Timing is a Result.

‘When do I…?’ can be the question when one realises a personal lack of understanding. This is especially apparent when faced by a very capable opponent who you just do not know where to start; conscious incompetence. Essentially it is the wrong question at the wrong time (timing) but you hear many questions like this, where the answer is ‘I would not be in that situation if I was you’. Rarely is this answer met by thanks! Regardless of the hole one has dug oneself in to with desperation present. The answer in desperate times is to a) run away, failing that b) fight to the death, perhaps hoping to make the opponent’s victory Pyrrhic. The real answer is not to get into desperate situations.

Luckily the thoughts observations and actions of others through time have been documented. So although desperate times may cause book burnings, this is where answers and clues lie. One great book distilled from the early civilised world of China albeit mostly when they were not being that civilised, is The Art of War by Sun Zi. Just read it every year and reflect on it and find out others reflections too, no ifs, buts or maybes!

The Art of War is compact and rich with clues. So the best strategy full stop not just for timing, is to ‘win without fighting’, the stages before war need to be done so well war is not necessary and everyone (well at least you) gets what they want without blood shed. Now this is a bit utopian and theoretical for mankind, but knowledge of the peak helps understanding of all below, giving perspective. The first question is: Do I have to…? This could be fight or any other act do I have to? Is there a win/win option instead. Have I finished with the preliminaries to this position?

The second clue to timing from AoW (and other sources!) is that good timing is the result of everything being done well. It is playing the odds. Tai Chi Chuan like a lot of martial arts uses punches. But when do you use the punch. Well the right time silly. So when is that? It’s when it cannot fail to be effective. Some martial art(ist)s (and the same pattern is everywhere) try to punch when it cannot possible work, now sometimes it is a fake or a set up which we will talk about later. These though are only needed if you have made mistakes before. Bad you for not being perfect or even excellent. Many of you have found with your children, pets friends and training partners that they are easier to get, if you creep up behind them when they are least expecting it. Well done you have learnt some important elements (not all) of when to punch when you cannot miss. It is wrong to hit these people just practicing the approach is fine and with practice is even funny so when not all the elements are right! If only predators in the wild had learnt this. Oh no wait a minute they have this is how predators get their food. Some predators do this even when facing their prey (opponent). For humans this will mean that getting rid of the arms, which they annoyingly use to defend themselves huh! Or being to their side or back. The time to punch is when they are defenseless. So this is how an expert times their actions, when they cannot fail. This is the pattern to timing being so good at the major elements so that you are in a good position to take an opportunity to act.

So before expertise and much before choosing another option, or perhaps you made a little mistake and are not in the ideal position you have to set up a good position so a punch (action) can be more or less effective. Some people learn early set ups, they say things that get a response or show some slight of hand that catches people off guard and they react making them selves vulnerable. The lesson in opposition – do not be caught off guard or react to these set ups – study them. So a good set up uses the opponents reactions to situations to create an opportunity to attack. Most team sports have basic tactics to get one defender on the own to divide and set up conquer. Set ups can be choosing an environment where you have an advantage or a fake to create reactions. The best set ups can be done without exposing yourself, where even if they do not work they do not set you up. Most areas many have set ups probably used daily in business, personal, political and all other areas of life. Some are natural, others sneaky and some well planed. You could categorise these tactics and some are documented and taught in many areas. Getting a handle on the general ideas that can be applied in many areas is definitely useful.

So really timing is the result of good preparation so you are always ready, in a strong position. Negotiation and planning avoid the need for timing failing that time your actions for when they cannot fail. Your position and posture mean you are invulnerable and the opponent cannot defend. If you have not organised yourself well lets say like most people most of the time then it’s about set ups and traps that you volunteer to fall into or set up yourself to increase the odds of success. So do not ask me the best way to put out a fire, there are better people than I, you could call them they have emergency numbers world wide. Guess what they also have non emergency numbers and they go round and give advice before a fire. They advise alarms, actions in the event of fire and of course prevention. So be prepared but also prevent fire but other bad situations too. The best fire is one prevented. Now take this idea to other areas of life.

Another physical situation is range. Here it’s again about positioning. Often it’s about footwork to get to the right position/distance to execute. The patterns are the general ideas of preparing well including planning, learning, positioning, prioritising and many other principles mentioned on this blog. When all this is done then doing is easy. If it is not yet easy then raise the standards of your learning, planning etc. till it is.

Wu Wei and Resistance.

Wu Wei (Chinese) is essentially going with nature or going with the flow. The classic metaphor is water. It is used as a principle of nature and the wisdom is to use the idea to aid actions. One classic way to use the metaphor is how water acts in nature. Many aspects can help in your thinking. It flows down hill, it is un-graspable and it brakes rock into sand. These (and others) can be used with the instruction to be like water. They are used in many ways whether like moving around an obstacle physically in a smooth flowing manor or round a more abstract obstacle at work or in relationships.

Another example of how to work with water (and hence nature). As water is thicker more viscous) than air and humans are not shaped for water travel more skill is needed to travel through it. The simple piece of advice for swimming is to cut through the water with a straight body reducing water resistance (in water it occurs at something like 2 miles an hour a compared to 30 mph in air – e.g. hand out car window). Another related point is the difference between swimming with the current and against it. Many people have died of exhaustion against sea currents to get back to shore.

The pattern is to avoid going against nature and go with it. Mankind rarely beats nature, the trick is to find and practice going with nature avoiding the head on conflict. Even massive buildings will come down eventually, they only work temporarily. In the end everything brakes down in Physics it’s linked to entropy.

Going with the flow is more efficient and wastes less energy. This means more can be done. A competitive strategy is to go for the opponents weak points and areas of vulnerability not against their strengths. Timing is another efficient method where just adding a small force at the right time can have a bigger effect then a large force at the wrong time. Sports tend to restrict some actions but most sports still have tactical ways of avoiding the head on situation. Using momentum rather than having to start from scratch (overcome inertia) is another tactic. Other tactics are to prioritise where you work on the most important and influential elements. Gaining the foreknowledge of how ‘nature’ works either as science or the patterns of actions can help simplify decisions and actions. Guiding or traveling in a straight line may be the best way or a path of least resistance.

The other key element is unity. Many times we go alone rather than as part of a team, or we use one part of the body rather than the whole body. Teamwork needs to be developed and used where appropriate and using the whole body rather than just arms or just legs everything physically and mentally has to be used as one. Concentration and focus also are part of the whole brought together at one point, not dispersed or uncoordinated. Overuse of a body part leads to injury as does one person on their own as well as being uncompetitive.

Another perspective is discussed by Pressfield in the War of Art, where he discusses the fight of the artist to achieve their work. To be an artist or very good at anything is actually going against nature. There needs to be constant pressure to move forwards. It has to be for a long time and at the right pace, to avoid burn out or losing momentum. The resistance is physical and mental. You need to acclimatise to new performance and your body and mind need time to adjust to accommodate the higher work loads.

It is important too also analyse whether something is hard because it’s the wrong thing to do. The cost may mean another option is better as the cost in energy is too great to achieve. The position you are in after using too much energy is weakened and may mean any achievement is Pyrrhic, for the next challenge. The work has to be worth he investment.

Evolution has favoured those best able to survive. Part of this is having enough energy for the next challenge. Another is a strategy or tactic to avoid too many challenges only taking the energy risk when the rewards merit it. Sometimes the lazy survive.

Another aspect of resistance is to use it just as Sailors and surfers use the sea and wind and skiers use the snow to guide their journey. Resistance is also controlled in electric circuits to prevent too much power. It is an advanced skill to feel and know the forces around and use them to aid action or movement. Using the energy of your surroundings to your advantage. In Tai Chi you listen to the energy of the opponent to use their energy against them at the right time.

The opposite and all to common approach is to resist change and maintain the status quo which is ultimately futile. Many times people will add resistance to prevent a potential competitor from overthrowing their position and vested interest. You can of course dam forces but large forces get through eventually. Mostly it is better to learn the forces and not try to stop the inevitable. Or stopping and starting needing to overcome inertia each time wasting energy.

You may not be able to go with nature all the time especially when you are in an unprepared situation (so get prepared!). If you can learn some ways of going with the flow then when you do meet resistance you cannot avoid then you will be more fresh for the challenge. The tactic of Wu Wei may be a useful principle but it takes practice another principle. When practised it is energy saving efficient and can look effortless. In competitive situations learning to increase the opponents resistance and reduce your own is a simple goal.

deeper understanding can come through the Daoist text the Dao De Jing.