“Sen sen no sen, sen no sen, go no sen.” Three strategies, one syllable apart — and the difference between them decides who is still standing.

(That is a lot of sen...) (-_-)"

This article attempts to explain the concept of “Sen sen no sen, Sen no sen, Go no sen”. Before delving into explanation proper, a few other elaborations are needed. “Sen” (先) roughly translates to “before”. “Go” (後) roughly translates to “after”.

The three states at a glance

Sen sen no sen (先先の先), also called kakari no sen — you move first. You read the opponent’s intent while it is still forming and act before the attack is committed.

Sen no sen (先の先) — you move together. The opponent has committed, and you meet that commitment with your own initiative rather than waiting out its completion.

Go no sen (後の先) — you move second, by design. You let or lure the opponent to commit fully, then take the initiative back from inside their own technique.

All three are sen — initiative. Go no sen is not the absence of initiative; it is initiative taken later and deliberately. The distinction is not who is faster, but who chose the moment.

Let’s use the 5W-1H (what, when, where, why and how) to explain what this concept is about.

WHAT is “Sen sen no sen, Sen no sen, Go no sen” about?

This is regarding your position, intent, and actions relative to your imaginary (in Iai context) opponent’s position, intent and actions. Think of it as your intended strategy in response to your opponent’s. With “Sen sen no sen, Sen no sen, Go no sen”, imagine they are 3 broad strategies you might use. Easy, yes?

WHEN and WHERE is this concept applied for maximum effectiveness?

This addresses the space-time domain. Which type of strategy you want to use depends on the distance between you and your opponent, the waza situation you are in (waza bunkai), and your reflex – which response comes to mind?

Bear in mind that while practice is done in controlled environments, the smoothness and finesse of execution translates to actions within split-seconds. There is no interruptions nor decision paralysis. This has to be something we work towards to.

WHY the fuss about this concept?

Obviously, it lies with whether you emerge the victor from the encounter!

HOW do I do it?

It may not be apparent initially while you practice. As you practice over time and gain proficiency, you might wonder about the purpose for certain actions of respective wazas. Finding out and understanding their purpose is the first step towards appreciating the strategies (Sen no sen, etc.).

Tachi uchi no kurai is one area of practicing the application of said strategies. Another is paired practice of wazas (strict observance of safety is paramount).

Also influencing the successful application of these strategies is heavily dependent on how good you are in your fundamental wazas.

That was a short primer to what “Sen sen no sen, Sen no sen, Go no sen” is. At the beginning of the article, we described the translations of “Sen” and “Go”. Putting these characters together, they can be collectively translated as taking the “initiative, in advance, before or after your opponent”

Sen sen no sen ( 先先の先 )

"Also called Kakari no sen". This strategy prescribes creating an advantage over your opponent by taking the initiative in advance of your opponent's actions/ intents." Examples of these include:

1. Junto (Battoho waza). As the uchidachi decides and begins to attack, the shidachi takes the initiative and attacks before the uchidachi's sword is fully drawn.

2. Zetsumyoken (Tachiuchi no kurai kata). The decisive moment in this kata is when the Uchidachi is bringing his sword up, and the shidachi exploits that gap and attacks.

Sen no sen ( 先の先)

"This strategy prescribes observing your imaginary opponent's intents from and countering his/her with your own initiative." Examples of these include:

1. Inazuma (Tatehiza waza). As uchidachi is cutting down, shidachi cuts into the opponent.

2. Shinobu (Okuiai waza). After deceiving the uchidachi, shidachi in an offset position cuts down before the uchidachi completes the cut.

Go no sen ( 後の先)

"This strategy prescribes taking the post-initiative after letting or luring the opponent to commit to his/ her actions. In many ways, this strategy aims to use the opponents' strengths against themselves." Examples of these include:

1. Ukenagashi (Seiza waza). Once the Uchidachi has committed into the cut, the shidachi receives and uses the momentum therein to follow-up with a decisive kirioroshi.

It is interesting to note that the concept of timing is dependent on both you and the uchidachi/opponent. Having a keen observation of the nuances of timing, apart from an active mind and body, and a solid foundation of skill can help a great deal towards the application of the three states of sen.

Sen is inseparable from ma-ai (間合)

A strategy is only available at the distance that permits it. From tōma (遠間), the far distance, neither party can reach the other without first closing — there is time to observe, and sen sen no sen is difficult because there is no committed intent to pre-empt yet. At issoku ittō no ma-ai (一足一刀の間合), the one-step-one-cut distance, every one of the three states is live and the choice collapses into a fraction of a second. At chikama (近間), the close distance, the opponent’s commitment is already in motion and go no sen frequently becomes the only honest option left.

This is why the same practitioner will favour different strategies in different waza. The waza sets the distance, and the distance narrows the menu.

The OODA loop

How does it all come together? The above mentioned strategies cannot be blindly applied without understanding the opponent's intents.

A critical mental model helps put all these into place - the OODA loop. Developed by military strategist and United States Air Force Colonel John Boyd, the OODA loop is the decision cycle of Observe-Orient-Decide-Act.

Putting it all into perspective of iai kata, it involves Observing opponent's intents, Orientate oneself to opponent's actions and distance, Decide on best available response options (i.e. which of the 3 broad strategies discussed above and actions do you think is most suitable), and Executing it at the right moment of that particular engagement for maximum effectiveness. Thereafter, the OODA loop cycles through until the end of the engagement. So there you have it -- the concept of “Sen sen no sen, Sen no sen, Go no sen.”

The loop does not stop at the cut. Zanshin is the loop still running after the decisive action — the reason the form does not end when the opponent does.

Common questions

Is sen no sen the same as sen sen no sen? No. Sen sen no sen pre-empts an intent that has not yet become an attack. Sen no sen meets an attack that has already been committed. The gap between them is small in time and large in consequence.

Is go no sen just reacting? No, and this is the most common misreading. Reacting is being late. Go no sen is choosing to be second so that the opponent’s commitment can be used against them. One is a failure of timing; the other is a use of it.

Which should a beginner train first? None of them directly. All three rest on fundamental waza — as noted above, successful application depends heavily on how good your kihon is. The strategies become visible as an answer to a question the waza has already been asking.

Related reading

Tachiuchi no Kurai: Distance, Timing, Speed — where these three states are tested against a real partner rather than an imagined one.

Kamae, Speed, Power, Might — the tiers of proficiency that make acting on sen possible.

Ki Ken Tai no Icchi — the unity of spirit, sword and body at the moment of execution.

We hope this article is useful in helping readers gain a better understanding in "Sen sen no sen, Sen no sen, Go no sen". Til next time, take care.

Note: The concepts discussed are based on the understanding of the Authors.

#Keiko #Principles