Why Avoidance Training is Important

How can you possibly know which techniques are appropriate for the given situation, how can you know when you have reached the point of no return in a fight and how can you know what you need to use or eliminate before engaging in physical altercations without first knowing and understanding what it takes to avoid it?

Westerners tend to put this in reverse of importance. Western martial arts focuses on all the possible techniques and their variations to build up a tool box that is chocked full of every possible techniques known to man to achieve proficiency in fighting. Oh, by the way, you know that fighting is against the law - right?

We as westerners fail to realize that we first have to achieve proficiency in avoiding conflict first so we understand when we need to use force to stop the damage - note I didn't say fight. If we simply build up our repertoire of techniques and then simply apply them in any conflict then we are not avoiding or reducing damage but we are instigating it.

You have to first know and understand how "not to fight" before you begin to learn how to protect yourself in a violent situation. If you know avoidance then you know which and when and how and why you apply any technique/skill/means. Then, in training and practice, you can practice and train those specifics that will best suit the needs of the moment only in the rare event you have to stop conflict.

See, to avoid conflict you have to know what to look for, what is violence, who are violent people, what are the difference in social vs. predatory violence and then how to avoid that starting long before you get to the physical interactions of attack vs. protect. You cannot do this and avoid with out all this other stuff first, long before you learn how to apply techniques.

Avoidance also teaches you what level of force is necessary for the present moment situation. If you just build up your tool box and then just start extracting the tools within and applying them your in deep doo doo because your doing something illegal. If you understand what level of force you need to get the job done, i.e. stop the damage and gain safety, you will be less likely to succumb and use force that is illegal.

It is a bit like knowing that you need a hammer to nail in nails and a screw driver to screw in screws. What if you just grab a hammer and start pounding away only to discover after it is all over that you were trying to drive in a screw, too late. You may get the screw into the wood but you will damage it and the wood beyond what would normally be necessary.

Learn avoidance first then choose the right tool for the right job. Remember that avoidance will teach you when to stop hammering or screwing. Too much of what is perceived as a good thing may be too much and that is where you get into "difficulties."

Knowledge in what teaches you avoidance. Avoidance is what teaches you when, where, how and when to apply force in those rare occasions where as a human who is foible accidentally gets involved in violence. I can say with enthusiasm that avoidance is possible in literally 99.9% of cases and if you do get "into it" then I can also say with certainty that it is your doing and your could have avoided it.

Oh, another reason why avoidance is important, cause it's smart too!