A recent post on Steve Wildash's excellent blog detailed an interesting scenario involving his daughter and friends during Halloween (no, it doesn't involve a guy in a hockey mask, but it could have been dangerous nonetheless). In the post Steve makes a very astute and relevant point that I think merits some further thought. He says:

"it is likely that we all contribute to situations with out thinking about it and then suddenly wonder why these things are happening to us"

This is a very wide ranging and profound observation, but let's first look at it in strictly in terms of "self defence" or being in a fight.

Thinking back, other than when paid to do a job, almost all the situations I was involved in were either the result of mine or friends' actions - I had a choice to be involved (whether through good motives or not). Granted you can be in wrong place/wrong time but the odds of a totally random frenzied screwdriver attack from a complete stranger remain extremely low - and even then there would likely be some indicators.

In most cases we can make some simple choices to reduce our chances of facing trouble. The places we go, the people we associate with, the stuff we put down our throats or up our nose, how we interact with people are all down to personal choice. Of course we were all young once and peer pressure is the same now as it ever was - which is probably why young adults are more likely than older people to be victims of crime. But nonetheless the choices are there.

If you don't wish to make those choices then the second part of Steve's observation is relevant. Don't be surprised if and when something happens. It doesn't mean wrapping yourself or your kids in cotton wool and living a life ruled by fear and paranoia. All it means is understanding the potential pros and cons of a particular situation or course of action. There's a very good method of explaining this with the aid of a flip chart - I'll bring one to class next time, it's a simple but powerful method of assessing consequences. (SEE BELOW)

It's easy to see how this can be broadened out. If there is an on-going problem in your life, what are the key causes? Sometimes a simple piece of behavioral modification can work wonders. That can be a result of just sitting down and thinking things through, it can be listening to friends and family or it can mean getting help from professional sources. The old adage often applies - until you recognise there is a problem you can't start solving it. The trouble is that silence or time for thought is a rarity these days, with people seeking to fill every waking moment of your life with headlines, texts, adverts, news, twitters, etc etc. One might almost think this stuff was there purely to distract us....

Back then to an even wider view, the effect we have on the world around us. Whatever your views on climate change, global warming etc, there's a simple fact no one can dispute. If you chucked all your rubbish and waste our of your back door, then after a while...well you're going to need some air fresheners. Obviously on an individual level there is little you can do to effect global consequences. However there are things that can be done, whether in terms of direct action or preparation. Again, make an informed choice and be ready for the consequences of your actions, or non-action

Let's bring it back to our individual training. Because, after all, there is one constant in all or any of the situations you can ever think of facing - you!

When learning from people like Mikhail and Vladimir I can't think of any aspect of teaching that wasn't presented as a choice. "You might like to try it this way" " See if this works better for you". It's a method remarkably free of dogma and designed to fit the individual. There is a recognition that it is you rather than the teacher who will be in the situation. Therefore it is your response that will resolve any problems - not what the teacher can do and not what may fit some standard of aesthetic or conform to some pre-defined (and therefore limited) notion of "perfection".

The teacher's role therefore is two-fold - to ask questions and to answer them. Questions can take many forms - a punch to the face is a question. What is your answer - to block, to move, to get hit? If that is your answer today, do you think there is a better one? Now the teacher becomes the guide in helping you to find your answer based on their experiences and knowledge. This is where your own questions come into play. Your choice is how much you want to or are able to assimilate into your own personal method. Some questions can be painful - physically if you get the answer wrong, but just as often painful to the ego - however the good news is no-one ever died from that kind of pain

This is a very simplistic breakdown of how training can go, but then again it is quite a simple principle. Understand your options, make an informed choice, carry out the action and be prepared to live with the consequences. Even the most basic looking of drills on a video clip can be providing all manner of challenges when you add in "internal" factors. To do this you have to push beyond the "external" factors - pushing some weights at the gym, hitting the pads, working your techniques - otherwise your work will always be limited. If you train for a very specific event or situation then that type of training alone may be enough. But - given an informed choice why not take the opportunity to broaden your training into something that makes you adaptable to any situation? In doing so people find new avenues of training, awareness, thought and enquiry opening up to them - but it's your choice!