(first published 15th March 2012)

At the gym this morning, one of the instructors told me I was a fighter. He was right up to a point, but as with martial artistry, one of the key points to remember is that one should always strive only to enter into a contest on your own terms. And even then only when there is no avoiding it. After all, most fights are less won than they are not lost, and a fight avoided is a fight not lost. His obtains just as clearly in normal situations as it does in those ones with drunken idiots, muggers, thugs … if you can avoid the conflict, then you win. If conflict is forced upon you, then go for the kill. Do not hold back. Continue reading →