The Book of Five Rings * (samurai Miyamoto Musashi) and Principles of Personal Defense (Marine Lt. Colonel Jeff Cooper) are both guides to surviving deadly combat, written by master fighters. That the authors lived some 350 years on different continents in very different cultures using very different literary forms did not preclude them from coming to the same conclusions regarding facing a murderous assailant.
Cooper identifies seven key elements to combat survival: alertness, decisiveness, aggressiveness, speed, coolness, ruthlessness and surprise. He then pontificates upon these points, saying in so many words and anecdotes that to survive deadly combat (focusing upon defense against attack) one must indeed become profoundly alert, decisive, aggressive, fast, calm, ruthless and unpredictable. Such points are clearly not new, as Musashi addressed and taught them long ago and far away. Considering this, it may be worth quoting one in the context and format of the other. While Cooper addressed each point separately, Musashi repeatedly observes these points in the context of other more general concepts, particularly within the Book of Fire chapter. The following are Cooper's points and Musashi's quotes (representative, not comprehensive).
Alertness
"Do not prejudge a view according to what you think things should appear
to be, but instead look at all things equally and in this way you will
be able to discern what can hurt you and what cannot." p29
"If you understand [never permitting him to gain an advantage], then
you will be able to sense an impending attack and react properly..." p61
"Keep only one thing in mind: that thing is to beat the enemy. In this
way your spirit will continue to grow and you will always be conscious
of your surroundings and the situations that appear." p95
Decisiveness
"Utter resolve is necessary when you are fighting an enemy." p59
"You may appear unresolved, but when you approach the enemy you must
charge in with utter calm and purpose." p59
"The main thing to understand is that you must have no hesitation in
killing the enemy." p60
"It is essential to have the courage of your convictions and the courage
to act upon them." p62
"All attacks must therefore be executed with great resolve." p75
"Your resolve must be intense and your courage steadfast." p85
Aggressiveness
"Whether fighting an enemy armed or unarmed, keep him on the defensive."
p58
"By keeping the pressure on the enemy, you will keep him constantly
in a defensive posture." p59
"...become the enemy, see yourself as the enemy of your enemy." p65
Speed
"As soon as you sense the possibility of an attack, you must react
immediately with your own attack to kill the enemy or you will give him
the chance to regather himself and come at you again." p64
"Do not forget that actual combat is extremely fast and demands that
you act and react without thinking." p73
"If you wait for the attack, defend against it, and only then go in
for the attack by parrying and striking, you are making extra work for
yourself." p93
Coolness
"You must remain calm at all times; in this way you can control the
attack." p60
"Starting again means to come to an impasse in your efforts to kill
the enemy but then immediately abandoning your approach by taking another
strategy, refreshing your spirit, and starting again." p76
"Sometimes you can win by your presence alone." p77
Ruthlessness
"Your concentration upon destroying the enemy must be intense and single-minded."
p73
"When you go in for the kill - kill. Without mercy." p74
"Look through the enemy, look through his heart, look beyond his very
being and degrade him entirely with your spirit." p94
Surprise
"Mislead the enemy, and then slay him with an unorthodox technique."
p66
"...it is essential that you make a 'misdirecting' motion to open up
the enemy, forcing him to show you his strengths and weaknesses." p66
"Causing confusion in the enemy means making him unable to concentrate
on his attack, permitting you to come in with a well executed killing strike."
p71
Of course, none of these points can be executed if one is not prepared,
mentally and physically, to do so. Musashi wraps points of combat with
aspects of training, constantly exhorting the reader to study, train, and
practice hard and providing suggestions on doing so. With study, one will
see past the immediate distracting details of the weapon and movements,
and will comprehend the inherent nature of combat and weapons, "the spirit
of the thing itself" as he often puts the idea. While Cooper does not address
training in Principles of Personal Defense, they are exhaustively
addressed in his writings (The
Art of the Rifle, Cooper's
Commentaries) and courses (Gunsite
and Gunsmoke training
centers), and ultimately contain the same metacontent as Musashi. Cooper:
"The so-called martial arts (boxing, karate, the stick, the pistol, etc.)
are complete studies in themselves and must be acquired through suitable
programs of instruction, training and practice. It behooves all able-bodied
men and women to consider them." Musashi: "It
is constant practice that will make you unbeatable in combat..." p87
Both masters also address social aspects, recognizing that not all choose to defend their own lives to the death, and that such folk may despise those who do. Cooper: "The author assumes that the right to self-defense exists. Some people do not. This booklet is not for them. This is for those who feel that anyone who chooses physically to attack another human being does so at his peril." Musashi: "In our society there are four classes of people. ... Each is respected and disrespected equally by the other classes." p6
Musashi and Cooper started from profoundly different environments, yet
they came to the same conclusions. This emphasizes basic truths that one
must learn. By reading both authors, one may see more within each as each
presents fundamentals in very different ways.