There are different "balances". One is internal, the other is physical and largely external. No question that someone who is violent is not "in balance" with the flow of change around him. Violence is essentially about trying to force some element of the system to be other than it is. That isn't the same as physical balance which is largely about proper use of the body and physical conditioning.

Once again, I understand what is being said about there being an "imbalance" in any kind of fighting. The problem is that for most "spiritual" types, their ability to perceive the balance or imbalance is completely disconnected from their ability to manifest that internal balance which they have achieved spiritually in the material realm of physical technique.

To have the mind of attack one is only "already defeated" if ones opponent understands "aiki", both in an internal sense and also in the external, physical sense. There are plenty of people who are violent and merely exterminate their opponent. There have been many very spiritually advanced folks who were killed by spiritual dolts.

The concept that one is "already defeated" is dependent on the aggressor being up against an opponent who is in a state of connection with the larger "universal accord" as you put it (i.e. connected to the whole to the point at which they simply have no fear of an encounter and can maintain the sense of connection even when they are threatened.) It also requires that this person has trained and has mastered the techniques of self defense on a level in which these techniques function according to that "accord" and finally, that this same person has done enough physical training that his physical structure can successfully manifest these techniques against an opponent with his own skills and strong intention (Dan Hardin, Mike Sigman, and Rob John posts elsewhere).

Perceiving an imbalance, being able to see how someone is "open" is only one component in a larger whole when it comes to the martial interaction. It's quite possible to perceive all sorts of things about an opponent and still not be able to do anything about it due to ones own lack skill. It is quite possible to be in the highest state of connection with an opponent when he knocks you out.

So the idea that an opponent is defeated in the instant that he forms the intent to attack, while true, is nothing more than an unverifiable theory for most practitioners because they don't have the skills which O-Sensei had to be able to manifest the truth of the theory in reality.