Strike, Don’t Hit
“As regards (to) ‘striking’ and ‘hitting’, both of them are involved in the use of the sword. Learning clearly how to strike, as by cutting test targets and such, you become able to strike as you intend. Then, as for ‘hitting’, when you cannot see a decisive strike, it is possible to just hit anywhere. Even if you hit, and even if very hard, it is not the same as striking. Whether you hit the enemy’s body or hit [his] sword, hit or miss you do not really trouble him: if you do not truly strike, your arms and legs can give away your movements. This needs to be worked out dilligently.”
— Musashi, Thirty-Five Articles on Strategy
Interpretation
As a full contact sport, roller derby involves a great deal of hitting. High level players strike, rather than hit. Breaking it down further, a strike can be made up of three elements:
- Intent — a clear decision to attack based on circumstance;
- Control — the ability to coordinate your strike into legal target zones. This requires repeated practice;
- Decisiveness — to initiate the strike without hesitation, free from thinking.
Take away any or all of these elements, and a strike is merely a hit, and a hit increases the chances of injury for to your opponent or yourself — or at the very least — a trip to the penalty box.
One shouldn’t necessarily consider a strike an attacking movement. This can also cover great positioning blocking, or deflecting an aggressive opponent to a more favourable position.
As Musashi notes, if you do not truly strike, your arms and legs can give away your movements. Great players do not strike until the very last moment, and it’s very difficult to perceive when a strike will happen, or, they may telegraph a ‘big hit’ to serve as a distraction.
終了
