What to Do & What Not to Do
Simply having the skills/knowledge and how to apply them is not enough for a real life situation.
A good Budoka knows exactly what to do and when to do it, both physically and legally.
Technically, 'knowing' the right thing to do and the right time to do it would be covered by 'Character Development', as a good person knows when it is absolutely necessary to hurt another person and not.
However, 'Martial Understanding' is more about the actual techniques and when to use them.
Every situation is different and requires a different course of action. Most of the time a good Budoka should be smart and talk their way out of the situation, but a situation may arise where it could be as serious as life or death.
The seriousness and danger of the techniques can be separated into four categories to suit any martial situation:
Level I – Completely Passive.
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| Each picture is from the Bubishi |
'Not being there' or 'running way' is the most obvious thing to do. The best and most successful 'defence' is not being there or leaving before anything happens. Many situations are avoidable by simply being observant and not walking past the group of street thugs or down the dark alley alone.
Even skilled martial artists tend to let arrogance get the better of them and fail to avoid a situation, thinking their training will protect them, but why risk it?
It's always best to be smart, aware, observant and don't be in a situation that you might regret.
If you can't avoid the situation entirely, it's always best to 'talk your way out of it'. If you wish to talk your way out of the situation, you need to be able to read your opponent. You need to know their motivation for confronting you.
What you say to them would differ, depending on their reasons for being there. Are they attempting to mug you out of desperation? Are they drunk and/or angry? Are they just showing off to friends? Are they possibly on some drug and don't know what is going on?
It's important to determine the mindset of the opponent, from their body language and how they're acting.
'Completely Passive' is exactly as it sounds, to end the situation without violence.
Taking whatever action that is necessary to end it before it escalates. The 'less-evolved' people of our society would call this cowardice, but that is a petty, immature and egotistical mindset.
A real Budoka has nothing to prove.
This level should be the goal of all Budoka! It should only become physical when there is no other choice.
Level II – Defensive De-escalation.
This is only slightly more 'aggressive' than talking your way out of it. It's just simple techniques to show the opponent that you're serious (but still not causing any actual harm).
It's about giving them the hint that they picked the wrong person to attack and you're giving them the chance to change their mind before you decide to use either level III or IV.
If you have any skill and/or control, the majority of physical encounters can be ended with this level.
This level is appropriate to use for young idiots showing off to mates or drunk yobbos that are out to prove something. The minute they are in pain from something like a joint lock, they know they made the wrong decision and won't want to persist. If they do persist, you then have the choice to escalate to level III or IV (or not).
Level III – Aggressive De-escalation.
The idea is to end it as soon as you can, with the appropriate action. The opponent hasn't got the hint from any verbal warnings and/or any level II tactics, you see no way to end the situation without one of you being hurt (or worse). It is about one simple decisive appropriate technique to ensure it doesn't become a long drawn out fight.
The majority of Bunkai from the Kata would probably suit this level.
This is the last resort, as deciding to escalate to violence has risks. Even a simple throw or strike can go very wrong, either for you or the opponent.
A true Budoka avoids this unless they 'have to' and if they have no choice, they end it as fast and as simply as they can with no hesitation.
"No hesitation" is important, if it's clear that action is required, hesitation can make the situation 'messy' and dangerous for all involved.
If you must act, then act!
This level is appropriate when being mugged by someone out of desperation, or if confronted by several people drunk and/or young idiots at once (in this case you may need to use level III on one or two of them as an example to the others, then maybe level II or III if the others don't get the point...of course, it depends on the situation)
Level IV – “Life or Death”.
The idea is that there's no chance for warning or giving them 'hints'. It's obvious that if you do anything other than stop the opponent, you (or someone you care about) will face permanent injury or death.
There is no such thing as 'appropriate technique' in this level, do whatever works.
There's is no if's or but's, it's them or you, end of story.
This type of situation is extremely rare, it's easy to mistake a situation that would suit level III for a level IV. A simple break or a broken nose will stop most people, but there are those very rare times when a person won't stop.
If the opponent is on some sort of drug (like PCP or ice), it doesn't matter what sort of 'hint' you give them, even if you break something, it won't be enough. You need to do something that will ensure they physically can't keep going. An example of this is; if you completely shatter a knee, it makes it pretty hard for them to chase you (whether they feel it or not).
The obvious time to use level IV is when you know your life is in danger. This is when you do anything to stop the opponent.
There is a hypothetical ‘Level V’ which involves the death of the opponent, as some techniques done without control could result in the opponent's death, but of course there is no situation or reason that would ever warrant killing another person.
All four levels have one thing in common, control. Both control of yourself and control of the situation.
If you are aiming to use a level, but lack control, you might accidentally go too far or not far enough.
You need to be observant and know immediately what the best course of action is.
If you underestimate the opponent or the situation, you will probably wake up in hospital (if you wake up at all).
If you overestimate the opponent or the situation, you might walk away but face lawsuit, be arrested for assault or even manslaughter (possibly murder)
As soon as any situation arises that would warrant the use of any level, the key is to take control. If you know the situation is serious enough, don't wait for the opponent to take the 'upper-hand' and leave you in a purely defensive position.
Take control and de-escalate it using the appropriate level.
Understanding the best possible way to use the techniques both physically and legally, while using the least amount of energy and time is the key to being an effective martial artist, this should always be part of a Budoka’s ultimate goal.
As with everything, this is a lot easier said than done.
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