The Hierarchy of Decisiveness
A Model for Strategic and Tactical Combat
The Hierarchy of Decisiveness is a model for critical, decisive, and strategic thinking.
Like Rocky’s ascent up the Philadelphia Art Museum’s steps, the Hierarchy of Decisiveness starts at street level and provides a staircase to greater heights.
Reaching the summit offers an exceptional vantage point to increase one’s odds of victory in combat.
The Hierarchy of Decisiveness prioritizes combat’s three most critical attributes: cunning, calculation, and commitment.
To use a helpful mnemonic, we call these the three C’s.
The 3C’s of Combat
Commitment is the first C of combat.
The most fundamental attribute when dealing with conflict is to commit something to action.
I have heard martial arts legend Dan Inosanto say, “Most great fighters are not smart. They are just gutsy.” This quality of gutsiness allows unbridled commitment to action.
Whereas someone smart will assess a situation and say, “That looks like it will hurt,” the gutsy person will seize the moment and throw themselves in without worrying about repercussions.
Fire first and ask questions later — this is guts; this is a genuine commitment to action.
Commitment to action is what makes a fighter great.
Calculation is the second C of combat.
Calculation is the tactical application of preprogrammed or on-the-spot game plans.
Preprogrammed game plans could be the self-defense techniques a black belt has trained for years in preparation for a violent altercation.
On-the-spot game planning is situational, where a decision has to be made. Do I jump in and save this poor fella getting beaten, or just run and call the cops?
Preprogrammed or on the spot, years in advance or on the fly, one needs both.
The characteristics of calculation make for a great tactical fighter.
Cunning is the final C of combat.
It is the ultimate attribute and the highest order.
Cunning is the distinct feature of the great strategic fighter.
It is the ability to be deceptive and to marry the kinetic victory with the political victory.
This marriage of the political and the kinetic requires more than commitment and guts; it requires more than calculation and technical ability. It requires cunning.
The Hierarchy of Decisiveness neatly and symmetrically defines the staircase to accomplish the 3C’s.
The following diagram illustrates the Hierarchy of Decisiveness.
The book Strategic Engagement of Force, a Field Guide for the use of Martial Arts Strategy and Tactics, walks through the various levels of the hierarchy in detail.
In particular, it emphasizes the top six, called the Decisive 6.
For more detail on the 3C’s, see The 3C’s of Combat.
The following sections briefly overview the Hierarchy of Decisiveness staircase from base to top.
Level 8 — Tools
The base level of the hierarchy is level 8, tools. Tools are the most fundamental constructs of force, the atoms of the combat world.
Without a tool, there is no strategic engagement of force.
What is a tool? In military terms, a tool could be a rifle, a tank, an RPG, a Tomahawk missile, etc.
In martial arts, a tool can be a jab, a roundhouse kick, an elbow, a wrist lock, an arm wrench, etc.
These are all examples of basic physical tools. Tools are not limited to just the physical. Words can also be tools.
Tools have range, and since tools are fundamental, in turn, the idea of range can be derived as a first principle, base-level idea.
tools = range
Bruce Lee defines range in empty hand fighting as four extents: kicking, punching, trapping, and grappling.
Each range correlates to a set of tools.
The first, kicking range, is the extent of the foot.
Examples of kicking range would be front, roundhouse, side, and rear kicks, to name a few.
The second range, punching, is the extent of the fist. Examples include jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts, and back fists. Western boxing is the art of punching range.
The third range, trapping, is the most sophisticated in all empty-hand fighting.
Trapping provides the most dynamic set of tools and asymmetric striking capabilities.
Trapping range allows you to fight outside of your weight division. Tools like head butts, knees, and elbows are used here, among others.
The fourth range, grappling, is the closest combat range and is considered wrestling. This is when no space exists between you and your opponent.
The fourth range could be stand-up grappling or ground fighting, with arts such as catch wrestling, Judo, and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.
Level 7 — Targets
The next level up from tools is targets.
For a punch to actualize itself, it must make contact with something to give it practical application.
A tool that does not make contact is nonfunctional in combat.
A target provides a punch with meaning.
In military terms, a target could be a bunker, an oil depot, a bridge, a communication tower, etc.
A target in martial arts, generally speaking, is any anatomy on the human body that can be hit.
Particular targets are of higher value than others.
For example, the acronym ETGS, Escape to Gain Safety, is used in the art of Contemporary Jeet Kune Do.
ETGS acts as a mnemonic for the four highest-value targets on the human body.
Escape = Eyes
To = Throat
Gain = Groin
Safety = Shins
Anatomical targets are grouped into zones across height, depth, width, and time dimensions.
Therefore, we equate the principle of zones to targets.
targets = zones
For more on Anatomical Zone Theory, refer to the video: Zone Theory in the Martial Arts, Height, Width, Depth, Time, Obscure Zones — YouTube.
Level 6 — Path of Action
Path of Action is one of the most prominently trained levels in martial arts.
It is a robust domain with all the qualities one seeks from silver-screen action films.
Path of Action, or POA for short, is the ability of an actor to connect the tools to the targets.
In other words, it is the channel that force travels along. A proverbial railroad track.
If a person has a tool, for example, a punch, and wants to hit the opponent’s rib, the tool requires a Path of Action to connect.
Path of Action comprises three parts: technique, attributes, and position.
If these components do not function properly, the ability to connect a tool to a target will weaken.
For example, suppose I have a smoking fast, highly developed counterpunch technique.
I fire my punch at the opponent’s rib.
However, when I fire, I am too far away.
My position is wrong; thus, I will miss, and the strike will not be effective.
Supposing the inverse is true, say I have the correct distance, and my position is proper, but I do not know the correct punch technique.
The strike will also not be effective.
Therefore, we can formulate the following:
path of action = technique + attributes + position
Part one of the POA formula, technique, can be broken into three subcategories: basic mechanics, economy of motion, and forecasting, represented by the following formula:
technique = basic mechanics + economy of motion + forecasting
Technique deals with the particulars of implementing a specific tool against a target, its most optimal use, and its projected outcome.
For instance, in military terms, the skill to fire a rifle into an enemy bunker differs from that of launching an RPG.
The gun and the RPG can attack bunkers but require different implementation techniques that can yield variable outcomes.
In martial arts terms, this could be a kick versus a punch to the ribs.
Part two of the POA formula, attributes, comprises three subcategories: environmental, locational, and individual.
Environmental attributes relate to the topography. Locational attributes relate to the opponent’s time and location relative to you.
Individual attributes pertain to the specifics of the actor or implement being used.
The following formula represents individual attributes:
attributes = environmental + locational + individual
For example, for the military, if a tank is deployed to attack an enemy garrison, environmental attributes could include weather and terrain.
Locational attributes would define the location of the enemy garrison relative to the tank and the time it would take to make contact.
Individual attributes would be the speed of the tank, its fuel supply, the amount of armor, its ammunition capacity, and the type of artillery it possesses.
A martial arts example of the environmental attributes could be a street corner at night.
The locational attributes could be two bad guys close quarters on your flank moving in. The individual attributes could be your awareness of the threat and your skills in dealing with it.
Part three of the POA formula, position, comprises the specific mechanical elements of the individual’s position and the kinetic exchange between opponents.
Position encompasses distance, angle, balance, aim, and state, represented by the following formula:
position = distance + angle + base + aim + state
A strong position is to have these positional elements working together.
If any of these elements is missing or off base, an actor’s position is weakened, thus disadvantaging them.
Positional elements can be attacked or defended in combat.
See The Equations of Combat for more formulas.
Level 5 — Vectors
Vectors go beyond the tool, target, and Path of Action paradigm and embody the notion of time and distance as a weapon.
Vectors advanced the idea of locational attributes.
The Time-Distance Theater is the construct that enables the use of vectors. Vectors unify the concepts of range, distance, and time and enable four-dimensional combat principles to be enacted.
There are positioning vectors and attack vectors.
The following formula defines the vectors of attack:
attack vectors = entry + pressure + objective + clear
The best example of using the Time-Distance Theater as a weapon is the OODA loop by Air Force Colonel John Boyd.
For more on the Time-Distance Theater, see the article Mastering Time and Distance in Martial Arts: A Strategic Framework.
For more on vectors, please see the article: The Vector Kill Chain.
Level 4 — Tactics
Tactics encapsulate the first five levels of the Hierarchy of Decisiveness and deal with their coordinated application on the battlefield.
The domain of tactics is putting tools, targets, techniques, attributes, positions, and vectors into a working formula that increases the odds of victory.
Tactics are implementation use cases designed to achieve shorter-term goals within a larger strategy or plan.
There are three general categories of tactics: time-oriented tactics, distance-oriented tactics, and hybrid-oriented tactics, depending on what aspect of emphasis is placed within the Time-Distance Theater.
tactics = time-distance theater
Fields define distance-oriented tactics, and phases encompass time-oriented tactics.
There are three tactical phases of engagement for time: approach, delivery, and close.
There are three primary tactical fields for distance: measure, attack, and flank. These are also known as accordial fields of engagement.
Every tactical engagement works in one or more of these six fields-phases.
For a person to engage in tactical combat, one or more of the six field-phases must be applied — measure, approach, attack, delivery, flank, and close.
Anything short of this is non-tactical combat.
Level 3 — Planning
There are two domains of planning: preprogrammed and on-the-spot.
Preprogrammed planning occurs days, weeks, months, or years in advance before the engagement.
Many self-defense techniques are nothing more than preprogrammed game plans.
On-the-spot planning, on the other hand, is any conscious decision-making within an altercation that coordinates your next steps; it is a conscious act that occurs within the moment.
A great tool to help with on-the-spot planning is the Prefight Triangle:
Since people cannot predict the future, preprogrammed game planning can only take one so far.
One needs to adapt preprogrammed plans to match whatever reality they find themselves in.
Conversely, on-the-spot game planning without an element of preprogramming is inefficient; it is too slow. It can lead one to paralysis of analysis, especially under the circumstances of rapidly unfolding events.
Therefore, the proper balance of preprogrammed and on-the-spot planning will yield the most effective results.
planning = preprogrammed + on-the-spot
A single plan can involve the implementation of multiple tactics.
Level 2 — Strategy
Tactics are victories on the battlefield encompass the execution of tools, targets, paths of actions, and vectors. Tactics are very concise.
In contrast, strategic wins are broader.
Strategic wins are victories that not only win on the direct battlefield but also capture the broader social, political, cultural, and economic considerations.
Strategic wins are victories that not only win on the direct battlefield but also capture the broader social, political, cultural, and economic considerations.
A single strategy can involve many plans.
All fights involve people, places, and things; these are the three most strategic objects for consideration.
The OAD triangle is a heuristic that helps train the mind to focus on these objects.
strategy = OAD triangle
OAD stands for the Objects of Advantage and Deception.
Advantage and deception are the two most strategic attributes in combat.
The OAD triangle connects the attributes of advantage and deception to the objects: the person, place, and things.
For more on the details of the OAD Triangle, see the book:
Level 1 — Objective
That is, neutralize your opponent.
objective = neutralize
The underlying hierarchy tiers dictate the “how.”
In Conclusion
The Hierarchy of Decisiveness is a concept that is rich in principles.
This article hardly scratches the surface and is a feeble attempt to help shine a light on some of its ideas.
The Hierarchy of Decisiveness is a proverbial iceberg of information.
It is a mound of ice on the surface, but an underwater mountain exists as one penetrates below the surface.
The deeper one goes, the more rewarding the yield.
Good luck and Godspeed.
About the Author
Scott Gehring is a modern-day enlightenment warrior who delights in adventure, free-spiritedness, creativity, tinkering, travel, and an insatiable love for constructive conflict.
An acclaimed expert in multiple art styles, Scott, for over 35 years, has passionately pursued understanding, performance, health, discipline, truth, morality, and the purity of combat.
More on Scott:
About — Scott Gehring — Medium
They Get Their Kicks — YouTube
TheyGetTheirKicks (@GetTheirKicks) / X (twitter.com)
Strategic Engagement of Force (@force_strategic) / X (twitter.com)
