"All warfare is based on deception" -Sun Tzu

Deception is a primary principle in all fighting arts. If the
opponent knows what you are planning he has a much easier time
countering it.

Deception can be used to cloak your initial intent before the fight
or to disguise where your stikes are aimed after the fight has
begun.

By using Deception before the conflict has been
engaged you can fool the aggressor into thinking that you are
defenseless when if fact you are prepared to
attack or counter attack. During the conflict Deception is used
to disguise which targets on the opponent you are striking and
ideally to convince the opponent to remove his defenses from your
intended target and guard elsewhere

The most common "deception" position we teach is from the
"hands up" position. You appear to be giving up or passive
when in fact your hands can be put right in front of the
opponents face. If you were to put your hands up with the
fists closed he would be prepared for you to attack but because
your hands are open he assumes you are not a threat and is
totally unprepared for your defense when you engage him.

During the conflict you can use deception to fool the opponent
about where your attacks are aimed. Ex: you use a "high line" fake
so the opponent thinks you are striking to the head and puts his
defense high as you strike your real target "Low-line" target with
a kick. Because of your employing the "Deception" principle it is
undefended.

Deception can also be achieved by the use of other principles such
as: "Draws" "Blind spots","Zero Perception Leads"
"Attack Triangles", "Eye Traps" and more...