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You may abandon your own body, but you must preserve your honor. Miyamoto Musashi

Whenever I write an article about fighting, it always seems to spark a debate about whether one should fight with honor or fight to win by any means necessary. Of course, true martial artists want to live a life of honor and integrity, but where does one draw the line between living with honor and fighting with honor?

There is an easy answer to that question. Fighting with honor is only applicable in the dojo or in competition. And, sparing in the dojo or in a tournament is not the same thing as being in a real fight. This is a point that most martial artists understand, but many are still confused about when it comes to the question of fighting with honor.

I have heard many martial artists say that one should always fight with honor, whether it is in training or in a real fight. While this is an honorable idea, the reality of this philosophy is that it will get you badly hurt or even killed. This is mostly a philosophy held by those who have never been in a real fight.

Be that as it may, this is a debate that is centuries old. Even during the 1600s, the samurai during that time were disgusted with Miyamoto Musashi because he refused to fight by the samurai’s strict rules of engagement. They claimed that Musashi had no honor because of the tactics that he used in his sword duels.

Musashi refused to play by the samurai’s rules, choosing instead to walk away from every single sword fight victoriously. He would show up late, insult his opponent, show up early to get an advantage, or even throw sand or dirt into his opponent’s eyes.

The samurai considered these tactics fighting dirty and fighting with no honor, but Musashi considered them nothing more than surviving and good strategy. Did Miyamoto Musashi lack honor because he fought by his own rules? Absolutely not! The 20th principle of Musashi’s Dokkodo states, “You may abandon your own body, but you must preserve your honor.”

While the samurai, and Musashi’s other opponents, were concerned about etiquette and man-made rules; Musashi was only concerned about survival and winning by any means necessary. We all know whose philosophy led to victory and whose philosophy led to defeat.

Miyamoto Musashi understood the reality of a life-or-death fight. When it comes to a real fight, you must use anything and everything to walk away victoriously. Honor plays no part in that situation; the only thing that matters is walking away with your life intact.

When your life is on the line, there is no such thing as fighting with honor; there is only fighting to survive and walk away with as few injuries as possible. You must use whatever you need to survive, whether that is a weapon, a brick, or throwing sand in your enemy’s eyes.

That said, every true martial artists know that he or she must do everything possible to avoid a fight. Try your best to de-escalate the situation and walk away if possible. The only reason for a true martial artist to fight is to protect someone else or if he has no other choice.

An honorable martial artist has no desire to use his or her martial arts skills to hurt another person. He has no problem walking away from an explosive situation, even if it appears to others that he is a coward. After all, he is not concerned with the opinions of others; he is only concerned with living according to his code of honor. What others think or say about his actions is meaningless.

This was obviously Musashi’s attitude as well. He did not care that the samurai considered his tactics dishonorable. Musashi, like every true warrior, had a purpose behind everything he did. He knew that if he could anger his opponent or get into his opponent’s mind, that the fight was pretty much over. His actions were not dishonorable, but rather a specific strategy to defeat his opponents.

Think about it. If you were in a fight to the death, would you be concerned about whether you survived the fight, or what your opponent thought about your tactics? The samurai were worried about saving face; Musashi was focused on survival. It is obvious who had the correct mindset in those circumstances!

The truth of the matter is, trying to de-escalate a volatile situation and walk away from a fight is the honorable action of a true martial artist. But when you are forced to fight, you should not be focused on honor, but on survival by any means necessary.

I have seen many martial artists who claim that is an act of cowardice to use a weapon during a fight or to fight dirty. These people live in a fantasy world, and most likely have never been in a real fight in their lives. This philosophy will get you put in the hospital or killed!

If you must fight, fight to win, period. That is not the time for philosophy or debating whether or not your tactics are honorable. That is the time to destroy your attacker. There is no such thing as fighting dirty in a real fight, only doing what is necessary to survive. Bohdi Sanders