Surprise

The military principle of Surprise refers to the ability to achieve unexpected results by taking unexpected actions or approaching situations in an unconventional way. This principle involves using tactics, strategies, and technology to gain an advantage over the enemy to achieve unexpected outcomes and can be a powerful tool in achieving success on the battlefield.

Special Operations forces are particularly celebrated in their ability to achieve surprise, often against larger forces. Your approach should be no different by taking an innovative and potentially unconventional approach to differentiate yourself. Smaller sports clubs often face intense competition from larger, more established groups, making it challenging to stand out and make an impact. By using agility, creativity and innovation to surprise the market, a small business can create a competitive advantage and gain disproportional market share.

If surprise is achieved, initiative is immediately seized, often decisively shifting the balance of power in favour of the ‘surpriser’. Just like planning a surprise party however, achieving surprise however is not as simple and requires several considerations:

• · Preparing surprise: Surprise in a competitive sense is the culmination of a sound planning process, and subsequent use of the offensive action principle to best effect. Surprise requires a concealment of the planning and/or rehearsal process with minimal impact on friendly forces so collaboration with partnered organisations is essential. At the planning / preparing stage, the major consideration should be upon the direct effect you wish to create.

• · Developing Surprise: Once you have determined during your planning process the effect or aim of your surprise, the next stage of the planning should be dedicated towards the fruition of achieving this advantage. this planning should involve the collaboration with the supporting assets to ensure dissemination of your plan, briefing particular stakeholders and where necessary imparting where the security critical areas of your plan exist, that they may be concealed or part of a larger deception plan.

• · ‘Surprising’. Finally, the act of surprising is closely related to other principles of Offensive action and Culmination of Force. To affect a surprise to maximum effect, all planning should culminate at the same moment – consider the person who pre-emptively yells “SURPRISE!” before the surprise party group was ready. Yes, no doubt, there was a shock at an unsuspecting action – but the effect is diminished.

In a military context surprise is used to gain immediate initiative so that an objective may be achieved with the minimum distraction to friendly forces. Surprise allows a smaller sports club to punch above their weight, if only for a moment, to gain an immediate advantage.

“To astonish is to vanquish” Field Marshal Prince Suvorv