The Art of War and The Art of Football

Sun Tzu's Art of War, although written over twenty-five centuries ago, remains as one of the most authoritative books on military strategy ever written. Any general or war-time hero who would internalize its principles will be successful. You may think that this book is only for soldiers, but when I read it, I saw a thousand different uses. The primary use I thought of was for Football. 

Sun Tzu wrote for generals and potentates, but he might as well been writing for coaches and players in the NFL. Many of the principles he imparted in his book are perfectly applicable to the All-American line of Scrimmage. In Football, the point of the game is to get the ball into the end-zone, which requires a good deal of strategy and athletic ability. When playing at any level above middle school sports, every player is an athletic monster. At that point, many more games are won by the coach, then the players themselves. As George Washington said, A general must "out-general the other general, generally." The Art of War is a guidebook to any leader. 

Sun Tzu divides his masterwork into thirteen chapters: "Laying Plans, Waging War, Atack by Strategum, Tactical Dispositions, Use of Energy, Weak Points and Strong, Maneuvering an Army, Variation of Tactics, The Army on the March, Classification of Terrain, The Nine Situations, Attack by Fire, and the Use of Spies." We'll take a section from the first five chapters and demonstrate why The Art of War should be used by coaches. 

Laying Plans:

"18. All warfare is based on deception. 

19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near."

In terms of football, the opposing team must be made to underestimate you. They can never know what you are capable of. Every play you run has to be a surprise to them. If they think you are going to throw, run it. If they think you are going to run on the outside, throw a Hail Mary way downfield. When running the football, the runner must outfox the defenders; he needs to turn on the speed at the right times, and juke at the last second. 

Waging War:

"2. When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength. 

3. Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain. 

4. Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue."

Despite what most fans see from the bleachers, much of the game is won from the owner's office. He ha the power to draft new players, trade players, and present the team's image to the public. If his team goes through long seasons without winning decisive victories, their resources will come under strain and future victories will be harder to achieve. It's the brass tack's job to make sure that a team never enters an irreversible slump. Every other team in the league will take advantage of the team's weakness. To avert this eventuality, the team's leadership must set the team up to win quick and exact victories. Additionally, they have to consider the fans, sponsors, and other sources of revenue. 

Attack by Strategum:

3. Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy's plans; the next best is to prevent the junction of the enemy's forces; the next in order is to attack the enemy's army in the field; and the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities. 

These four guideposts say a great deal about a coach's ability to win the game. It is possible to win games by repeatedly throwing your MVPs against the wall, but this is poor coaching and is very unlikely to win many Lombardi Trophies. Good coaching is where your playbook is organized to absolutely destroy the opposition's plans. The next best is to keep the players on the other team from organizing properly. Perhaps a good example of disrupting the enemies forces is when the Linebacker gets behind the line and sacks the Quarterback. The third solution is to go toe to toe with the other team. Don't ever allow the coach on the other side of the field to balk your plans, prevent your plays, or perform well against your players. Place him in a position where he is always having to "besiege your walls."

Tactical Dispositions: 

1. Sun Tzu said: The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy. 

2. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

It has been said of long time that a good defense is a good offense. Sun Tzu seems to disagree. He later goes on to explain that a general only has the power to make sure that he has a strong defense, but there is no saying how strong the opposite team's defense is. If your offense is destroyed, you have lost the game and your weak defense will spell defeat. Whereas a surer victory can be won by taking advantage of the enemy every time they screw up. Then victory comes not because of great effort on ourselves, but on the easy failures of the rival. 

Use of Energy: 

21. The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals. Hence his ability to pick out the right men and utilize combined energy. 

This entire chapter talks about how to use momentum during a game. It also talks about how to take the limited plays in the book and make infinite combinations. This particular verse works as an analogy for the cohesion of the team. A successful play is the result of every player fulfilling his role. Victory is not the result of the quarterback alone.

The book goes over every aspect of war and football. When you watch your next game, look at how the coaches run their team. Look at how the players perform. You will see Sun Tzu's principles at work. They are the foundation of strategy. The best players are not only in peak athletic condition but also have a head for the game. They understand the purpose of their plays and are well trained in them. Football is a model for military strategy.