Have you ever watched a sport game and wondered how the team's amazing performance was possible? While it is true that the skills of individual players are a main reason, the strategy of the team is also a vital factor in deciding who will be victorious. The Art of War was written during the "Warring State" era in China by a brilliant general Sun Tzu. The book has taught people how to run an army in the past efficiently and it is still being studied by armies all over the world today. Despite of being written in China centuries ago, the Art of War's teachings are within our everyday life such as business, politics, and sports. Sun Tzu explains why and how certain aspects of war are necessary and also apply to sports in areas of preparation, interpret and countering your enemies, and leading your team.
In a war, every battle has to be carefully planned before hand just like sports.
A Chinese bamboo book, open to display the binding...
English: Enchoen in Yurihama, Tottori prefecture, ...
A Chinese bamboo book, closed to display the cover...The Art of War teaches us many ways to prepare for a battle even in modern sports. The team who "who takes position first at the battleground and awaits the enemy is at ease."(Sun 20) A team who is not prepared beforehand is doomed to fail since without preparation, the team would fall apart and panic under pressure. One of the most important aspects of preparing is the formation of the team. Many people believe that a good formation is vital for victory but according to the Art of War, a team should not confine itself to one formation. Sun Tzu believed that the "ultimate in giving form to the military is to arrive at formlessness." (Sun 23) When a team does not have a set formation, the opposing side cannot exploit a weakness in the formation because there...