A distinction is made between offensive and defensive aggression. Offensive aggression is when a person seeks to inflict injury or pain upon a person who is or has not been attempting to inflict injury or pain upon them. Defensive aggression is when a person seeks to inflict injury or pain upon a person who is or has been attempting to inflict injury or pain upon them. Offensive and defensive aggression are at the heart of all activities associated with preparing a person to survive a violent encounter (‘Survival Activities’). Injury and pain are at the heart of offensive and defensive aggression, therefore, injury and pain are at the heart of all Survival Activities methods. What are the two subjects that are never explicitly studied in any Survival Activities text? Injury and pain.
My book is unique in explicitly studying pain and injury, both of which are at the heart of martial arts methods.
SBS Insight had a fascinating episode on pain with the forum being comprised of the members of the general public, professional sports people, and experts on pain from various disciplines.
The opening of the topic involves a professional Australian cricketer and a female boxer who won gold at the Olympics. They show vision of her in the ring being repeatedly hit in the face, head, and body, but she informs the audience that she has only ever felt pain twice in the ring in her career. It's not because she has a high pain threshold because she explains how it hurts like hell when she stubs her toe at home.
I was pleased to see that my description of pain was in accord with the pain experts, however, I go further in that it is focused on interpersonal violence.
It is fascinating viewing and I highly recommend it.
