Anatomy of a Fight

If you practice tolerance and try to understand how people think, you may avoid fights. Avoidance is the best strategy since nobody really wins a fight. Simple arguments over something minor may escalate into a fight that may end in your death or incarceration. Fights may be unprovoked or provoked.

Unprovoked fights begin when, without justification, someone attacks you. The attack may come physically or verbally, the only difference being the degree of aggression.

Provoked fights begin when you:

• Without justification, physically or verbally attack another person and the other person retaliates by attacking you.
• Without justification, verbally attack another person, the person gets angry, and you attack in response to the person's anger.

As Taekwondo students, we should avoid conflict but be prepared for it if it is inevitable. If it is inevitable, we must end it as quickly as possible and be willing to accept the consequences.