What are we fighting when we engage in physical conflict. What must we do to win? What is it within our opponent that keeps us from victory? It is the mind. The body alone, free of thought, is just muscle and bone, sinew and synapse, blood and flesh. It can not do anything without the mind to direct its actions, while the power of the mind controls the body with determination then the adversary remains a problem. Those who challenge us do so first through thought which in turn drives an act of will or Intention As long as that intention remains, we will need to contend with them. 'We can strike them, lock them, grapple them, shed their blood, and break their bones but if they still possess the will to continue at us, they will do so. In this sense, we apply physical martial arts techniques to their bodies in an effort to reach their minds. We interact with their Body-Mind through pain, injury or submission until their body convinces their mind to relent. The brutal truth of combat is that through some means, we must reach the opponent's mind, and persuade it to end its pursuit of conflict. For that reason, philosophy and also psychology becomes essential in the martial arts.  We must not allow the opponent to access our minds by making us scared or angry. lf we become mentally imbalanced, so will we become physically imbalanced which will allow an opponent to exploit our deficiencies in precisely the same manner in which we seek to exploit his or hers. Therefore, embracing Philosophy as an element of martial arts practice accomplishes two ends: First, the nature of philosophical inquiry sharpens the mind much in the way that exercise shapes the body. Like every other muscle, our minds become stronger through use. Second, the particular philosophical principles common to martial arts, help free the mind of traps the opponent can exploit. If we manifest these martial states of mind then we become impervious to becoming mentally imbalanced, even to misperception. On another level, possessing a powerful mind can in and of itself begin to dominate the opponent's mind because the opponent will sense our confidence and lack of fear. As we really only need defeat the opponent's mind anyway, accessing his or her mind in this purely mental fashion moves us towards our cause, typically before physical combat even begins. This may allow us to achieve victory without physically engaging the enermy, which is the greatest victory of all.