scattered mind represents the scattered life. Therefore, you ought to make no unnecessary movement between moves, delete any idle thoughts so that your life is never scattered.

Let me now explain when and how to attack an opponent. As soon as you discern his blind spot, using your closest weapon you must strike with single-minded concentration. However, there are cases where one should not attack even with an opponent’s blind spot in sight. These cases are divided into three types. First, one should not attack the crevice between his movements if his pose remains intact. Second, one should not attack an opponent when his mind remains concentrated, even though his pose may have collapsed. Third, one should not attack an opponent whose mind is harmonized in a larger perspective, even though it may seem confused.

The above three types of blind spots are termed “filled blind spots”. The first is called “full motion”, the second “deceiving pose”, and the third “emptied mind”. To attack an opponent’s blind spot unaware of the presence of such filled blind spots is to fail for certain. To attack an opponent between movements when in actuality his pose remains intact is to fail to catch him. To be deceived by a seemingly scattered pose while his mind remains focused and to attack is to invite counterattack. Finally, to attack an opponent of emptied mind who presents himself as scattered is to fall into his trap.

How then does one recognize a filled blind spot? As a Taekwondo-Een you can and must simply feel it. Taekwondo is a world beyond a distinctive thought. When you distinguish your opponent’s blind point that thought is a non-distinctive one. Standing before him you empty your mind, erasing everything between you and him. Erasing yourself totally results in accepting everything of his and confirming things by instinctive feeling. Such feelings are learnt by Taekwondo-ifying your life and your being. By emptying one’s mind one eliminates all possibility of falsity. Where do you establish all of this? Nowhere less than everywhere in your life. Without continuous training there can be no distinction beyond distinction.