The Fog:
The “Fog Of War” is where one side tries to guess an enemy’s strength and
intentions, which introduces many unknowns. Incomplete, erroneous, or no
information leads commanders to make “best guesses” to fight a battle. The “Fog
Of War” is in my opinion also very relevant to the street as well.
Another analogy that I found, to explain the Fog Of War, is as follows:
“ Most of us know how the game of chess is played. Each side has the same number
of pieces, we know the movement and power of each piece and we can see the
location of each one on the board. Introduce a simple concept to illustrate the
fog of war by playing chess while being able to see only the squares that are
occupied by the opponent. We can keep track of the chessmen on our side and
where an opponent piece may occupy a square, but we do not know if that piece is
a pawn or bishop. It places a different perspective on playing the game.”
Since I have always said that personal combat, street fighting, or
self-protection is a war in microcosm, how can we as teachers, coaches,
instructors, and students learn from the concept of the “Fog Of War”, thus
accounting for the unexpected? Simple answer; we can’t, but we can “MINIMIZE”
its effects !!! This is why as readers of situations that have happened, (Case
Studies), we can usually see some simple answers, but at the same time the
person who found themselves in the middle of the street situation at hand could
not see the situation in the same light. So we learn through case study analysis
about what not to do if we find ourselves in a similar situation, thus
minimizing danger to us.
Flexibility also reduces the threat of the unexpected. Personal combat is fluid
and malleable. Physical techniques taught in self protection MUST also be fluid
and malleable. We must teach based upon tactically sound “principals” and
“functionality”, rather than “rote” and “perfect technique” As Clint Eastwood
said in Heart Break Ridge; “One must be able to improvise, adapt, and overcome
in time of battle”
Redundancy can also reduce the threat of the unexpected. We know that most plans
do not survive first contact. As a result, for every plan “A” strategy, we
better train for plan “B” and plan “C”. Students must seek to “synergize” and
“integrate” their combative attributes and tools, and be able to deploy them at
the most decisive moment. It has been said that a finger alone is a poke, a
clenched fist, where fingers fit together (flexibility, integration and
redundancy), can be deadly.
Realistic scenario based replication training is also a must. This best
replicates the “Fog Of War” on a personal level, which then builds and compounds
Flexibility, Redundancy, Synergy, and Integration. If video taped, it also
allows one to “Case Study” through analysis.
Strength and Honor
Darren Laur