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Voltaire once said, "I know I am among civilized men because they are fighting so savagely." When most people think about combat, they think about war. They think of combat as the fighting that occurs between two opposing armies; but combat may also occur between just two people. Because of this, many of the principles of warfare are also applicable to personal combat situations. This topic explains some of the principles of combat as related to personal self-defense situations.

Combat takes place between all living things; even plants compete for an area of ground. Humans have engaged in combat since the beginning of humanity, when Adam and Eve's sons, Cain and Able, engaged in combat. Most people think of combat as being a useless endeavor (War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!). However, combative behavior has its purposes in our society. It helps establish ones position within the societal group hierarchy (affective combative behavior). It also provides for protection of the group and individuals in the group from enemies (pseudo-predatory combative behavior. Nowadays, affective combative behavior is frowned upon as being socially dysfunctional, and pseudo-predatory combative behavior is generally limited to professionals who use it daily, such as military or law enforcement personnel.

Throughout human history, combat has been used for entertainment. People are impressed by the physical abilities of the combatants, aroused by the actions of the combatants, and excited by the possibility of injury to the combatants. People are entertained by watching flashy fighting skills that are beyond the abilities of ordinary people. This is illustrated by the popularity of action movies and combat video games. Combat is an integral part of human nature. Sports are a type of combat. People are attracted to the martial arts because of their combative nature.

As a result of the public's attraction to the flamboyant, many martial arts have become display oriented. They have changed their rules, increased the fighting range, and award more points for flashy, large movement kicks to take advantage of the public's attraction to flamboyant techniques, but the techniques are practically useless in combat. Combatants stand far away from each other and perform flashy techniques for the crowd. Nowadays, the public considers the better fighter to the one with the most flamboyant skills. However, in reality, combat is an extremely physical, up-close, personal activity that allows combatants to display their affective combative behavior.

Nowadays, as a result of overexposure to flamboyant fighting skills, people begun to think that displaying flamboyant fighting skills is the way humans should exhibit affective combative behavior. However, the natural way for humans to display effective combative behavior is same as the behavior animals exhibit when they enter into territorial combat. There is little fighting, it is usually just a display of prowess and combat behavior in an attempt to intimidate the interloper. Nowadays, as a result of viewing action movies, combat video games, etc., people have forgotten how to read the displays of combat that humans naturally exhibit.

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