This training tips video is about avoidance and awareness. One of the most important aspects of all training is avoidance and awareness of every area of the fight and the pre-fight.

It is for self-defence students and martial artists who spend most of their time on techniques and very little on what happens before anything physical starts.

Why This Comes First

The best self-defence is not being there when trouble starts. Every fight you avoid is a fight you cannot lose, cannot get injured in and cannot end up explaining afterwards. That is why awareness and avoidance sit at the top of any serious self-defence training, not at the bottom.

Awareness Of The Pre-Fight

Most violence does not come from nowhere. There is often a build-up, and that build-up is where you have the most options. Being aware means noticing:

  • Where you are and who is around you
  • Exits, obstacles and anything you could put between you and a threat
  • Changes in someone's behaviour, voice or body language
  • People moving to close distance or cut off your way out
  • Your own state, such as tiredness or distraction

Awareness In The Fight

Awareness does not stop if something does happen. You need to know if there is more than one person, where the ground is uneven, where you can move to and when you have a chance to get away. Tunnel vision is a natural stress response, so this has to be trained.

Avoidance Options

Avoidance can be as simple as crossing the road, leaving a bar early, not answering back or walking away from an argument. None of that is weakness. It is good judgement. And if you are forced to act, the law expects any force you use to be reasonable for the threat. Your aim is to get safe, not to win.

How To Train It

Practise noticing exits and people whenever you walk into a room. Run through scenarios in your head. In partner training, add a pre-fight phase with talking and closing distance before any technique. Include multiple partners so you learn to look around rather than lock onto one person.

Take It Further

The Pressure Point Self Defense Course covers self-defence as a whole, not just techniques. If you work in security or law enforcement, the PPDT Online Course builds these skills for the job.