Like religion and politics, martial arts could easily be grouped with those topics never to discuss at a dinner party. People are often vehement about the superiority of one religious or political viewpoint. The same occurs when discussing the martial arts. There is, however, one fatal flaw with touting the superiority of one martial system over another; not every style was designed for the same purpose. Martial arts that we know today are generally focused on one or two of four levels of conflict: competition, fighting, self-defense, or combat. My organization, Bansenshukai Ninjutsu, developed this guideline and uses it to help determine the appropriateness of using certain techniques in various situations. In this article, I will break down these conflict levels, and conclude with why proper Ninjutsu training should prepare you for all four of them.

1. Competition. The majority of modern martial art programs are designed around this level of aggression. Competition would be defined as any controlled situation with specific rules governing the conflict. It is considered the lowest level of conflict because it has the lowest risk of injury and you have a real choice whether or not to participate. Preparation is easier than with the other types of conflict. In competition, the intent of your opponent is to win, either by scoring more points, submission, or knock out. Chances of multiple attackers or weapons are basically non-existent, and incurring serious injury or death is extremely low. Adrenaline will affect you in competition, but will generally be much less than the other more dangerous levels of conflict. Competition usually contains the most highly skilled opponents of the four levels.
   
   
2. Fighting. The next level is fighting, which is characterized by two or more individuals “squaring off” with an understanding of loose social norms governing the rules of engagement. Chances of serious injury or death in a fight are slightly higher than competition. Some of the competition-based martial systems which have fewer rules translate well into fighting. There is no criminal intent beyond that of simple assault in a fight, as most fights are ego-based, with the aggressor simply trying to exert his or her will over the opponent. Multiple attackers are a possibility, but societal norms tend to keep most fights one-on-one. The chances of weapons being drawn in a fight are low, with non-lethal or blunt weapons being the most common (a pool cue for example). While there are no specific rules like a competition, most aggressors understand and adhere to the socially acceptable rules, such as no eye-gouging and ceasing attacks to an unconscious opponent. People who do not observe social norms are often considered “dirty fighters.” Your adrenaline level may be higher in a fight than a competition since there are no specific rules to govern the conflict. Opponents may have some street fighting experience in a fight, but are usually far less skilled than opponents in competition.
   
   
3. Self-Defense. Despite many claims, very few modern martial arts are suited for this level of conflict, both from a technical, and perhaps most importantly, a legal standpoint. A situation is defined as self-defense when your attacker has some level of criminal intent and this intent supersedes basic morality. Chances of serious injury or death are high, and a strong possibility of multiple attackers exists. Lethal weapons are likely to be involved, including baseball bats, knives, or firearms. While the attacker in a self-defense situation does not follow any rules, you are legally bound to using reasonable force based on the actions of the attacker. The legality of a self-defense situation is what may make it the most challenging of the four levels of conflict, as it is possible to win physically yet lose legally. Your adrenaline level will be vastly increased in a self-defense situation, due to the increased chances of serious injury or death, as well as the added fear of the unknown. Attackers in self-defense will typically have minimal training and are generally unskilled.
   
   
4. Combat. This is the highest and most dangerous level of conflict, with only the vast minority of today’s martial arts being equipped to realistically address it. Your attacker’s intent in combat is to kill you; serious injury or death is imminent. There could be anywhere from one to several potential attackers in a combat situation. Unlike the complicated rules of self-defense, there are no rules in combat. Training and preparing becomes hardest at this level due to the increase in the adrenal factor. Typically, only large movements and gross motor skills will work with any success. Employing lethal weapons is virtually guaranteed. If your martial art does not include weapons training, then it simply does not prepare you for combat. Going into a combat situation unarmed is poor strategy and should be avoided if at all possible. Opponents in combat generally rely on their weapons and are poorly trained.

Those are the four levels of conflict that most types of physical conflict you engage in will fall. Let’s make a few observations about what happens as you climb the levels of conflict. As the level of aggression increases, so does your adrenal level. This will cause a decrease in your fine motor skills. The aggressor’s skill level usually decreases as does the amount and specifics of the rules of engagement. The probabilities of weapons, multiple attackers, and serious harm or death rises. It becomes evident that each level has its own challenges, be it your opponent’s skill, the adrenaline, or the legal aspects. Ultimately, the greatest benefit in learning the four levels of conflict is to be able to effectively recognize the appropriateness of any given technique in certain situations. This will help ensure that you avoid improper training, and add an entirely new element of realism.

When I overhauled my training methods a few years ago, I almost made a terrible mistake. I came very close to removing some very good techniques from my regular training simply because they seemed highly unlikely to be applied in a realistic, adrenalized situation. Fortunately, I came to realize that the problem was not with the techniques themselves, but the types of situations in which they should be applied. Now I’m sure some of you reading this may be thinking, “Well, that should be obvious.” Is it really? Let’s take a look at standing wrist locks for example. I personally believe that no technique is more misunderstood and improperly trained than standing wrist locks. I have seen people training on them with the mindset that they should (or could) be applied in any of the four levels of conflict. That’s simply not the case; in fact, situations where a standing wrist locks can be appropriately applied are relatively few. Before we move on, let’s be clear that standing wrist locks are actually wrist breaks, and the only reason your partner goes to the ground for you in training is so you can practice that wrist breaking motion. This is the reason many people misidentify them as throws or takedowns, and retain that mentality when trying to apply them outside the dojo. However, when applied with the correct mentality to someone on the street, the person’s wrist will often break because they are resistant. Now that we have a better idea of how standing wrist locks are supposed to work, let’s examine them in each of the four levels of conflict. First is competition. There are two primary reasons you will never see a standing wrist lock in a competition. One is that the fighters are usually highly trained, and as the skill level of the opponent increases, the chances of getting certain techniques decreases. Trained fighters will be trying to strike you and apply techniques to you as well, and are rarely in a position long enough for you to get any type of wrist lock, unless on the ground. The other is in order to make a standing wrist lock work on a resisting opponent, you must apply it full force with a quick motion. This should cause the wrist to break, and that is illegal in competition. Due to these two reasons, standing wrist locks are just not appropriate for competition. Next up is fighting. I do not believe wrist locks are very appropriate for fighting either, and here is the rationale. Remember that a fight is usually an ego-driven display of dominance, and that there is typically no real criminal intent. For this reason, breaking someone’s wrist in a fight would likely open you up to legal repercussions. It could also escalate the fight into a self-defense situation by causing your opponent to draw a weapon, or by prompting other opponents to enter the conflict. Also, like in competition, if the fight has progressed to resemble more of a slugfest, your opponent will not be in a position long enough for you to acquire the lock. For these reasons I do not recommend standing wrist locks for fighting. Now we’ve arrived at self-defense. Here is where wrist locks are most appropriate. Unlike fighting, your attacker has criminal intent to cause serious physical injury. If the attacker has his hands on you, you can easily fake compliance while setting up for it. Criminals are generally untrained and will not recognize what is happening as you begin to set-up and apply the lock. Your only potential obstacle in this situation is your adrenaline. How much it affects you and how well your locks are internalized as muscle memory will determine the effectiveness. Also, make sure you are prepared to properly articulate to law enforcement why it was necessary to break the attacker’s wrist, especially if the attacker was unarmed. Finally, we have combat. Since there are no rules, standing wrist locks are technically appropriate for combat. However, because there are no rules, your adrenaline level will be at its highest, and may prevent you from effectively using the technique.

So how does one know which levels of conflict their martial art is suitable for? You simply must examine your art with an unbiased view. As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, most of today’s martial arts are designed for one or maybe two of the four levels. Possibly the greatest flaw, however, with virtually all martial arts is this: they are designed to defend against their own style. Most martial arts simply fall apart when faced with the unorthodox attacks of either an untrained fighter or someone outside of their style; Ninjutsu notwithstanding. One of the few potential exceptions to this is the various Mixed Martial Arts systems. While this may be true, many MMA students have developed a sense of elitism because of their systems’ versatility. MMA is often touted as the ultimate self-defense system; however, that is not completely accurate. MMA is fantastic for competition and fighting, but it is generally inadequate for self-defense, and almost completely inapplicable to combat. This is mainly due to the lack of weapons training and recognition of possible multiple attackers. It would be much wiser to consult a Navy SEAL for self-defense or combat than a top MMA coach. Let’s face it; Randy Couture’s just not as well-qualified to take out a terrorist cell as a SEAL. Inversely, it would be wiser to train with an MMA coach for a cage fight than a SEAL, as a SEAL may fare poorly.

It’s important to realize that these guidelines are in no way definitive of every situation. It is entirely possible to have a combat situation with a highly-skilled, yet unarmed attacker intent on choking you to death; or to face an untrained individual in competition that breaks all the rules. Also be aware that the levels can quickly escalate. What starts out as a fight can quickly turn into a self-defense or combat situation. Intents can change, weapons can be drawn, and opponents can increase. Whatever the circumstances, follow the advice of Sun Tzu. Know your enemy, know yourself, and know your limitations.

As a Ninjutsu practitioner, you should be comfortable with all levels of conflict. This is the true essence of Ninjutsu, to be ready for anything. You should be able to enter a cage fight tomorrow and not be out of your element, regardless if you desire to compete. You should be able handle yourself in a street or bar fight without resorting to techniques that will get you sued. You should be able to defend against an armed assailant with the appropriate level of force and not go to jail. You should be able to survive if you woke up and your city had turned into a war zone overnight. If you aren’t prepared for all of those things, then you need to adjust your training. If you can’t endure and prevail through them, physically and legally, then you must adapt and find a way. This is Ninjutsu.