CHaamCHrick, you are absolutely correct, they were not trained to be cowards. Our Deshmesh Pita Ji (Guru) created a very brave Force, I wish I could say the same about the quam. The Khalsa fauj was impossible to subdue or defeat, almost indomitable in the battlefields, whether they were up against the hill rajas or the mughal forces!
Their application of Dhai phat does not imply they were cowards. in fact, it indicates or proves the shrewdness and quick thinking qualities of the fauj. DP tactics means two and a half injuries. It is a battle technique utilized by brave warriors which simply involves to hit the enemy first time and then withdraw to some quiet spot to observe if the enemy needs a second helping to finish him off completely. The first strike should have killed him, but if didn't then go back again and hit him again. You keep repeating this action till the enemy is either killed or too injured to present any threat to you. It is a technique used to defeat the enemy that's all. The reason you withdrew to some quiet place was so to make your observations whether the enemy needed further strike to bump him off. They withdrew not because they were 'cowards' the reason they resorted to this technique was to observe the effectiveness of their first strike. They were not cowards, but brave, clever and good thinkers with logical, highly developed minds!! That's is the reason, their bravery has not been possible to replicate.
They were a special force with highly developed spiritual powers and unmatched faith in the Guru. Faith can move mountains.
Do you know what Jesus says about faith? He says, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever, says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and he does not doubt in his heart, but believes what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:22-24) Faith is this simple. The problem with those that do kintoo prantoos have no faith in God and that's is the reason they believe that the Khalsa fauj only relied on dhai phat techniques to win their battles!! They are the original 'doubting Thomases' of our quam, the giddarrs...lol!!
Besides, to interpret DP as a 'hit and run' gives one the impression they were involved in some kind of road/traffic accident too scared to face the consequences or get caught by the police!! This is the occupation of real cowards and not the occupation of the impregnable Khalsa fauj!!
(http://akalinihang.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/shastravidia-dhai-phat-sikh-guerrilla.html)