# Looking at the Enemy



## GojuBujin (Mar 24, 2002)

"Look at the enemy as if you are looking through him without being to obvious about it. Perception and sight are two important principles in my strategy. Perception relies on intuition. This is developed through practice. Sight is based on the physical ability to use the eyes." -Book of Five Rings - Miyamoto Musashi - Stephen Kaufman Sensei -Translator. 

The eyes are an invaluable sometimes overlooked weapon for the Karate Ka. It is one of my favorite because it helps avoid conflict. A bujin that has mastered the stare, can look right through his opponent and paralyze him with fear. One can even do exercises for developing and intensifying one's stare. 

Sit in seiza a couple feet back from a wall. Focus with your eyes and look up slowly, then back sraight, then down, side to side and then roll them one direction and then the other, all w/o blinking. Then rest your eyes and repeat, do this for five minutes a day. Then check your stare in 9months or so. 

Michael 
http://www.inigmasoft.com/goyukai


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## Cthulhu (Mar 25, 2002)

There are far better translations to the Go Rin no Sho than Kaufman's.

Anyway...

I don't agree with staring being particularly effective, since I almost never look in an opponent's eyes.  I used to focus my gaze at about the chin.  After training in FMA for a while, I don't focus anywhere anymore.

I believe it's possible to use the eyes as you've described, but it doesn't work on opponents who don't place their gaze there.

Cthulhu


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## GojuBujin (Mar 25, 2002)

If you look at the eyes you can see everything.  You can tell right when they are going to move. I've used the eyes and found it quite effective.

Michael
http://www.inigmasoft.com/goyukai


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## arnisador (Mar 25, 2002)

I like watching the chest, but as Cthulhu said the FMA encourages one to broaden that even more.


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## TLH3rdDan (Mar 25, 2002)

i agree with arnisador i prefer to watch the chest as it will ussually give away the direction of movement where the eyes or a paticular body part can be misleading... but yes i believe you can develop that type of stare my instructor always refered to it as kiai of the eyes... and it takes practice to develop it and in a fight it can be very usefull


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## Cthulhu (Mar 26, 2002)

The main reason I discourage looking into the eyes is that it's very easy for an experienced person to 'feint' with the eyes, catching an inexperienced person off-guard.

Also, when setting your gaze on some other part of the body, it's important that you don't give anything away by, say, allowing your eyes to settle on something you're worried about (eg, the person's front leg, or maybe hand) or constantly shifting your gaze due to distractions.

My Okinawa-te instructor used to always get on me for not facing my attacker...I would be looking out of the corner of my eyes, particularly in close range.  I don't worry about it now, since my FMA practice has really helped develop my sensitivity for close range work.

Cthulhu


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## Battousai (Mar 26, 2002)

When I'm practicing a sort of sparring that my school does, called Osoinowaza or sainawaza, I try not to look at any thing in particular, rather I try to keep all of my opponent in view. I guess it could be sort of like a glazed over look  
 Sometimes its really cool to just watch a tree or something else in the environment, and defend yourself entirely from periphrial vision.


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## Shinzu (Apr 12, 2002)

i look at the point between the chin and the adams apple.  i find that i can see every move my opponent makes before he makes it.


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## GojuBujin (Apr 12, 2002)

Everyone has their preference,

as for myself, Sensei Madamba, and Miyamoto Musashi, we'll stick to the eyes.

Michael


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## arnisador (Apr 12, 2002)

As *Cthulhu* mentioned, people can feint with the eyes. I'll pull the trick of looking sharply one way while hitting from the other. (Since I'm usually hitting with a stick, it still has sufficient power to hurt.) I also like weirding people out in open-hand sparring by not looking at them at all but only using peripheral vision. Obviously, I don't do that against an opponent that's my match!


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## Cthulhu (Apr 12, 2002)

> _Originally posted by arnisador _
> 
> *As Cthulhu mentioned, people can feint with the eyes. I'll pull the trick of looking sharply one way while hitting from the other. (Since I'm usually hitting with a stick, it still has sufficient power to hurt.) I also like weirding people out in open-hand sparring by not looking at them at all but only using peripheral vision. Obviously, I don't do that against an opponent that's my match! *



And it can be incredibly demoralizing to the unexperienced person when a person spars/fights them without ever directly looking at them.

Cthulhu


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## David (Apr 16, 2002)

Consider this.  Anyone who has a true grasp of Karate, avoids conflict.  If you surround yourself with others like you, you may never have to use your art.  Those who might attack you are likely not students of the way, but brawlers and the like.  People like these can't help but give themselves away with thier eyes.  Perhaps not thier direction of attack, but surely the moment of attack.  I choose the eyes on the street, where it matters.


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## sweeper (May 15, 2002)

> _Originally posted by arnisador _
> 
> *As Cthulhu I also like weirding people out in open-hand sparring by not looking at them at all but only using peripheral vision. Obviously, I don't do that against an opponent that's my match! *



My instructor looks off to the side when fighting also, technicaly speaking it can be better because you actualy react faster to movement in your periferal vision than movement in the center, also for training to fight multiple attackers you want to keep as many in vision as posibal which can mean looking away from the fighter you are directly engaged with.


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## Rich Parsons (May 15, 2002)

Hi All,

Good points, and I say find what works for you
since it is your life your are protecting.

Arnisador,

I love it when Remy Presas would be stick fighting
me or others and be talking to the crowd. Then
he would reach in and the fight would be over.

Me personally, I try to watch the eyes. Why so
I can take advantage of those that are tunneling
on the weapons I am presenting to my opponent.
And Yes you can fake with your eyes. Now how do
you prevent the fake on you? Not truly sure, but
I try to use the peripheral vision and also listen
with my body. 

Listen with your body? Yes listen with your body.
When ever you are in contact with the opponent
you can sense where he is moving or even the fact
that he has moves away from you. This can tell
you what s coming at you.

Combine the sight and the body listening and you
can look anywhere, but it is real fun even with
a training partner to just reach out with the
live hand and touch them when they have looked
away.

Just my thoughts

Have a nice day

Rich


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## Yari (May 15, 2002)

> _Originally posted by GojuBujin _
> 
> *"Look at the enemy as if you are looking through him without being to obvious about it. Perception and sight are two important principles in my strategy. Perception relies on intuition. This is developed through practice. Sight is based on the physical ability to use the eyes." -Book of Five Rings - Miyamoto Musashi - Stephen Kaufman Sensei -Translator.
> 
> ...



I don't think you can practice a stare this way. That's a normal meditation relaxation technique. THe "stare" (if one can say that), is connected to you mentality (mental state). If you can build the correct pyschi, the stare will be there.

I would also like to ad, that if you looking a something, your focusing your mind, and in that sense your locking it. Try reading :The Unfettered Mind : Writings of the Zen Master to the Sword Master by Takuan Soho. I think this book is top ten (much better than Mushashi's book).

My teacher Mouliko always said. Don't focus, but focus. 


/Yari


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## arnisador (May 15, 2002)

> _Originally posted by Rich Parsons _
> 
> *I love it when Remy Presas would be stick fighting me or others and be talking to the crowd. Then he would reach in and the fight would be over.*



He was amazing in this way--you'd come to believe that he could reach his hand through fan blades set on HI if he wanted to. Yes, it often seemed as if he was looking 90 degrees the other direction then "You do like this!" and *Renegade* was on his knees in pain.


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## Cruentus (May 15, 2002)

I'm a big fan of Musashi's book.

"Perception relies on intuition": I intepret this as being able to 'feel' the opponent, the way Professor Presas could, as Rich explained. Utilizing eyesight is good when sparring, kickboxing, etc., where your in the punching/kicking range and beyond. In combat, however, you may start far away, but I think you'll find yourself in the trapping, or even grappling range faster then you think. In the trapping/grappling range, eyesight isn't always reliable; you have to know how to "feel" your opponent.

"Look at the enemy as if your looking through him, without being to obvious about it" :

I look at the space around the object, not at the object itself. In a life or death situation, your body and mind will become altered. You will be using your 'para-sympathetic' nervous system, which is your "fight or flight". Competition is not life or death, so you do not function in competition the same as you do in real. Your adrenaline pumps, your logical mind clouds, and if you try to focus in on anything you WILL get tunnel vision. If you focus in on the eyes, or the chest, or the hands, or on 1 thing in a fight, then that's ALL you'll be able to see. Just trust me. This is actually a Biological fact. In sparring, focus on whatever you want, but in life or death that will not work.

So, I focus on the space around the object, rather then the object itself. I actually see the whole body this way, as well as anything that comes within my range.

It's funny, I actually have really poor vision. I'm legally blind in one eye, I'm extemely near sighted, and I have trouble focusing on anything fast moving. I don't wear glasses or contacts during practice, so whether I like it or not, I have to actually practice this way (by not focusing on any one thing, and just seeing the space around the object).

You wouldn't be able to tell that my vision's jacked if you watched me in practice, however. Just ask Rich or Arnisador.


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## sweeper (May 15, 2002)

> _Originally posted by PAUL _
> 
> * Your adrenaline pumps, your logical mind clouds, and if you try to focus in on anything you WILL get tunnel vision. If you focus in on the eyes, or the chest, or the hands, or on 1 thing in a fight, then that's ALL you'll be able to see. Just trust me. This is actually a Biological fact. In sparring, focus on whatever you want, but in life or death that will not work.*



From my understanding it's a biological fact that you will get tunnel vision whether you focus or not.


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## arnisador (May 15, 2002)

> _Originally posted by PAUL _
> 
> *You wouldn't be able to tell that my vision's jacked if you watched me in practice, however. Just ask Rich or Arnisador.
> *



This is correct.


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## Rich Parsons (May 16, 2002)

> _Originally posted by PAUL _
> 
> *I'm a big fan of
> . . .
> ...





> _Originally posted by PAUL _
> 
> *
> You wouldn't be able to tell that my vision's jacked if you watched me in practice, however. Just ask Rich or Arnisador.
> ...



OOOPs, Did I mis-quote Paul the first time?

Seriously though

Paul is not all Jacked up. He moves fine.
I never knew he had an eye problem.

Rich


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## Cruentus (May 16, 2002)

> Paul is not all Jacked up. He moves fine.
> I never knew he had an eye problem.



Yea, when I move I'm fine, but did you notice that I kept hitting on guy's thinking they were girls in Buffalo. I hate it when I do that! :rofl: 

And that qoute was actually:



> I'm a big fan of....Rich...s....whole body....



See, you have to, you know, read between the lines.

:boing2:


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## Rich Parsons (May 16, 2002)

Paul Paul Paul

You did make an offer in the hotel lobby.  

Maybe that is why that Brunette was not 
interested? she thought I was with you. :rofl:

Of course it had nothing to do with her age being
mid 20's and mine being mid 30's? No, it had
nothing to do with that. 

Paul take care and wear your glasses. 

Rich


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