Regarding Rhythm in Strategy (2)

“In the career of a warrior, there is a rhythm to rising in service to one’s masters, and a rhythm to falling from favour, a rhythm to things going as expected, and rhythm to the unexpected happening.

Or in the Way of Business, there is a rhythm to becoming wealthy, and a rhythm to wealth disappearing; in every Way there are different rhythms. In all things, the rhythms in which they thrive, and the rhythms in which they decline — you should carefully discern these.”

— Musashi, The Scroll of Earth, Go Rin No Sho

Interpretation

In this context we may see rhythms in the Way of Roller Derby to mean how well things are going on the flat track at any given moment. As you may have well experienced, the rhythm of a team is affected by many things, but much of it is psychological: playing a heated and emotional game leads to penalties, frustrations over real or imagined bad calls by officials, the anxiety a good team will instil before the bout even begins: all these things cause the rhythm of decline which is very difficult to overcome in the space of two periods.

Or perhaps your team is trailing by a handful of points and taking stock at half time or a time out and you’re collectively getting back into the game. These are the rhythms of the game and as Musashi advises, we must discern and recognise these rhythms as they happen and adapt to them.

There is another type of rhythm to which Musashi, the famous 17th century swordsman and Ryan Holiday, author and former marketing director of American Apparel have in common, which is recognising the rhythm of the ego and being mindful of the trappings of the ego when as Holiday notes, are aspiring to success, having found success and what happens when things are going wrong.

There is a rhythm to be found in all of these stages, on and off the flat track.