The Way of deception

The universe consists of the two primordial opposing forces; Yin and Yang. It was the two forces that create the very world we live in. Therefore the world is spilt into two part; heaven and earth, light and darkness, fire and water, and then to the ten celestial processes that created this world fully.

In Budo, especially Aikido, emphasize the borrowing of enemy's dashing forces to counter him/her. It is to use deceptive methods to bring down the enemy. If one do not use deception because people think it is cunning and evil, then he/she does not really know the world well enough. It is wise to use deceptive methods in order to obtain good result. As I said before, Aikido is a hard and soft martial art.

Deception is to look weak when being strong, look strong when being weak. As Sun Tzu said in his Art of War, all warfare is based on deception. Cloak your true intention from your enemy, clear your mind from confusion and thoughts. Disguise where you are going to strike.

One of the most common deception is the "hand-ups" position. To lure your enemy that you are surrendering, while plan to counter-attack him when he/she is distracted. As Aikido represent the balance and unity of yin and yang, therefore deception is needed to hide your true intent from your enemy.