Author: losophyp

Barata

Dreaming of Staff Fighting

Post author By losophyp
Post date 18 October 2025

The other night I had a dream about staff fighting. This was no real surprise.

I had been reading some books on wing chun, and two had included sections on the “six and a half pole” form.

I had also recently purchased Jesse Tsao’s “Tai Chi Hiking Staff”.

I may even have reread this article recently.

So while I slept, my brain continued to work on the topic of fighting staffs. When I woke, I had formed two conclusions:

• If you have a long weapon, exploit its reach.

• Avoid great compasses.

I was very happy with these conclusions, but what do they mean?

Length

Most people assume a quarterstaff is about six feet long.

The familiar Japanese bo is actually the rokushakubo, six shaku long. This is about 1.82 m or 71.6 inches, which would be greater than the height of the average pre-late twentieth century Japanese or Okinawan.

Wikipedia quotes this page claiming an English quarterstaff was the user’s height plus the length of a hand.

Northern Chinese martial arts say a staff should reach the base of the wrist when the user’s arm was extended over their head. I am 1.8 metres tall and by this criteria my staff would be two metres long, so about 110% of my height.

Wing chun uses a pole typically of between seven and eight feet.

George Silver maintained a staff of “perfect length” was the user’s height with their arm raised, plus a space equal to the distance between the hands (about a shoulder width).

In “Master of Defence” by Paul Wagner, travellers carrying staffs of 14 feet or longer are mentioned (p.51).

For most of us, the staff we are most likely to use to defend ourselves is a hiking staff.

If you frequently have to pole vault over streams, pole a boat, or face hostile horsemen, a long staff may be useful. Some of these long staffs may have doubled as carrying poles in daily use.

For general use, a more practical hiking staff will be of a length between elbow height and shoulder height. This will not get caught on low branches, will not be a problem passing through doorways and is more convenient if you travel inside a vehicle.

Many fighting styles use staffs shorter than the user.

In Japan, we have the jo, which is either just under armpit height or traditionally 4 shaku, 2 sun, 1 bu, which is 127.56 cm or 50 inches. Japan also has the goshakubo, a 5 shaku staff of 1.52 m or 59.7 inches.

Many cultures in fact use a staff shorter than the user and averaging around five foot/1.5 metre length.

The Portuguese and Galician Jogo do Pau uses a stick of chin height.

Silambam (India) uses a staff up to the nose or forehead.

Southern Chinese martial arts use a “equal eyebrows rod” that reaches as high as the user’ s eyebrows.

Tsao’s book mentions four foot sticks used by shepherds to defend against wolves, and similar staffs carried by beggars for defence against stray dogs.

A jo or short staff is not a bad addition to your home defence weapons.

Halfstaff

If, like me, you were raised watching Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood, “quarterstaff” will conjure up an image of a staff gripped in the middle, striking with either end.

This style of using a polearm is actually termed “halfstaff”.

Using a very long staff, halfstaff style would probably be quite awkward since the ground would limit the choice of strikes and parries that could be made.

Halfstaff position is useful as a sort of “port arms” position. A staff held at halfstaff and carried obliquely across the torso is less likely to get tangled up when passing through a doorway. Either end and the section between the hands can be used to strike or defend if surprised. By moving either hand to either end of the staff, a low guard or high guard (qv) fighting position may be quickly adopted.

Experiment with placing both hands together in the middle of the shaft and swinging either end.

Halfstaff has its uses, but it does not exploit one of the staff’s strengths, which is its length and reach. In serious combat, a staff should be held at one end.

Grips

There are several variations of gripping style that may be used with a staff.

The lead hand may be palm‑up/thumb towards the tip, or palm‑down, thumb towards the other hand.

Typically, the hands will be about shoulder‑width apart. Some martial arts have the forward hand an arms’ length from the butt.

A longer distance between hands gives more leverage to manipulate the weapon. On shorter weapons, the hands may be closer together to give more reach, allowing the staff to be wielded like a katana or bokken.

The rear hand may grasp the butt of the staff for maximum leverage. Alternately, a section of staff is left projecting from the bottom of the rear hand. This provides some protection to the rear arm. This projecting section also helps stabilise the weapon when it is used single‑handed. The bottom section is stabilised by the downward pressure of the hand and the inside of the wrist and forearm.

Experiment and find what works best for you personally with the weapons that you have.

Reach and Guards

How to use a staff to exploit its reach?

According to George Silver, a staff has four wards, two point up, two point down. Two wards are point forward, two point back. In Masters of Defence, these wards for quarterstaff are designated as low ward, high ward, open ward and tail ward.

Joseph Swetnam recommended a low guard/ward for most uses of the staff. It is called low guard since the rearmost hand is held lowest, either at waist level or down on the thigh. The forward hand is higher, so the staff slopes upward.

Different styles and instructors differ as to how much slope the staff should have. Some state a specific angle, others have the staff approaching vertical.

To my mind, it seems logical to have the tip of the staff at around head‑level. Any higher and you are just defending empty air, and the staff will have a greater distance to travel to attack or parry. Low ceilings would also be a problem.

Angle of the staff will depend on weapon length and how low the rear hand is held.

Some traditions say point the staff at the enemy’s eye so it is harder to judge the weapon’s reach. I think this is worth trying.

When in low guard the staff is sloped in three planes. If low guard is observed from the front or above, the staff is also angled. If you are in a left‑forward stance the tip of the staff should point at your foe’s right eye with the butt of the staff in your right hand and held low.

The tip of the staff should not be much further left than the foe’s right shoulder.

Stay in guard, leaving it only to attack, defend, or change guards. Return into guard as soon as possible. This is sound advice for any fighting method.

High guard is a form of hanging guard. It offers a good defence of the head. Swetnam recommends the high guard for fighting in poor light, when it might be difficult to see an incoming attack.

Note that in the illustration (above) the rear hand is held forward of the face, and just above the head. The section between the hands must be held high enough that it does not cross the face and that you have a clear view of the foe under the staff.

The high guard is also sloped in all three planes, the tip probably pointing at the foe’s leg area.

High guard is likely to be more fatiguing, so use low guard whenever practical.

Low and high guard fulfil the criteria of productively utilising the staff’s reach and length. The staff is in a good position to quickly attack and defend, and dominates the space between user and foe.

Great Compasses

Open ward has the point of the staff held high and sloped back away from the enemy. The lower section of the staff crosses the torso. The hand nearest the enemy is low, the other high.

The main offensive options from open guard are a downward or inward oblique strike. While these strikes will be very powerful, the tip of the staff has to travel a distance of several metres. This is relatively slow and gives the enemy time to dodge, parry or land an attack of their own. For similar reasons, the defensive capability of open guard is also poor. It takes too long to bring the staff into the forward area to parry.

Tail ward places the tip of the staff behind the user, either level or point low. The staff may strike downwards, obliquely or on an inward horizontal.

For some weapons, the tail guard is a useful position. With the quarterstaff, it has the same drawbacks as the open ward. The staff has too great a distance to travel to strike or parry.

Terrain features such as low overhead branches or nearby obstacles may hinder the use of open or tail ward.

These long circular strikes are what our predecessors called “great compasses”. My dream recommended avoiding using them.

The great compass blows should only be used against targets that cannot defend themselves or cannot see it coming.

How to Attack

If we should not use grand compasses, how do we attack effectively with a staff?

Watch a quarterstaff being used in a movie, and a technique you will seldom see is the use of the point to thrust.

Swetnam advocated the thrust as the primary offensive technique with a staff. In contrast to Silver, Swetnam was an advocate of the rapier, and this may be reflected in the emphasis of thrusts. Thrusts are techniques that you should master and make good use of, however.

While not sharpened in the manner of spears, many fighting staffs had their end shaped into a point or ogive to concentrate the force of impact. Some fighting staffs are tapered towards one end. Some staff ends were shod with metal.

Even without these features, a thrust from a staff can be very effective. Unlike a spear or sword, a staff is unlikely to get stuck if used on the rib area.

The basic thrust does not change the relative position of the hands, and resembles a typical bayonet thrust. Stepping forward or changing posture may increase reach.

In Chinese spear fighting, the bow/archer/arrow stance/gung bu is often used. This is similar to the zenkutsu‑dachi stance of karate. Horse stance/ma bu/kiba‑dachi is also seen used. Do not use long lunging stances unless you are adept at recovering from them and quickly re-assuming low or high guard.

Swetnam was an advocate of a technique Master of Defence terms the “thrust‑single”. This is a variant of the “throw‑point” bayonet tactics I have described in my other articles and books.

To make a thrust‑single, the lead hand is removed from the staff and the rear hand thrusts the weapon forwards, often accompanied by a passing‑step forwards.

Since you may be in either a right‑ or left‑forward guard, this technique may be performed with either hand.

Two-handed throw point with Chinese spear

A variation of the thrust‑single is to slide the shaft through the lead hand like a pool cue. Both hands finish together near the butt of the weapon. This posture is often seen in Chinese spear forms.

These thrusts may be used as a counter to an attack targeting the lead hand.

Once the thrust hits or is parried, the guard position must be resumed or another attack made.

All thrusts should be made with a twisting action, which increases effect on the target and helps the staff follow the intended path.

The thrust may be used as a component of a change of facing. For example, you want to move from left forward guard to right forward. You make a thrust‑single with your right rear hand and step your rear right foot forward to generate power and reach. Bring your left hand up to the weapon’s butt and immediately slide or place your right hand further up the shaft, re-assuming low guard. A similar switch may be made using the two‑handed throw‑point technique.

For another way to smoothly change facing, place or slide your rear hand next to your lead hand and place or slide the lead hand back to the butt. Optionally, a thrust may be added to this sequence after the rear hand moves forward.

While a thrust can be fast and potent, Silver noted that “the force of a child may put it by”. (Master of Defence p.61, Paradoxes of Defence 13).

If a thrust misses, striking with the side of the weapon rather than restriking with the point may be quicker.

Since the staff is not an edged weapon, any surface may be used to strike without the need to align edge and target.

Master of Defence (p.61) explains how the quarterstaff could hit hard without the need of great compassing blows.

Due to its low mass, and being controlled by two hands spaced apart for leverage, a staff is a very nimble weapon.

By moving the tip end of the staff in small vertical circles, or parts thereof, the staff gains momentum and energy while only being moved a short distance. For example, the tip is dropped, moves in a tight clockwise circle and descends to strike the clavicle. If a forward or rearward component is added to these circles they become spirals.

These “rapid circular motions”, “flourishes” or “quarter blows”, as they were termed, may possibly be an explanation for the term “quarterstaff”.(Master of Defence, p.61)

We see these small circular moves from other sources. The final “half‑point” of the six and a half point pole form is taught by some wing chun instructors as moving the tip in a half circle.

To practice such small circular actions, use your staff tip to draw a cloverleaf shape in the air. The illustration taken “Attack, Avoid, Survive” shows this shape applied to unarmed or short weapon parrying. This exercise will train you to use the four small circles and the simpler sideways “beats” and semicircular parries.

Many of these motions serve as either strikes or parries. They may be used to make disengagements and strike‑overs.

The wing chun pole form includes postures that resemble the low guard. In one part, the tip is whipped downwards to the ground then whipped back to its original position. Such a movement may be used defensively, or as an upward or downward strike. That upward action may be aimed between a foe’s legs.

Defence

Many of the offensive moves may also be used defensively. This parallels recent discussion on this blog of unarmed techniques that are both defensive and counter‑offensive.

Swetnam has an interesting defensive move whereby the rear hand is raised high and the point is allowed to rest on the ground (“pitch”), two to three feet wide of the side struck at. The lead hand is removed from the shaft to prevent it being targeted. Train to rapidly resume your guard or attack after using this tactic.

If an enemy tries to close distance, you may switch to halfstaff mode, or slide your rear hand upwards and strike by thrusting or swinging the butt end.

For more information on this style of staff fighting, this article should be read. Other aspects, such a footwork, disengagements, weapon grab counters and strike‑overs are covered in my books, so were not included here.

The staff fighting technique described in this blog post is relatively easy to learn. The techniques are applicable to staffs and other weapons of various lengths, and the skills acquired may be also applied to bayonet‑fighting or the use of spears, should you need either.

The thrust‑single is good exercise for wrist strength, flexibility and dexterity. For strength training, metal pipes may be used instead of wooden staffs.

Do not underestimate how much room you will need for training or exercising with a staff, especially if indoors.

Tags martial arts, quarterstaff, self-defence, staff fighting

Barata

Palms In! Parrying Against Knives

Post author By losophyp
Post date 11 October 2025

I will tell you something that most martial arts teachers and self‑defence instructors do not like to admit. Some do not even admit it to themselves.

Many of the techniques you may have learnt will not work if your attacker has a knife.

Switching to a specialised set of anti‑knife techniques is not a solution. In many knife attacks, the defender fails to see the knife before the attack. Poor lighting, crowded conditions or competent tactics by the knife-man are just some of the factors that can hide a blade.

ATACK: Assume That Attacker Conceals Knives. Treat any attack as a potential knife attack. Defend accordingly.

Whenever you learn a technique, you should be asking yourself several questions:

• Will this technique be practical if the attacker has a knife or other weapon?

• How would I counter this technique if I was the attacker?

• Would this technique work against someone not fighting in my style or a particular style?

Today’s blog expands on an observation I made in a previous post.

I noted how frequent it was that many tai chi defensive movements presented the outer surfaces of the forearms towards an enemy.

The inner side of the forearm has a deeper covering of flesh. Within these muscles are the radial and ulnar arteries and the radial, medial and ulnar nerves.

Nerves and Arteries of the forearm and upper arm

A strike to the inner forearm may numb the nerves, reducing the limb’s ability to defend or attack. A cut to the inner forearm may sever one or more arteries, resulting in a potentially fatal bleed‑out.

If you cannot avoid taking a blow or cut, taking it on the outer rather than the inner side of the forearm is preferable.

Cloth, such as your sleeves will help reduce any damage from a knife strike. If you are a law enforcement officer or in a similar role where knife attack is probable, make a habit of wearing gloves or fingerless gloves.

Here I will remind the reader that parrying actions are secondary defence techniques to evasion and avoidance. Techniques such a ginga and dodging will keep away from knives. Parries are used when evasion fails, or as a component of a counter‑attack action to control the weapon hand.

An effective parry does not just redirect an attack, but includes motions that remove potential targets from the path of the attack.

Palm-In Parrying

Many tai chi defensive movements/“postures” place the lead hand with the back of the hand toward the enemy or uppermost. This orientation protects the inner forearm area from the most likely direct attacks.

One of the most obvious example of this is peng/p’eng/wardoff. The lead arm is held curved and roughly horizontal before the body, back of the palm towards the threat. The rear arm is usually held below or behind the lead arm, often orientated so the inner forearm is protected.

In “How To Use Tai Chi As A Fighting Art”, Erle reminds us that in

combat the “hold the ball” hand positioning is often made with the lower hand palm down.

“In this posture the harder area of the forearm is used to block [parry] the attack and so not damage the soft area of the arm.”

In other movements, such as “Grasp sparrow’s tail” we see the lead arm in a more vertical position, but once again the back of the palm and outer forearm are towards the enemy.

Parries with the outer forearm may utilize the ulnar edge of the forearm, in much the same way that parries with the palm may utilize the edges of the hand. Avoid parrying bone against bone, however.

Parries from such movements are often taken with the outer forearm making initial contract. Combined with waist movement, the arm may rotate to redirect the attack. This action may result in the hand being placed palm down on the limb. This contact may be used to grab, hook, redirect, push, control or to sense the foe’s next actions.

For an example, see the illustration of the “Outside Crane” in “Attack, Avoid, Survive”. Contact is made with the back of the hand and the hand rolls to hook the fingers over the arm.

Such contacts should be transitory. Leave a hand in contact too long and the foe may try cutting it.

For those familiar with wing chun, it will be appreciated that tan/taan sau/sao is an outer forearm towards the enemy configuration.

Palm-First Parries

Of the tai chi movements that do not present the back of the hand, many instead make initial contact with the palm or fingertips. Many of these use an approach angle that still protects the inner side of the forearm.

Under parries with the palm, I choose to include those movements that make initial contact with either edge of the palm. This is the “knife‑hand” between the base of the little finger and wrist, and the “reverse knife hand” surface between the base of the thumb and wrist. A contact made with the edge of the hand may roll into a contact with the palm. A contact with the palm may transfer to the a palm edge.

It is also possible to employ the edges of the palm when making palm-inward actions.

Remember that palm‑first actions may be parries or strikes. In fact, the only difference between a strike and a parry is often one of context and opportunity.

One of the aspects of simultaneous attack and defence is that one body-part may attack as another defends. Another aspect is that a defence may also attack and an attack also defend.

The back of the palm is also a striking weapon. For example, from peng, either hand may deliver a potent backhand strike under the jawline to the Stomach‑9 point on the side of the throat.

Less potentially lethal, the back of the hand may simultaneously hit the points above the eye and under the cheekbone.

Quadrants of Parrying

In previous writings, I have talked about the “quadrants of defence”. Most attacks may be parried by either a inward or outward parry, and will require either a high or low level parrying action. Your parrying response thus constitutes either a rhomboid or a rectangle, depending on the fighting method you train in.

The “back‑of‑the‑hand” or “palm‑in” parries are very well suited to outward parries.

From “hold the ball” or “grasp the sparrow’s tail” the arm is easily dropped to swing outwards for a low parry or flicked up and outward against a higher attack. Because tai chi teaches you to hold your arms relaxed, such actions can be very fast and strong.

The outside of the forearm in the primary contact area, although the back of the hand may slap an attack off line. More of slapping‑style parries a little later.

Inward back‑of‑the‑hand parries may need a bit more practice.

The high inward parry may be made as a chopping action, contact area most likely being the ulnar edge of the forearm or the knife‑edge of the hand. Allow your arm to relax and power the motion by a waist twist and footwork.

The low inward back‑of‑the‑hand parry I find a little more awkward. You need a sort of combined swinging/thrusting action, with a waist twist to power it and take potential targets out of the way. This resembles the low parry of karate, but is thrust inward. A hikate action can help with the waist action.

Palm‑first parries, including knife‑hand and reverse knife‑hand actions, may either parry inward or outward. Their drawback is that using the hand rather than the forearm, the defender must be more accurate and there is a greater probability of failure.

In addition, certain palm parries will expose the inner forearm to attack. Favour palm parries that keep the outside or the forearm uppermost and/or towards the enemy.

When practical, use double‑handed parries rather than single‑arm inward parries. The outward parrying arm of the pair will probably be in a back of the palm outward configuration, with the outside of forearm available to parry.

Some parrying actions that used crossed arms were described in the last post. Practice these so the outer sides of the forearms are always outward/uppermost relative to the enemy/threat.

Double‑handed parries need not be made with the arms touching each other. See the illustration of an “inside crane” in my book. The rear arm makes an outward parry with the outside of the forearm and the palm inward, and the lead hand makes a knife‑hand parry with the outer forearm upwards.

Ready stances such as boxing ready, fighting ready and p;eng hinge should be practised with the back of the hands and forearms towards the enemy.

Erle Montaigue in casual peng hinge ready stance

Erle is shown in a variant of p'eng hinge (above). This posture looks non-aggressive, but one arm is positioned ready to defend the upper body, the other the lower and they both may act together.

Another useful pre‑combat stance is to stand with one hand over the other, both around belt‑buckle level.

A defence against a high hooking strike is to bring your hand up to the side of your head, as though brushing back your hair (if you still have some). Ideally this action sweeps across the face on the way. This defence also utilizes the outer forearm area of the bent arm.

Commonly depicted as a blocking action, this can be made into a parry/evasion by turning toward the attack and dropping downward and moving backward. This spiralling action may be used to drive the other hand out in a counter‑strike.

This action may offer some protection against a high knife attack, reducing the severity of an injury at least.

Combine this arm motion with ginga and you have esquiva.

Note that in ginga the bent arm presents the outside of the forearm towards the foe.

Whip/Slap Parries

In “Knives, Knife Fighting & Related Hassles”, Marc Macyoung recommends “whip/slap” parries. These “…originate from the wrist, using the elbow as a pivot point. One way of looking at them is, under control, you throw your wrist at an incoming strike. When done properly, the wrist will arrive at the destination the moment your arm’s motion is arrested. This allows for all of the energy to be transferred into whatever is hit.”

Striking or parrying with a relaxed or semi‑relaxed arm has obvious parallels with the tai chi techniques and principles described above.

When applied with the palm of the hand, the whip/slap parries clearly have a similarity to the tai chi palm‑first defensive moves already described. Obvious applications are as inward or downward parries.

As a parrying technique primarily using the hands, accuracy is needed as well as speed and relaxation.

Horse foot hand used in tai chi single whip

The hand configuration shown in Macyoung’s book for the upwards whip parry (left) has a clear resemblance to the crane/turtle head/horse foot hand used in tai chi single whip (above). As the relaxed hand is flicked upward or outward, the wrist naturally bends and the fingers trail. Primary impact surface is the back of the hand or the wrist area.

I have seen a clip of Erle Montaigue conducting a knife defence workshop. A student stabs at Erle, so Erle twist to face right and brings an arm up in an explosive “Paint the fence, Daniel‑san” move, hitting the underside of the knife arm. Much to everyone’s surprise, this impact against the arm knocks the knife out of the student’s hand and high up into the air.

This nicely illustrates that a whip/slap type technique may be used even if the contract area is the outer forearm rather than the wrist or hand. This action is therefore applicable to movements where the back of the hand is towards an enemy.

A parry with the dorsum of a horse foot palm is not just for rising parries. The back of the horse foot hand may be directed as an outward horizontal or oblique parry or even as a downward parry with the fingers raised upwards.

When the fingers of a horse foot hand are horizontal this resembles the fook sau of wing chun, so may be used for indexing a foe.

Elsewhere, I have discussed how the horse foot hand form may be used as a hammer‑fist, reverse hammer‑fist or a downward punch.

As a defensive technique, horse foot hand may both parry and hook over attacking limbs.

The sides of the horse foot hand, or even the knuckles, may also be used to parry/strike at an attack.

Note that these defensive moves have mainly used the palm, knife-hand and hammer-fist, the primary weapons taught in Crash Combat. To these has been added the use of the back of the hand and the forearm.

This is a further illustration of how defensive moves may be used offensively.

Tags erle, ginga, hammer-fist, knife, knife-fighting, martial arts, punch, self-defence, single whip, tai chi

Barata

Cross Hands

Post author By losophyp
Post date 5 October 2025

First of all, I will make it clear that this blog is not about the infamous scissor block aka X-block.

The danger of this technique I have addressed in both my self‑defence books and on this blog a few times already.

Unfortunately, every forum seems to have at least one blow‑hard who knows a guy, who knew a guy who was attacked and successfully used a scissors block. If you get really lucky, it may work, but the odds are really heavily against you.

Many readers may have seen the “Surviving Edged Weapons” (1988) video. Around the 74 minutes mark there is a simulated attack where the police officer uses a scissors block.

As soon as he is stopped, the attacker drives the point of his knife into one of the cop's forearms and cuts deep along and down the forearm.

If you made the block with the palms towards the attacker, the way it is often taught, the radial and ulnar arteries and nerves will be exposed to this counter. Getting cut on the outside of the forearm is not much fun either.

As an aside, note how often defensive moves in tai chi present the outer surfaces of the forearms towards a foe.

A long bladed weapon may reach past the scissors block and injure the face or head. While it is unlikely an attacker would have a sword bayonet, bread knives or carving knives are possible threats. Such knives are found in any domestic kitchen or hardware store and often feature in domestic violence.

For an armed fighter with a weapon in each hand, such as a pair of sai, the scissors block may work.

Fencing masters such as Joseph Swetnam called this the “double parry” and recommended it as a technique by which the rapier and dagger could deal with powerful longer weapons such as a quarterstaff. Notable is that this is described as a parry, suggesting that it is used to redirect force rather than block/obstruct/oppose it.

Any technique that leaves a target in the path of a weapon has potential for a dangerous failure.

In my last blog, I supplied a link for Erle Montaigue's “How to Use T'ai Chi as a Fighting Art”. The term “scissors block” is used twice in this work. If the associated photos are examined (Nos. 19, 20, 38 and also 11) it will be seen that what is actually being used is a type of two‑handed parry. Waist rotation is being used to divert the force away to the side rather than trying to directly oppose or absorb it.

Rather than countering a vertical downward attack, the two‑handed parry is being used against low lateral attacks. A similar technique could be used against higher level attacks. A low cross hand parry is sometimes termed a “willow tree”.

One of the reasons for using two hands is as a counter to the folding principle. The other hand helps sense or inhibit attempts to slip another attack past a successful parry.

From long har chuan (covered in both my self-defence books) you will have learnt that one hand will often take over a parry to free the other for a more effective counter‑attack. This is facilitated if both hands are in close proximity when the initial defence is made.

With this in mind, it will come as no surprise that many tai chi forms have movements where the hands or wrists are crossed.

Both Yang and Wu styles have a movement usually translated as “cross hands”. Alternately, it is called “ten hands” since the Chinese symbol for the number ten is a cross.

The technique commonly called squeeze, press, ghi, ji or chee may also be looked at as a type of crossed hands. Some writers use the term “cross hands” when discussing ghi. Usually one hand is held with the back toward the foe, and the palm of the other hand placed on the wrist.

One of the applications of this technique is to grasp the head, chest or a limb between the two hands, hence the squeeze/press name.

The joined hands may also be used to push or strike when close to the foe. A variation is to place one palm on the back of the other to make a two‑handed palm strike. Erle notes the press attack can either be a powerful pushing movement or it can be a snapping downward attack.

Yet another variation uses one forearm to ward‑off (peng/p'eng) the foe's attack or body. The rear palm is placed on the forearm and body motion used to unbalance or strike the foe.

The next example is taken from “Wu Style Taijiquan” by Wang Peisheng and Zeng Weiqi.

Tai chi moves can often appear very abstract. In this technique, the fighter crosses his hands while apparently allowing one leg to cross behind the other. At first glance, this seems a questionable and potentially unstable move.

When seen in context, we see the twisting turn and drop to the right avoids and aborts the attacker's attempt to kick with his right foot. The motion further unbalances the attacker to fall to his left.

Wu tai chi twisting action unbalances foe.

The twisting and dropping action has acted like a spring being compressed, allowing the tai chi fighter to explode upwards and knee or kick his unbalanced attacker.

Crossing the hands puts them in a position from where they can be thrown outwards for balance, or as an alternate or follow-up means to strike.

Wu tai chi twist throws attacker and kicks out.

For a casual-looking ready stance, place one hand over the other at around belt-buckle height. From this position a variety of defensive or counter-offensive moves can be made.

Weapons

Many of the techniques described above may be used if you are only wielding a single weapon.

If you are using a baseball bat or hiking staff, you will most likely hold it like a katana with both hands. The weapon may be wielded to defend either side.

If using a weapon with less grip area, such as a knife or baton, it may seem that you unarmed side is less defended. The solution is to bring the weapon to the same central location that a longer weapon would be used from. The unarmed hand is brought up to around the opposite shoulder to defend the chest and throat area. The Filipino martial arts refer to this as the “live hand”.

Use of the alive hand with a single weapon.

With a little thought, it can be seen that the unarmed hand may be brought forward to assist the armed hand in several of the two‑hand defensive and counter‑attacking techniques already suggested for unarmed use.

Essentially, you have created a posture where your inside gate is close. You keep your inside gate towards the enemy so that you may use either hand in defence or attack.

Tags baton, erle, knife, knife-fighting, martial arts, self-defence, tai chi, unarmed

Barata

Returning to Tai Chi

Post author By losophyp
Post date 4 October 2025

A couple of months back, I hurt my leg.

I was walking-up the slightly sloped street just before my house. Nothing different from what I have done hundreds of times before.

Something just “went” in my inner calf and the inside of my foot.

Not sure what is more worrying. How long it is taking for my leg to heal, or that such a thing can just happen again for no apparent cause or reason.

I have spent the last few months limping everywhere, to varying levels of pain or discomfort.

One thing I have noticed is I seem to have experienced less migraine attacks, which I suspect due to the leg pain stimulating endorphins/endocannabinoids. This gives me a nice choice: periodically lose chunks of vision, or walk more and be in constant discomfort.

The other day I came across two inaccurate comments about tai chi. Tai chi is the only thing I had not yet tried on my bad leg.

Tai chi puts gentle stress on the lower legs, so is known to be useful in healing certain conditions.

While the kettle was boiling, I went through what I could recall of the tai chi form.

Much to my surprise, I noticed that the constant tension along my inner calf had completely vanished. The inside of my foot still hurt, but was possibly toned down a little.

The leg thing did not come back for several days, and was usually only noticeable in the morning before I had practised the form, or if I had been immobile for some time.

For over a week now, I have been making an effort to run through a few moves each morning. I will fit in a session before bed if I am not too sleepy.

The pain in the foot is beginning to reduce, which is encouraging.

As I wait for the train, I use a modified version of the rocking from one foot to the other that is described in the “Anti-Jet Lag” book.

Rather than following my old (Yang) form, I have decided to try learning the form in the book “Compact Tai Chi” by Jesse Tsao. The early parts are mainly Yang, with some Chen, Sun and Wu techniques added in later sections.

One of the good points of my ailing memory is that I have forgotten so much of the Yang form that I learnt, it does not conflict with learning a new form.

An added bonus is that this training has interested me in other styles of tai chi. So far I have mainly found information of Wu style, although it is not often clear which Wu style. There are two styles of tai chi called “Wu”. In Chinese they have different tones, so are distinct words. Often these are simply translated as Wu, and it is not obvious if this is Wú: second, rising or high-rising tone; or Wǔ (Hǎo): third, falling-rising or low tone.

Many books on tai chi to not bother to tell you the style, or even the form they describe.

Compact Tai Chi is a good book and does a nice job of explaining the form. I have something of a tai chi background, so it is hard for me to judge if this book alone would be good for a beginner.

Tsao does describe a martial application after each posture. I would advise anyone wishing to practice tai chi for any reason to familiarize themselves with the martial applications.

It is much easier to get the movements right if you keep in mind a certain movement is intended as a strike, or as a parry sweeping an attack away from your face and abdomen, for example.

“How to Use T'ai Chi as a Fighting Art” by Erle Montaigue is a good start, as is the Compilation book with Erle and I collaborated on.

“Advanced Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Vol. 2 : Martial Applications” by Jwing-Ming Yang is also good for the applications section. The most recent edition combines all volumes in one cover. I am not sure if all the original content is retained.

“Wu Style Taijiquan” by Wang Peisheng and Zeng Weiqi includes numerous illustrations of techniques.

Tags erle, health, martial arts, self-defence, self-help, tai chi

Phillosoph

Rhyming Letter Getter

Post author By losophyp
Post date 27 September 2025

Today I would like to share another memory tool that I have encountered.

Beautiful Oriental Girl to help you remember this idea

This is called the “Rhyming Letter Getter”, and is described here.

The post does not give all the rhymes used, so the ones that I use are:

0 : No (“O-No” or zero: No)

1 : Bun (or Uno: Bueno)

2 : Poo

3 : Tree

4 : Door

5 : Knive (deliberately misspelt to make it more memorable)

6 : Sticks

7 : Heaven

8 : Gate

9 : Wine

There are other number:letter systems, but this one is very easy to learn.

If you prefer, or English is not your first language, you may use other rhymes or letters.

The only rules are that each number gets a different letter, and all letters are consonants.

How to Use

If you have a number to remember, transpose the digits into letters. Then throw in some vowels to make the sequence of consonants a word or words.

Acrostic phrases are another option.

The keycode “1489”, for example, might become BDGW, which I might remember as “BaD GeeW”.

“GoW” could be mistaken for the phonetically similar “GoH”, so I opted for the nonsense word GeeW.

The longer sequence 261011 could become “PS BaN BoB”.

“No, No, Don't Take The Dosh, Bank!” is 0043341.

Remember the street but keep forgetting the house number? Remember it as “DaN aP” instead.

As with other mnemonic techniques, the sillier or ruder the words you come up with, the more likely that you are to remember them.

Barata

Improving Your Memory: Number Shapes

Post author By losophyp
Post date 12 September 2025

Some of the previous blog have been inspired by topics that were in “Mind Performance Hacks” by Ron Hale-Evans.

Recently I have started reading the sequel, “Mindhacker” by Ron Hale-Evans and Marty Hale-Evans. I had previously dipped into this book for the posts on learning American manual alphabet (AMA).

Both books cover the topic of memory.

My memory has been getting demonstrably worse since 2019, so I looked at the section in the newer book with interest.

There are lots of systems of memorisation, some of them quite complex seeming.

One of the easier systems uses number shapes.

Humans are visually orientated animals. An image of something is easier to remember than a simple noun. If that image happens to be naughty, gory, silly, scary or similar, it is often more likely to be recalled.

Below is a number system suggested by the Mindhacker book and their website.

A couple of those images do not really work for me.

An elephant does not look much like a six. If anything, I would associate an elephant with five.

Instead, I use an insect. Insects have six legs. There is a great variety of insects so I can select the type most appropriate to what I am trying to remember.

A tennis racquet for nine? I prefer to use a cat, or even a cat-o-nine tails.

The first version of a number memory aid I encountered only had four images. These were Flagpole, Red Bloomers, Tricycle, Pig.

You can use any four-legged animal, but cartoon pigs are funny and distinctive looking, so work well.

Red bloomers are sometimes substituted with a pair of trousers if this works better for what I want to remember. A pair of boobs works better for some images.

I came across an interesting system of unit signs used by a Canadian Divisions in the First World War.

A circle was used for one, a half-circle for two, a triangle for three and a square for four. An arch or archway may be used in place of the half-circle. These shapes may be used to create memory images if they make a better image than the other suggestions. If visiting someone is your second chore, you might visualise the individual standing beneath a stone archway, for example.

An alternative for five is to remember a hand, since it has five fingers. Perhaps think of the Thing from the Addams Family.

A tripod can be an alternative for three.

A spider or a snowman is an alternative for eight. I might even use a snowman lock pick, which is an object familiar to me personally.

These are just suggestions. Adapt the elements to what works for you.

I generally have an n-1 memory. Seven things to remember and will remember six. Five things and I can remember four, no problem.

This was the case with the list of items in the SOE Loadout blog. Always could not remember one item.

As an experiment, I tried making a number shape list.

It worked so well, I added more items to include the Ninja travelling list too.

How I did it was:

1 I could have flown or hoist something up the flagpole. For his example, the candle was an obvious reminder for a flashlight. My EDC also includes a candle, so this is an additional reminder to number 6.

2 Trousers with bulging pockets reminded me that money was an item. Pockets bulging with money, like mine never have. Or you can think of banknotes stuffed down cleavage.

3 The heart with a knife in it was an obvious object to remind me of knives and tools.

Customized Swiss Army Ranger with pocket clip

4 For the compass, I placed it in a square to represent the four corners of the Earth. If you want, imagine the angels standing in the corners of the Earth as the Bible describes. In the centre sits a compass, and this is the trigger for maps and other navigation aids.

The square Earth reminds you to take a compass

5 Five is a hook. On that hook hangs a skein of thread, or it is attached to the hook like a fishing line. Five reminds me of cordage and fishing gear, and by association, other hunting items. This is a very effective memory hook.

6 Six is a ladybird in a matchbox. Matchbox means matches, which means fire kit. I do not carry matches, they are reminder for the lighter, tinder and more useful means of ignition or cooking.

7 Seven may be an axe, Grimm Reaper's scythe, or similarly shaped tool. In this example, it is an axe chopping a bandaged leg. Medical items.

8 Eight is an hourglass with a wrist watch around its centre. Perhaps a slender spider crawls across the hourglass.

9 Here is a handsome black cat with a stylish broad‑brimmed hat and a rakish neckerchief. Over one shoulder is a stick with a bundle in a hanky at the end. A rather effective image, it reminds me of hats, bandannas and walking sticks, all useful things to have on a trip. By association, hats and bandannas remind me of shelter and clothing accessories such a good gloves, goggles etc. “A cat in a hat with a staff and a scarf.”

10 Ten is formed by a tire (or donut) beside an upright pencil or pen. This represents pens, pencils, sharpies, chalk, notebook, documents and other items of communication. “Ten is a pen.”

The above is just an example, of course. The order of the above items does not matter, so I have arranged them to best suit the number shapes they are with. Memorising an ordered list is also possible.

Using this system, I have managed to keep this list in memory for several days now.

All I have to do is say the numbers and the associated item pops into mind.

Tags memory, mind performance hacks, mindhack, number shapes, self-help

Barata

Keep a "Books Read" List

Post author By losophyp
Post date 12 September 2025

It is no great secret that my memory has been getting worse since at least 2019.

The other day, I came across an interesting term. A day or so later, I came across an opportunity to use this new word.

Could I remember the word, no.

Worse, I could not remember where I had encountered the word.

It must be in one of the books I read within the last few days.

Eventually, I remembered the word, but still no idea from where.

I have read several books on diverse subjects over the last week. I also may dip into several other books during a day.

Since I have just started reading another of the Mindhack books, I will suggest a “hack” of my own I have now adopted.

On your computer, have a .txt file called “Books Read” (for example).

This file should be easily accessible, such as on your desktop or in the documents folder. It should open quickly, using a program such as Notepad or Xed.

List each book you read and/or complete, in the order you read them.

You can mark books you have started but not got around to finishing.

Also, put down when you dip into a book to find a piece of information or quotation. Perhaps note what it was you found.

Current list looks like:

Information Anxiety

Information Anxiety 2

On Writing Well, Zinsser

Greek and Roman Artillery, Osprey

Steampunk Guide to the Apocalypse

*The I Hate to Housekeep Book" Flagpole memory aid*

Mindhacker–

I do not use a full title and author, just enough to identify the book.

Titles between asterixes are books consulted for references. In this example, I had reread the chapter on memory tricks.

Double dashes are books started but not finished. Depending on your reading habits, there may be several of these.

I suppose I could distinguish between electronic and dead tree books.

A separate column for fiction and non‑fiction is another possibility.

When this list gets longer, I may duplicate the data in a spreadsheet for easier sorting and searching.

I wish I had started this habit years ago. I have folders full of novels where I cannot recall which ones I have read and which I have not.

If you find yourself in a similar situation of being unable to recall where you read something, or even if you have read something, you at least have a shortlist of where something may have been.

Now I just have to remember to keep the list up to date.

Tags books, library, memory, mind performance hacks, mindhack, number shapes, self-help

Barata

Survival Library: Chapter 11, Information Anxiety

Post author By losophyp
Post date 4 September 2025

“The Third Wave” by Alvin Toffler explained humanity was on the cusp of an Information Age.

Toffler warned that the transition was likely to incur growing pains. Progress has been hindered by the persistence of many Second Wave institutions.

“Information pollution”, rather than lack of information, often hinders us. Opinion too often masquerades as fact. Editorials pretend to be news. Truth is buried under more entertaining alternatives.

Information Anxiety

A friend of mine referred me to the book “Information Anxiety” (1989) by Richard Saul Wurman.

My first impression of the book was a reaction against its length. Page count on my reader is 372 pages! Shouldn't a book on information be more concise?

It was not as bad as it initially appeared. About 30 pages at the end are the bibliography, index, acknowledgements and so on. There are blank pages at the end of the chapters.

The start of the book explains that it can be read non-linearly.

Immediately after follows an annotated contents list with several extracts from each chapter. This takes up more than 20+ pages, contributing to the high page count. Deceptively, each content's entry looks like the start of a chapter. The author evidently likes this feature, since it was kept in the rewrite.

Personally, I found it a waste of pages and the time that I had to spend scrolling through this to find the actual start of the text.

The book is about two things. One is about perception and presentation of information. Selecting and filtering the information that you are exposed to. The other is about managing “information anxiety”.

Personally, I do not consider myself as being particularly prone to information anxiety.

As a pessistoic, I tend not to devote much brain time to things that do not affect me, or over which I have little control or influence.

Most “normal” people, however, will sit down with their daily newspaper or before the nightly news without comprehending they are little more than spectators.

According to the Information Anxiety, one should read certain magazines or newspaper sections to keep informed about art, theatre and similar. Not being informed about a topic that arises would cause anxiety.

Personally, I am more inclined to follow the author’s good advice about embracing ignorance. Vulnerability has a strength of its own.

If I do not know about a topic, I will ask the speaker about it. This contributes to the conversation, and many personality types would rather be speaking than listening, so is socially prudent.

If the subject explained interested me, I will read-up on it later. I will consult several sources, since most things are better understood if looked at from various different angles.

In general, I found Information Anxiety useful. As the book itself notes, information needs to be understood in context. Therefore my recommendation of this book comes with some observations and reservations.

There is a good section on the importance of conversation. However, in many modern institutions obsessed with their woke posturing, conversation and opinions must be carefully guarded. Forget about joking with someone.

Carl Rogers notes that although humans have a natural potential for learning, they approach the process with great ambivalence because “any significant learning involves a certain amount of pain, either pain connected with the learning itself or distress connected with giving up certain previous learnings.” (p.155)

Contradictions

The book has a number of contradictions.

Early on is the quotation from Iris Murdoch that to be a good writer, you have to kill your babies. Yet the book has several sections that seem overly long, or do not seem to make any real contribution.

Some books need an unsentimental editor.

In many places, I found myself wishing the author had followed some of his own advice.

The book has frequent sidebars or “marginalia”. Some are interesting, some entertaining. Many are overly long and do not seem to contribute much. Many of these are guilty of the very literary posturing that an early chapter cautions against.

The marginalia are so frequent that after a while I found myself ignoring them. As a later chapter notes, less is sometimes more.

Contrary to what is claimed in the book, quite a few writers do not put any particular importance on being accurate!

The author advocates the need to know geography to put international news in context. Yet the book itself is very clearly written by an American for Americans, rather than a global readership.

Many of the cultural references will be lost or outdated to many readers.

Several sporting examples are used, but at least one has the simpler explanation that most sports commentators have a very poor standard of English.

The statement “the news industry which worships objectivity with the zeal of Shiite Muslims” had me laughing at how ludicrous this view was. [that simile will probably trigger a few woken‑SS!]

Similarly, accuracy of information is not a particularly notable feature of mass‑media presentations.

The above statement very much contrasts with the later, very useful “Violent Wallpaper” chapter on the mass‑media, which has some interesting insights on how the mass‑media presentation of information is intended to produce fear rather than understanding.

This chapter, however, is followed by an interview by a news anchorman who is treated like a wise guru rather than a figurehead.

The section on “Fat-Free Daily Reading Diet” was also useful, although the modern reader is more likely to be using on‑line sources rather than printed matter.

There is an annoying error that the word “eureka” was originated by Archimedes, rather than popularised by the story about him. Similarly, I also rather doubt that “Socrates was the first teacher to use questions as a way to bring in-depth answers from his students”

The comment about [American] hospitals being primarily concerned with improving the quality of life in the community is amazingly naive. In contrast to this, it is later noted that many hospital routines are for the convenience of the hospital administration rather than of the patients or nursing staff.

Several of the marginalia quote Toffler’s “Future Shock”.

Some reference to “Third Wave” would have put many of the institutions discussed in a historical and broader context. Reading the Tofflers’ “War and Anti-War” would have inspired punchier presentation.

The epilogue of the book has a number of predictions.

Information Anxiety 2

“Information Anxiety 2” (2001) is a rewrite rather than a sequel. Many of the original sections are included, and there is some new content. Some original sections do not appear. The ludicrous comment about journalist objectivity and American hospitals remain, however.

This version is “only” 337 pages. This edition has less “tail”, just an index.

There seems to be more name-dropping and quotation of other books in this edition. There also seems to be a greater emphasis on the author's own achievements.

Generally I have found this book weaker than the original. There is more emphasis on business and less on the individual.

Once you wade past the lengthy contents section, there is a rather smug chapter on predictions about the information age that have not come true (in 2001). No mention is made of the predictions in the epilogue of Information Anxiety (1989), which consistently missed every time.

The five ways that information may be organized by has been given the acronym “LATCH”: Location, Alphabet, Time, Category and Hierarchy. Hierarchy was formally “continuum”.

All the quotations from Future Shock have been removed.

Page format and layout seems a little easier to read.

“Civilization had too many rules for me, so I did my best to rewrite them”.– Bill Cosby (p.193) [Awkward!]

A few sections are in triple column print, which might have worked in the original paper book, but is tedious to read on-screen.

In contrast to the original book, there is a section about the merits and continued popularity of printed newspapers. Also some examples of design work the author’s company had done for printed newspapers…

Significantly, the “Violent Wallpaper” chapter on newspapers and mass-media is no longer found in this edition.

There are several sections on various management and employee interactions. If you want to learn about this, you are better reading “First Break All the Rules” by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman.

New text includes discussion of company mission statements, customer service and engagement, workplace politics, search engines and websites.

The “pyramid cookbook” (p.107) idea was interesting. Hopefully one day something along these lines may be created.

Much of the technology related comments in either book are no longer accurate.

While I have my reservations about the presentation of these books and some of the content, they do contain a lot of useful information and ideas, and are worth reading.

Tags book, book review, information, information age, information anxiety, information pollution, library, mass media, media, newspaper, survival library, third wave, toffler

Barata

Mastering Camouflage

Post author By losophyp
Post date 15 June 2025

“All warfare is based on deception”

Sun Tzu

Camouflage is an important survival skill.

When hunting, camouflage will help put food on the table.

If hunted, knowing how not to be seen or found will save your skin.

Many preppers take their cues from military practice. Sometimes this may not be the best option.

As I have discussed elsewhere, many armies do not seem to practise camouflage as seriously as it was taken a few decades ago.

Stretching a net or camo cover over your helmet and wearing the latest camouflage pattern in vogue does not make you adequately camouflaged.

USMC MCRP 3‑01A Rifle Marksmanship, Chapter 10: “Target indicators are anything that reveals an individual’s position to the enemy.

“These indicators are grouped into three general areas: movement, sound, and improper camouflage…There are three indicators caused by improper camouflage: shine, outline, and contrast with the background.

“Most targets on the battlefield are detected due to improper camouflage.”

Camouflage is commonly taught as “the five S” or sometimes, “seven S”. What these S actually stand for varies. “Movement” and “Aircraft!” are sometimes included, flying in the face of alliteration.

Silhouette

You probably understand this as a caution not to silhouette yourself on a skyline. And that may be the limit of your thoughts on the topic.

For example, you can silhouette an enemy by adopting a low observation position, which may skylight them even if they are not walking along a ridge line. “Skyline” is sometimes an alternate category.

Silhouette involves more than just skylines, however.

If you are dressed darkly, but before a light background, or dressed lightly, and before a dark background, you have also become a silhouette.

Walking past a window may silhouette you to a viewer outside or inside.

A ship underway on the ocean is silhouetted by its wake.

Muzzle flash in the dark will silhouette you.

If you are utilising an object for concealment, position yourself so that you do not create a separate silhouette. Looking around concealment will make you less obvious than looking over it.

Background

Paying attention to your background is one of the fundamentals of good camouflage.

Remember that backgrounds appear lighter with increasing distance. Most backgrounds are lighter than is assumed.

If you are attempting to avoid observation, you must constantly be mindful of your background, relative to an observer. If the observer is airborne, your “background” may be beneath you.

The availability of small drones/UAVs means that the capability to observe an object from the air as well as ground level has become commonplace, even for individuals.

As an aside, during the Second World War, “Project Yehudi” investigated camouflaging aircraft by mounting lamps on them, so they did not appear as dark objects in light skies. With new technologies such as variable LEDs controlled by photocells, it would not surprise me if this idea was not soon dusted off and applied to military drones.

Many a would‑be ninja, gangsta or Rambo will dress in black. They will appear as a dark spot against most backgrounds.

If you do not know where an enemy is, “shooting the shadows” and putting a round in any particularly dark spots may yield results. This is a variant of the “shooting cover” tactic used by Rhodesian soldiers.

Remember, concealment is not necessarily cover.

Shine

“Shine” is another concept not fully appreciated.

Obviously, shiny reflective objects catch the light and attract attention.

In TV and movies, sun glinting off an optic constantly gives snipers away. Choosing a position where they are not firing into the sun does not seem to occur to fictional snipers!

Tights/pantyhose material may be used to reduce reflections from scopes, binoculars and goggles.

Goggles should be kept covered until needed. This will also reduce the chance of the lenses becoming scratched.

Buckles and other metal gear should have a non‑reflective finish.

A polished knife blade or handgun may catch the light at night. Smearing it with mud or dirt may help, or keep it holstered until needed.

Some clothing, such as waterproofs, have a shiny surface, which looks unnatural.

The clear areas of map cases or watch faces may catch the light.

Large pieces of foliage used for camouflage may also have a shine.

Areas of different colours may reflect the same if viewed at certain wavelengths.

The natural oils of the human skin give it a sheen which may be distinctive, even under moonlight. Skin should always be covered by some means.

If you have ever dropped a well‑polished object in long grass, you will understand that being reflective can contribute to camouflage.

Suppose you are wearing a beige outfit and laying in a grass meadow on a sunny summer day. Will you appear as a brown spot in a green field? No. The sunlight reflecting off the grass will gain a green hue, and that light being reflected off your light-coloured clothing will make your outfit appear green too.

In certain conditions, the reflectance of light colours may contribute to camouflage.

Shade

Shade is actually two topics. Some sources do have shade and shadow as separate considerations

Many amateur camouflage designers agonise over the colours they select.

In real life, the appearance of a colour will depend on many factors, including light level, colour of light the cloth is reflecting, what colours it is in proximity to, fading from washing, wear, whether the garment is clean or muddy and so on.

Shade or tone of a colour is actually a more important consideration than precise hue. An object of a different hue may be overlooked if it is of a similar shade or intensity to its surroundings. Light shades may reflect the colours surrounding them.

Matching shades with your surroundings overlaps with the observations already made about matching backgrounds. Indeed, it will be seen that many of the categories discussed here intersect and overlap.

Why many modern camouflage patterns fail is because the colours selected do not differ sufficiently in shade. Beyond a certain distance, these patterns “blob‑out” and the wearer appears as an obviously human figure who seems to be wearing a single colour outfit.

Shadow

If you should be mindful of your background, you should also be attentive of shadows.

There is a Western where a character explains to another why they are walking down the dark side of the street.

If you are in the shadow, you can see what is within the shadow and also into the lit areas. If you walk in the light, you may be unable to see clearly into the shadow.

This is good advice, and works for both day and night. On a very sunny day, keeping to the shadows keeps you cooler too!

The most basic way to not be seen is to hide behind something.

When this is not possible, taking to the shadow of a terrain feature is a good strategy. This may be combined with utilising a suitable background too.

Suppose you have to cross a forest road or clearing and fear observation? If possible, cross within the shadow of a tall tree. Crouch over with your hands close to the ground and you may be mistaken for an animal if you are observed.

While shadows can hide you, they may also reveal you too.

Shadows are actually one of the main challenges when attempting camouflage.

When the sun is low in the sky in the early morning or towards sunset, it will create very long shadows. A relatively small projection may have a shadow metres long pointing to its location. Aerial reconnaissance photos were often taken at these times to exploit this. A similar effect may occur in bright moonlight too.

Depending on time of day, time of year, and latitude, an object may cast a shadow three to six times its height.

The Afrika Korps and Italians fighting in the desert used a style of entrenchment that lacked a pronounced parapet and parados. This made the positions less obvious. The hole itself would still show as a dark area when viewed from the air unless covered by camouflage netting or a shelter cloth.

The flatter something is, the less shadow it creates. A camouflage net over a foxhole makes it appear less like a dark hole in the ground.

A rectangular object like a building or vehicle will create a distinctive shadow. Covering the object with a well‑sloped camouflage net will reduce the object’s shadow and create a shadow/shape closer to that of a natural terrain feature.

A standing man will throw a longer shadow than a prone one. The prone man will still create a shadow, and parts of the body will create distinctive shadows that will make them recognisable as human body parts.

By using some means such as a cloak or blanket, the prone man can “flatten‑out” his apparent shape and conceal some of the more distinctive shaped areas.

Shadows and shades play an important part in our perception of objects. How we distinguish between a white marble statue and a white paper silhouette is by the shades and shadows of the former.

Have a look at videos of the “Hollow Face Illusion” for an example how the brain uses such cues and how it may be sometimes fooled.

Given the above, it is surprising that this effect is not more often exploited for camouflage systems.

A human body is effectively a collection of cylindrical shapes. If the camouflage pattern on clothing was structured more like a shaded relief map, it might do a more effective job at disguising the actual shape of the wearer. Shading would make flat or concave areas of cloth appear as either depressions or projections.

Butterflies hold their wings vertical when at rest. Moths hold their wings horizontal. Most moths are active at night. Butterflies are active in the day and holding their wings vertically minimises the shadow they create, reducing the attention of predators.

Not Camouflaged! — Multiple Camouflage Failures

Shape

One of the primary rules of personal camouflage is don’t look humanoid.

The human brain has specialised areas for recognising human body shapes and particularly human faces. This is part of the explanation for phenomena such as pareidolia.

Headgear, pouches and weapons also have distinctive shapes that an enemy will notice.

Shape and silhouette are related. The less human a silhouette appears, the greater the chance that it will be mistaken as something else.

Covering your face and adopting postures that are not obviously human will contribute to better camouflage.

“Camouflage uniform” is an oxymoron. Good camouflage avoids regularity in colour and outline. To quote Langdon‑Davies: “as unlike a Savile Row tailor’s suit as possible.”

One of the ways to disrupt outline is to use a disruptively patterned material. Many man‑made camouflage patterns lack sufficient contrast to disrupt the outline, simply resulting in a human shape wearing a patterned outfit. Many recent patterns use small elements, which increases the tendency for the pattern to blob‑out, creating a human shape apparently wearing a single colour outfit.

In nature, many animals that utilise disruptive colouration enhance the contrast between the elements. Rather than being uniform, light areas become lighter towards the edge, dark areas darker toward their edge. The patterns of some snake skins are a good illustration of this.

Textilage breaks up some of the distinctive shapes of a rucksack.

The other approach to disrupting shape, which may be used in addition to disruptive cloth patterns, is to break up the outline with irregularities and protuberances. This three‑dimensional approach has the advantage that it works when light‑levels are too low to distinguish the patterns on a cloth. It also helps disrupt the apparent surface texture of a uniform item.

The best known way to do this is the addition of natural materials such as leaves, twigs or tufts of grass.

Some clothing items include nets or loops for the attachment of such materials. Pockets, button‑holes, waist‑bands, webbing, collars, shoulder‑straps and similar may also be used.

Natural materials will tend to wilt or discolour, so need to be replaced often.

Adding foliage to helmets or other headgear may still be encountered, but often the shoulders, upper arms, backpacks and other visible areas are neglected.

British Soldiers in Camouflage Fail — British soldiers with foliage added to helmets but body and weapons neglected.
Note how the British MTP pattern blobs-out to a single colour.

British Soldier of an earlier decade, doing better!

Natural materials may be supplemented by “textilage”. Strips of cloth, scrim, hessian, string etc. that are knotted to the garment to create irregular shapes.

Shorter pieces tend to stand up, and are useful for upper surfaces, while longer lengths droop and hang down, which is good for other areas.

Disruption without concealment is not camouflaged. A basha‑sheet pitched in the middle of a field will be easily identified, no matter how good the camouflage pattern painted on it. A basha pitched in a wood, under cover, coloured to match leaf litter, will work much better.

As already mentioned, “Shape” also applies to posture.

A standing individual is difficult to conceal. A prone figure is less obvious, particularly if they utilise any terrain features within the area. Flatten yourself against walls or similar objects to reduce creating a distinctive shadow or silhouette.

The example above of crossing an open area moving like an animal is another example of shape and posture used for camouflage.

Scenery

I will admit I have never seen “scenery” as one of the 5 or 7 S.

Hiding behind or below cover or concealment is one of the fundamentals of not being detected. Yet the 5/7 S make no direct reference to it.

A hunted squirrel will move around a tree trunk so the trunk is always between squirrel and the hunter or dog. Keep the direction of a potential observer in mind.

Surface

“Surface” or texture is often a clue to something being out of place.

A flat, painted area will not resemble grass, even if the exact colour of surrounding vegetation could be matched.

No matter what pattern it is printed in, most camouflage clothing has a smooth uniform texture. The addition of foliage and textilage help reduce this.

Camouflage requires disruption of depth perception as well as disruption of shape.

Speed

It is very difficult to conceal a moving object or individual.

I suspect this may have been used as an argument for the obvious current neglect of teaching sound camouflage practices to modern soldiers.

However, currently in the Ukraine, one of the main defences against enemy drones is ceasing movement so as not to attract attention.

FM 3‑21.75: “If moving where it is easy to blend with the background, such as in a forest, and you are caught in the light of an aerial flare, freeze in place until the flare burns out…If you are caught in the light of an aerial flare while moving in an open area, immediately crouch low or lie down. If you are crossing an obstacle, such as a barbed‑wire fence or a wall, and are caught in the light of an aerial flare, crouch low and stay down until the flare burns out.”

Vanishing Infantry

In nature, freezing is a very common behaviour for creatures that depend on their camouflage for protection.

When they do move, animals that rely on camouflage tend to move slowly and smoothly without becoming unbalanced. Some animals such as certain lizards and insects, utilise a swaying movement, mimicking the movement of leaves stirred by a breeze.

If you move, move slow and steady. This also reduces sweating and the chance of overheating.

Move for 20 minutes, rest for five. When still, watch, listen, smell.

Many armies teach a variety of crawling techniques that allow a soldier to exploit any concealment and cover. Langdon‑Davies taught some intermediate techniques such as the monkey walk that allowed faster movement when higher cover or concealment was available.

Sound

Speed and sound are related, in that fast or hasty movement is often noisy. Slow and careful movement is often quieter.

Loose coins, keys, certain types of clothing, chewing gum, a partially filled container of matches or pills, a half‑full water bottle, dog tags, sling fittings etc may all cause noises that will give you away. Phone on silent, or switch it off if you can.

Certain types of terrain or animals may create noise that will betray your presence.

Jump up and down, and see if there is any other noise than that of your feet hitting the ground.

Sometimes noise may be masked by other noises such as passing traffic or artillery.

Smell

Most hunters know to position themselves so the wind is blowing from the intended prey towards themselves.

Smell is less of a consideration to many soldiers, but can be a factor in camouflage.

Having eaten certain foods, body odour, sweat, wearing perfumed aftershave or other skin and hair products, may give away your presence.

Smoke

Smoke is related to Smell.

Smoking or chewing tobacco, or just having the smell of it on your person may also betray you.

A glowing cigarette tip not only gives away your position, but makes a good aiming point. So does the screen of your phone!

Smoke on the battlefield, be it deliberate or accidental, may be used for concealment.

Similar natural occurrences such as mist and fog may also aid concealment. Fog also tends to dampen the transmission of sounds.

Spacing

“Regular”, “neat”, “symmetrical”, and “uniform” are the opposites of good camouflage. This applies to clothing, formations and just about everything.

Summary and Suggestions

When it comes to camouflage, it becomes obvious there is no single answer.

Note that many of the strategies described above are actually behavioural. For example, minding your background, using the shadows, keeping behind or beneath concealment, dropping down when not moving, and slow and smooth movement, among others.

These things are easier if you are not dressed in day‑glo orange, of course!

Wearing neutral or natural colours will help, particularly if you avoid very dark shades which will stand out against many backgrounds.

Adding contrasting patches and pockets offers the potential of a variation of “boroboro”!

Tassels like a buckskin shirt may help disrupt shape.

Camo‑gear is an option, but have no illusions as to how effective it will be. A human‑shaped garment can only do so much, no matter what pattern it has.

Many of the modern patterns do not perform that well.

Dressing in nothing but camo “army gear” may attract more attention than you intended.

Some time ago, I came across some photos of soldiers fighting in the streets wearing snowshirts. If there had not been snow, would it have occurred to them to wear similar items in greys and browns, I wondered?

A “shapeless” smock along the lines the Langdon‑Davies suggests could be tried. This has the advantage that it may be removed when looking more regular and conventional is required.

Cover Your Skin

Camouflaging yourself is pointless unless you include usually exposed areas such as hands, neck and face. Most of us don’t have hair in camouflaged colours either.

In an emergency, mud may be used to dull down your hands, neck and face. Camo‑cream, soot, dirt, cocoa or burnt cork have their drawbacks if you need to remove your camouflage quickly and appear like a regular person.

A suitably coloured or patterned hat and gloves may be used for the hands and hair. Textilage may be added and provision to add foliage included.

During the Second World War, troops were taught not to look up at enemy aircraft. To the aircraft, a single uncamouflaged face stood out like a flashing light. A whole company of curious faces looking up, an invitation to strafe or to call in the artillery. The “anti‑aircraft” section were advised to use bandannas or veils.

In a more modern context, facial‑detection and face‑tracking software is already being used to help pick out humans from terrain. The ability to also recognise weapons is inevitable.

For the face, a balaclava or neck gaiter, preferably with a suitable camouflage, shade, pattern and colours, may be used, but may be uncomfortable in certain climates.

A bandanna, keffiyeh or scrim can be wrapped around the lower face, although most keffiyeh are not in camouflage colours.

The SOE Syllabus suggests a mesh of black or dark green: “The veil should be of double thickness over the whole face except for a belt of single thickness running round the front from ear to ear. It is not sufficient to leave eyeholes of single thickness as it will be found that vision is very much restricted at the sides. The veil must be made to tie on securely or it will be easily displaced when crawling or passing through thick cover.”

Apparently this tied at the front, where the knotted belt presumably helped break up the shape. If you do not have to look through such a veil, light and mid‑browns may be a better option than black or dark green.

In low-light conditions you would not want your eyes covered.

The shade of a hat brim will help conceal the eye region. A mosquito head‑net is useful, even if the mozzies, gnats and black fly are thankfully not about.

A camouflaged overvisor may be utilised in daytime and static positions.

If using goggles and/or an overvisor, a fringe of fibres or cloth strips added to the bottom may help conceal the lower face.

Cloaking Technology

When stationary, one wants to eliminate any distinctive shadows.The flatter you can look, the better. Some form of cloak or sheet may be utilised.

Unless operating in a permanently verdant environment, a brown-dominant pattern will probably prove most versatile.

This item must be big enough to cover you when prone, including your feet. When lying on a slope, your feet may appear higher than your head to an observer. A net or sheet should not be so big or bulky that it is an encumbrance when moving, or being carried.

Some camouflage nets on sale on the internet are available in 1.5 x 2 m sections. I have seen 8 x 4 feet suggested as a good size too.

A sheet of hessian, such as sewn‑together sandbags or sacks, may be used instead of a net and may be more effective in some situations.

When the snow lays on the ground, a white sheet or net may be required.

In the movies, the police helicopter will often spot the rooftop sniper. Hiding under an old tarp would have prevented this.

The shape of the net or sheet may be broken up by pattern and textilage, and there should be provision for adding natural materials. Do not overdo such additions, or the item will become heavy and look unnatural.

The edges should be irregular.

If not too large, such a cloak or net may be worn when moving, and helps camouflage your pack and other gear. In other posts, I have described the Inverness and another mode of wearing a blanket or similar as a hooded cloak.

In dense terrain, when thorns and twigs will constantly catch on a net, it may be packed away in a suitable protective bag.

A cloak configuration allows you to access ammunition held in a chest rig. Since the chest region is often shaded, a chest rig should be of a light shade and colour and its shape disrupted with textilage. Beige or a light brown-dominant pattern is probably the most versatile choice for a chest rig.

By adding tapes or cords to the net or sheet, it can be secured around the limbs and worn when crawling.

The net may be erected to cover your sleeping position, or rigged as a screen before a firing position.

In some armies, camouflaging your weapon is frowned upon! You need it looking nice and tidy for parades!

Take a length of cord and tie some suitably coloured or patterned strips of cloth along its length. When in the field, spiral this cord along your rifle forend. If you use a twisted cord, pieces of natural material can be inserted too. This “bunting” may be easily removed when necessary.

Extra Head Camouflage

When stationary, hide beneath your cloak/net/sheet. Your head and weapon may benefit from additional measures.

Partially concealed sniper — Head cover is good, but weapon needs some more work!

The SOE Syllabus recommends a sheet of moss, as is commonly found on stones or round tree roots. This is widely available, and needs virtually no further preparation. It may be combined with other means of head camouflage.

A piece of scrim may be draped over the weapon and/or head. If you need to see through it, this will probably need to be a dark colour such as dark green. That may stand out in certain environments. Pieces of foliage may be added to the scrim to make it less uniform.

Scrim is often worn as a neck cloth rather than a keffiyeh. Alternately, carry your binoculars in a larger pouch and wrap them in a scrim for protection and padding. You will generally need the two together.

A hood for static duties is another option. One version is shown in the illustration, with additional explanation here. An alternative design is given on this page.

Personal Camo-min

Personal Camouflage

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Tags camo, camouflage, foliage, textilage

Barata

SOE Load-Out

Post author By losophyp
Post date 11 May 2025

Studying load‑out lists is often educational.

Sometimes I pick up a new or improved idea. Other times my jaw drops in amazement!

One example of the latter resulted in my recent series on Bug‑Out Bag recommendations.

Recently I have been reading “SOE Syllabus : Lessons in Ungentlemanly Warfare”. Lots of interesting information on a wide variety of topics.

Around page 306, the section on clothing choice is followed by:

“Personal equipment.

Nothing must be carried which is unnecessary. Personal equipment must be cut down to a minimum, and unnecessary objects mean extra bulk, weight, noise and possible loss of security. The following are always useful, and should be carried independent of personal taste or the necessities of the particular operation decided by the recce.

i) A knife, capable of being used either as a utility or offensive weapon. As an offensive weapon the ordinary clasp knife can be improved by sharpening the back of the blade for a short distance below the point.

ii) A match-box, full, because a half-empty box rattles. If there are only a few matches in the box the lower part of the box should be filled out with grass or other material.

iii) Some money – paper when possible – because coins in the pocket are noisy.

iv) A length of at least four yards of stout string. This may be used for any purpose from tieing [sic] up a man to preparing a booby trap or stretching across a path to give warning of a man’s approach.

v) A watch, worn on the wrist, where it will not get crushed when crawling.

vi) A compass, worn on a string round the neck, but carried down the back, where it will not cause discomfort when crawling.

vii) Some first-aid equipment on the lines of the British First Field Dressing.

The length of the operation and the type of ground will decide what type of quantity of food (or water) should be carried.”

One seldom encounters a load‑out list of such brevity, nor of such modest means.

With the exception of the compass, and possibly the knife, most of these recommendations might be considered common household items. No gadgets or gizmos!

The above list nicely compliments that given in my article “Seven Tools of EDC”, even consisting of seven recommendations.

As the first paragraph explains, these items are carried in addition to mission specific items such as small arms, binoculars or explosives.

A later section on night operations recommends adding:

• A small pocket torch with spare battery. The torch may be encased in a section of bicycle tube to avoid noise, or it can be bound with rags.

• Stick encased in old bicycle tube for carefully feeling the ground ahead. The stick may also have a lead-loaded head as a weapon of silent offence.

• Watch and compass to have luminous dials. The watch is best worn on the wrist, with face against the skin instead of outwards. Compass worn as recommended above.

• Cough lozenges to prevent coughing.

Observations

i) A Swiss Army Knife is my usual EDC choice. SOE operatives might have a more serious and urgent need for their blades, so a more substantial folder was likely.

Other publications make it clear a dagger was likely to be carried for more deliberate operations.

Given the option, I would add at least one fixed blade knife to an outfit.

ii) In a modern context, carry a butane lighter, as recommended elsewhere in this blog.

Grass, thistle down or similar used to prevent matches rattling should be completely dry.

iii) Money is a useful tool. Look into ways in which coins (or keys) can be carried to minimize noise. If nothing else, stack them and wrap in duct tape.

iv) Four yards of stout string is the minimum. Elsewhere, the book notes several strings may be tied together to create guide‑ or contact‑lines.

A greater variety of cordage may be carried with very little additional encumbrance. For example, a pair of two metre lengths of paracord or bootlace, a three span length of braided fishing line, a two span length of comms‑cord, roll of dental floss and some cotton string easily may be distributed across your trouser pockets.

The cotton string may be used as tinder and for applications where biodegradable cordage is more appropriate.

v) The next section of the book stresses the necessity of timing and coordination, hence the emphasis on the watch.

Included in that topic is allowing adequate and realistic travel times and allowing time for unexpected occurrences.

A watch that may easily be synchronized with others may be most useful.

vi) While very small compasses have their uses (I am seldom without my Suunto Clipper), a larger compass that is easier to read should be carried if you are out of town. These may often be found for less cost than some button compasses.

Adding a whistle to a compass neck cord is a good idea.

vii) You should have some medical items for minor boo-boos. Aspirin, plasters and alcohol wipes meet most needs.

The SOE expected to be shot at, so a couple of field dressings was prudent.

If there are guns, bows or large tools about, have the means to deal with any injuries, such as a few “Israeli Dressings”.

Tags combat knife, commando knife, compass, fire kit, lighter, load-out, matches, penknife, SOE, swiss army knife