It seems like an easy answer, doesn't it? At face level, one might say, "To Fight, of course." To some, that might be the answer, though, in my opinion, it is an answer and a mindset that is lacking, if not dangerous.
If you are training only to fight, whatever tradition you have chosen to follow, you are developing only on one side. The physical side. What would that leave when we consider that Takamatsu Sensei told us that "the first priority of the ninja was to win without fighting, and that remains the way."
Furthermore, Hatsumi Sensei talked of the fact that ninja made it a point to flee until the very end. That seems strange to many of us who study the martial arts, and to any involved it the art of war. When it comes down to it, though, at the point where a conflict becomes a fight (or war, on the global sense), someone loses.
At Mountain Winds Budo, Keith has said that out motto is: "Everyone goes home." (See Shepherds) This is one of the reasons I made my decision to train here with my daughter. If you focus on fighting, even if it is in self-defense, and even if you win, you will possibly face some type of legal action. Or worse, retribution.
In light of these, it seems like avoiding conflict, finding some way to win without actually fighting is the wiser choice.
If you are training only to fight, what does that leave you with?
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