Travis Eneix

There is an old theory of the levels of the development of martial art skill in the Japanese martial arts. My specific understanding of it comes mostly through the filter of O’Sensei, founder of Aikido, who spoke on the theory. Basically the theory posits four levels of martial art mastery -

1. You attack me, I die - When the attack comes I collapse, and suffer the consequence of not putting up an effective defense.
2. You attack me, we both die - When the attack comes I respond in kind, and at the same level. Both the attacker, and myself, end up injured or dead.
3. You attack me, you die - When the attack comes I respond with superior skill and keep myself safe while defeating the situation by defeating the attacker; either injuring or killing them.
4. You attack me, we both live - When the attack comes I respond with superior skill and dissipate the attack. Both myself, and my attacker, are kept safe and unharmed.

There is a fifth level which O’Sensei described, and was capable of. The attack is considered, and rejected before it commences. The target already displays such composure and skill that the would-be attacker either never has the idea of attacking, or realizes the futility before the attack is initiated. This is the practice of having no openings, and being constantly in a state of alert repose as described by the martial concept of zanshin.

In the above levels there is obviously a lot of wiggle room, and subjectivity. For one thing, levels three and four assume I am more skilled than my attacker. This depends on the skill level of the attacker. But, despite the subjectivity these levels are very useful tools for considering the goals of our training, and where we are in the achieving of these goals.

The levels are linear and represent a progression. One of the mistakes I see some martial artist making, particularly in Aikido (the art I love), is the belief that one can insert into a chosen level of development without first passing through the proceeding levels. I do not believe this is possible. In my experience all levels must be honored, and passed through. We must first pass though level one, if only in realizing the truth of our fear of physical harm, before even stepping into the dojo. And once there we may need to stay with level one for some time. We may have lofty goals of level four, learning to eliminate conflict without either party being harmed. I salute this goal, and share it. But, we cannot get there immediately. We must spend some time in the other levels along the way. Fortunately we have, if we have chosen our school well, a supporting environment where our fellows on the path will lend us the use of their bodies and energy to practice with. We will, in turn, reciprocate. There will be pain in training, bumps and bruises along the way, but in the end we will smile and sweat with each other. We will achieve.

I have found, for me, that no matter what level I have gotten to it is immensely useful to return to the previous levels routinely to make sure the taste of them is still fresh. I also find that respecting, and celebrating, the ability to be at all the levels I can is necessary for my training and any progression the gods of the martial arts may see fit to allow. When I train, I train hard, and expect my partners to train hard with me as well. This does not always mean executing the attacks in a forceful manner, but it sometimes does. I have also found that it is very important for me to not assume that the person I am currently working with is working on the same level, or nuance of the training.

Just like any other goal in life - It is a good idea to have a handle on where you are in the progression toward that goal and beyond.

Stumble it!