Here begin Sun Tzu s remarks on the reading of signs much of which is so good that it could almost

‘Here begin Sun Tzu’s remarks on the reading of signs, much of which is so good that it could almost be included in a modern manual like Gen. Baden-Powell’s “Aids to Scouting.”’

“The Art of War by Active 6th Century B.C. Sunzi.” Gutenberg.Org, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/132. Accessed 16 July 2021, loc. 102.

19-45 These are concrete examples urging the combatant to think through what they are presented. These align with, and can inform, my note about carefully considering the hidden meaning of what the attacker presents you.

In combat, as in life, all actions reveal something about the attacker. many times the things that they reveal have not been contemplated by the attacker themselves. to work through the scenarios ahead of time will give you the opportunity to understand what certain actions reveal because you will not be able to do so in the heat of battle. for instance, the simple act of a mugger pulling a gun on you and demanding your wallet reveals that the attacker has, at least some restraining force that leads them to prefer the use of show of force and verbal instruction to simply ambushing you, shooting you in the head, and taking your wallet. maybe they are reluctant to kill you, and are hoping on a grand bluff being enough to bend you to their will. maybe the threat of prison is enough to make them realize that the sound of a gun going off will draw unwanted attention, making their retreat more difficult. maybe they simply don’t want to waste the time or effort searching through your pockets, and have determined that they will shoot you once you have given them everything that they want. Regardless of their reasoning, by not simply shooting you and going about their business, they have revealed to you that they have a desire to keep you alive long enough to complete the task that they have given you of, “Give me your wallet.” You now have a time frame for reaction. This has to do with signs and signals. Just as the scout looks for signs. Are there signs which can not be spoofed that the combatant may look for and recognize to “shortcut,” the OODA loop, in order to gain advantage? Much like the Kuen Kuit, “if the hand is lost thrust forward”? [[Hand_lost_Thrust_forward]] Perhaps some treatment can be given to understanding signals and invisible signs, as this seems to be quite basic to combat.