The Twofold Path | Becoming The Warrior Poet & The Benefits of Cross-Training
"The mere athlete must be softened, and the philosophic nature prevented from becoming too soft." - Plato ¹
Every man is born with innate characteristics, inclinations, and talents. Some men are bigger and stronger than their peers, while others might be smarter or faster. Depending on the manner of competition, whether mental or physical, they can excel or underperform in either category. Based on men’s personal interests and success rate from those experiences, they tend to focus more on one at the expense of the other. Only a few men will strive to do both, to become scholar-athletes or what some refer to as warrior poets.
Consider one of the most renowned warrior poets of all time, the Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi. In one of his most famous duels, he challenges skilled swordsman Sasaki Kojirō to a duel on Ganryu Island. Preparations were made for the two to meet, but Musashi purposely delayed his arrival. He had Kojirō waiting for over three hours, during which he carved one of his boat's oars into the shape of a wooden sword. According to the legend, Kojirō was insulted that not only Musashi had arrived late but did not wield a proper sword. Frustrated, he immediately went on the offensive, attacking Musashi with his nodachi sword. The nodachi is a longer-than-average blade measuring approximately three feet in length. Musashi, knowing this, took necessary precautions. Firstly, he knew Kojirō was a master of the nodachi and specialized in a technique called the "Turning Swallow Cut," a lethal strike that mimicked the swallow's tail while flying. Secondly, he knew he had to provoke Kojirō to lose his composure so he could take advantage of his enraged but careless state. Lastly, he knew he had to use the environment to his advantage to catch Kojirō off guard, precisely timing his arrival when the sun's position would be directly behind his back, blinding his opponent. Knowing these conditions, Miyamoto pressured Kojirō to make the first move. Kojirō attempted a vertical strike with his nodachi but failed to make contact, at which point Miyamoto flung himself in the air. Blinded by the sun, Kojirō could not defend himself from Miyamoto’s attack, and with one fell swoop, Miyamoto's much longer, sword-shaped oar crushed his skull.
Miyamoto Musashi won over sixty duels in his lifetime, each one involving impossible odds against foes who were either greater in number or skill. But he had one essential trait that other warriors lacked—a willingness to learn not only swordsmanship but strategy. The true warrior uses more than just brute force; he also develops his knowledge and utilizes it accordingly. An effective fighter refines his combat techniques to prepare for physical confrontation. In the same way, an effective thinker engages in intellectual sparring to hone his debate skills. In other words, cross-training is essential for every man, no matter the battles he faces. Or what Miyamoto Musashi calls the Twofold way:
"It is said the warrior's is the twofold Way of pen and sword, and he should have a taste for both Ways.” - Miyamoto Musashi ²
Men who neglect either their mental or physical training will unintentionally limit themselves in achieving a higher level of overall mastery. For example, to develop physical strength and endurance, one must study the human body’s capacities and limitations. Likewise, to increase one’s mental capabilities, one must keep one's body healthy and conditioned. Cross-training is what is required to become a warrior poet. But why should men invest their time in doing so if they don't plan on engaging in a public debate or athletic competition? Moreover, what if a particular man does not have the same degree of talent as the average individual? Would it not be a waste of time for him even to try? Not so. Miyamoto Musashi argues that:
“Even if a man has no natural ability he can be a warrior by sticking assiduously to both divisions of the Way.” - Miyamoto Musashi ³
If a man becomes indolent or is indifferent to his physical or mental training, he has deviated from the Twofold way and will suffer the consequences. A sculpted body with a dull mind is as incomplete as a frail body with a sharp mind. How does one pursue both ways without falling short in one or the other? The first step is to manage your time properly. No warrior enters the battlefield without a plan, and time itself is a battle we face every day. While all men have different abilities and potentialities, they all have the same twenty-four hours in a day. Some men may need more time than others on a specific skill, but as long as efforts are made consistently, one can become well-rounded in both divisions of the way as long as one dedicates time to each. In addition, they must be willing to expand their skills so as to combine them in a meaningful way. A key distinction that differentiates the warrior poet from only being the former or the latter is the implementation of both physical combat and creative intelligence. Namely, the warrior poet is a master of strategy—his most essential skill. Strategy uses both might and mind to achieve the quickest, most effective form of victory. Might alone is unrefined, while mind alone is too passive. Metaphorically, we can consider the Twofold way as the balance of inner and outward strength to create a greater, more cohesive whole. The importance of this is best expressed by British army officer Sir William F. Butler, who asserts that:
“The nation that will insist on drawing a broad line of demarcation between the fighting man and the thinking man is liable to find its fighting done by fools and its thinking done by cowards.” - Sir William F. Butler ⁴
Thus, the warrior poet is a strategist—physically dominant enough to fight on the battlefield while perspicacious enough to know how to navigate it. Moreover, he inculcates a desire for self-mastery by channeling his athletic and creative energies toward a higher purpose. Remember, deep learning is not simply to memorize or regurgitate information but to study a discipline that will benefit oneself and society. Physical training is not about flaunting one’s strength but protecting ourselves and loved ones from external threats. A warrior poet must look at the gestalt of the Twofold way if he is to comprehend strategy. If he neglects the whole of it for the sum of its parts, he cannot implement it effectively. A sentiment shared also by Miyamoto Musashi:
“If you do not look at things on a large scale it will be difficult for you to master strategy. If you learn and attain this strategy you will never lose even to twenty or thirty enemies. More than anything to start with you must set your heart on strategy and earnestly stick to the Way. You will come to be able to actually beat men in fights, and to be able to win with your eye. Also by training you will be able to freely control your own body, conquer men with your body, and with sufficient training you will be able to beat ten men with your spirit.” - Miyamoto Musashi⁵
Unfortunately, modern men have lost any sense of direction of what it means to be a warrior poet, let alone a man who can protect and provide for others. While civilization has reduced violence and conflict among men, it has also created the perfect conditions for men to remain passive. In doing so, they have debased themselves into becoming purposeless husks who have no desire to improve their circumstances so long as they are not forced to. If this trend continues, it will lead to many men falling short of their expectations and, in the process, will end up fighting like fools and thinking like cowards. Encouraging men to cross-train can remedy the situation by giving them both a physical and creative outlet beyond their basic job, which often squanders their talents.
Indeed, we live in a society that teaches men to prioritize their work instead of expanding their learning. Moreover, there is more emphasis on specializing instead of diversifying one’s skills. The oft-cited phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” is followed by average men who believe that learning multiple disciplines will only be a hindrance to true mastery in one particular field. This type of thinking is flawed both in practice and in the case of real-life examples. One of the significant benefits of cross-training is how one type can improve upon a different kind of training. In fact, many so-called polymaths or Renaissance men have excelled in multiple disciplines and become renowned scholars and athletes. Even those who were more artistically inclined had a combative spirit, which they expressed through a physical medium. American presidents George Washington ⁶ and Abraham Lincoln ⁷ were skilled wrestlers, English poets Lord Byron ⁸ and John Keats ⁹ were enthusiastic boxers, and Hollywood actors Tom Hardy ¹⁰ and Henry Cavill ¹¹ are currently active practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is such an oversight that, in today’s culture, we often focus more on men’s accomplishments than on what made such men so accomplished in the first place.
The Twofold way is the path that men must follow to become a warrior poet. They not only become adept in several areas of interest but also are more strategic in their thinking, combining seemingly unrelated concepts and ideas and putting them into practice. Of course, to stick assiduously to both divisions of the way requires tremendous discipline and focus but the benefits of cross-training far exceed any potential costs one would incur if they were to follow only one path instead. While no man is guaranteed to achieve mastery in both ways, he is at least given the opportunity to become the kind of man so few ever try to attain. Indeed, it is a mistake to believe that the pen is mightier than the sword or that those who live by the sword will inevitably die by it. When both pen and sword are balanced in one’s life, they become complementary—allowing one to achieve the spirit of the warrior poet.
“Study strategy over the years and achieve the spirit of the warrior. Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.” - Miyamoto Musashi ¹²