Every Contingency

Martial artists in their effort to cover every singly contingency in a defensive model can not possibly learn every single technique to be fully and completely prepared for a future emergency. This is how marital artists get caught up in the quantity of techniques model in lieu of quality of technique. No one wants to encounter a self-defense or combative situation where chance has a dominant position over how things will end. No one likes the uncertainty of the fight or combat and that is why we train, but we must train "smart."

This is why there are principles, those principles that are the same regardless of the system or style or the method trained. Balance is balance whether one is using a boxing method, a karate method or a ground art method. There are a plethora of techniques you can envision and practice to hit someone but a strike is a strike, a kick is a kick and a punch is a punch. The principles are all the same.

It is knowing the value of a principal that transcends mere technique and allows us to apply the principles regardless of the technique involved. Knowing your options in a dangerous situation has far more value then an accumulation of techniques where you can apply motion and power to end a conflict. To know what makes something function at its peak efficiency where that something adheres to the principles of martial systems allows us to fully understand what motion is being applied to what target with maximum efficiency, etc. 

It can be said, "All techniques function from the same principles, any ignorance of principle manifest itself in every technique." Trying to cover every contingency with a encyclopedia of techniques without the substantive foundation in principles simply confuses our minds resulting in non-action - a freeze. It gives us plenty to talk about and to use as an exercise for health and well-being but leaves us without solid defensive capability. We could dance and reach that same model but this is martial arts for self-defensive/combat, etc.