In preparing this post, I have attempted to put into writing some of the information that I have gleaned over the years specific to self protection and the "way of the street" In doing so , I had the opportunity to integrate a number of ideas and concepts from others in the field. To say that all of the information in this post was totally mine, would only ignore those people who have made this work possible.
I believe that there is no such thing as the "ultimate" fighting form. Every combative system has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. I believe the secret is to recognize and acknowledge those weaknesses and then go elsewhere to strengthen them. In doing so, there are a number of people who I must thank for the content of this post. Some of the below noted instructors/coaches/teachers I know personally and have trained with, others I only known through their own published works. It is because of these people that I have been able to strengthen my weaknesses and make this post possible:
From my experience most fights start off as verbal as a result of some challenge or perceived challenge to someone elses value system, beliefs and/or ego. It then escalates from there. There are several ways to talk out of this in some cases but that usually depends on if the other guy is really trying to fight or if he's just "posturing". Why is this not taught to YOU? I don't know because in alot of places including my training areas it is taught. It really depends on the instructor and his values/beliefs so you have to inquire there first. As for why those specific books aren't used. Most competent instructors should have real word experience to relate with regards to this topic without needing a book (but it could help). It all depends on who you're trained by, what their life experiences involving confrontations were and what their belief system is (i.e. de-escalate the situation or just kick the other guys butt whenever possible because you believe you can)
