The best defense is a good offense
Encyclopedia
"The best defense is a good offense" is an adage
that has been applied to many fields of endeavor, including games and military combat. Generally the idea is that offensive action preoccupies the opposition and ultimately its ability to directly harm.
opined that "the only real defense is active defense", meaning defense for the purpose of counter-attacking and taking the offensive. Often success rests on destroying the enemy's ability to attack. In reference to fighting terrorists, Matthew Levitt opines, "It’s important to pre-emptively strike
at those who intend to do us harm." The principle is echoed in the writings of Machiavelli and Sun Tzu
.
Some martial arts emphasise attack over defence. Wing Chun
, for example, is a style of Kung Fu which uses the maxim: "The hand which strikes, also blocks."
s, such as Risk
, one's ability to build up armies depends on aggressively attacking so as to acquire territory; however, in Risk
, luck in rolling the dice is the ultimate determining factor. Players who fail to do so, and concentrate instead on holding the line against enemy attack, will likely end up in a weak position. Indepthinfo argues that this adage does not always apply: "When the battle rages between two players one should put every ounce of power in the offense, but when several players are involved, the political element changes this dynamic." In chess, one's ability to prevent enemy attacks often depends on maintaining the initiative
– i.e., making a series of threats that the opponent must use his turns to parry, rather than launching his own attacks; thus, common tips used in conjunction with this adage are that the best way to upset your opponent’s plans is to become menacing and that the best way to stop an enemy threat to your own king is to attack his.
In StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty's multiplayer, protecting one's own bases can be difficult due to the large size of maps and the slow speed of many of the player's units. A player generally has several bases, and so the enemy has several locations he can strike at. Defending each base would require a thin spreading of the player's army, and defending only one would leave the others at risk of destruction. To discourage the enemy from attacking these bases, the player can attack the enemy's bases, forcing the enemy to defend himself or risk defeat. In turn, the enemy can attack the player's bases, preventing this attack. Games are generally composed of a series of "pushes," or attacks, and "counter-pushes," or counter-attacks, in which each player attempts to destroy the other's army to prevent their base from being attacked and to allow themselves to attack the enemy's base without risk.
In sports such as soccer and basketball
, the adage is used to note that success can hinge on an effective offense that keeps the ball on the other team's side of the field, thus not only creating scoring opportunities but preventing the opposing team from scoring.
realm, in reference to patent troll
s.
Adage
An adage is a short but memorable saying which holds some important fact of experience that is considered true by many people, or that has gained some credibility through its long use....
that has been applied to many fields of endeavor, including games and military combat. Generally the idea is that offensive action preoccupies the opposition and ultimately its ability to directly harm.
Military
Mao ZedongMao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
opined that "the only real defense is active defense", meaning defense for the purpose of counter-attacking and taking the offensive. Often success rests on destroying the enemy's ability to attack. In reference to fighting terrorists, Matthew Levitt opines, "It’s important to pre-emptively strike
Pre-Emptive Strike
Pre-Emptive Strike is the first release by Five Finger Death Punch on July 10, 2007. It was only released as a digital download to the American iTunes Music Store. The live version of "The Devil's Own" was recorded at a performance in Las Vegas, Nevada....
at those who intend to do us harm." The principle is echoed in the writings of Machiavelli and Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu
Sun Wu , style name Changqing , better known as Sun Tzu or Sunzi , was an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher who is traditionally believed, and who is most likely, to have authored The Art of War, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy...
.
Some martial arts emphasise attack over defence. Wing Chun
Wing Chun
Wing Chun , also romanised as Ving Tsun or Wing Tsun, ; ; is a concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defense utilizing both striking and grappling while specializing in close-range combat.The alternative characters 永春 "eternal spring" are also...
, for example, is a style of Kung Fu which uses the maxim: "The hand which strikes, also blocks."
Games
In some board gameBoard game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
s, such as Risk
Risk (game)
Risk is a strategic board game, produced by Parker Brothers . It was invented by French film director Albert Lamorisse and originally released in 1957 as La Conquête du Monde in France. Risk is a turn-based game for two to six players...
, one's ability to build up armies depends on aggressively attacking so as to acquire territory; however, in Risk
Risk (game)
Risk is a strategic board game, produced by Parker Brothers . It was invented by French film director Albert Lamorisse and originally released in 1957 as La Conquête du Monde in France. Risk is a turn-based game for two to six players...
, luck in rolling the dice is the ultimate determining factor. Players who fail to do so, and concentrate instead on holding the line against enemy attack, will likely end up in a weak position. Indepthinfo argues that this adage does not always apply: "When the battle rages between two players one should put every ounce of power in the offense, but when several players are involved, the political element changes this dynamic." In chess, one's ability to prevent enemy attacks often depends on maintaining the initiative
Initiative (chess)
Initiative in a chess position belongs to the player who can make threats that cannot be ignored. He thus puts his opponent in the position of having to use his turns responding to threats rather than making his own. A player with the initiative will often seek to maneuver his pieces into more and...
– i.e., making a series of threats that the opponent must use his turns to parry, rather than launching his own attacks; thus, common tips used in conjunction with this adage are that the best way to upset your opponent’s plans is to become menacing and that the best way to stop an enemy threat to your own king is to attack his.
In StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty's multiplayer, protecting one's own bases can be difficult due to the large size of maps and the slow speed of many of the player's units. A player generally has several bases, and so the enemy has several locations he can strike at. Defending each base would require a thin spreading of the player's army, and defending only one would leave the others at risk of destruction. To discourage the enemy from attacking these bases, the player can attack the enemy's bases, forcing the enemy to defend himself or risk defeat. In turn, the enemy can attack the player's bases, preventing this attack. Games are generally composed of a series of "pushes," or attacks, and "counter-pushes," or counter-attacks, in which each player attempts to destroy the other's army to prevent their base from being attacked and to allow themselves to attack the enemy's base without risk.
In sports such as soccer and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, the adage is used to note that success can hinge on an effective offense that keeps the ball on the other team's side of the field, thus not only creating scoring opportunities but preventing the opposing team from scoring.
Business
The adage has also been applied in the intellectual propertyIntellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
realm, in reference to patent troll
Patent troll
Patent troll is a pejorative but questioned term used for a person or company who is a non-practicing inventor, and buys and enforces patents against one or more alleged infringers in a manner considered by the target or observers as unduly aggressive or opportunistic, often with no intention to...
s.