Ever see the Bruce Lee movie "Enter The Dragon"?

One of the best scenes in the movie -- one that speaks volumes on just how sophisticated a figher Bruce Lee was -- is when Bruce's character is on a boat with a bunch of other fighters as they travel to a fighting tournament on a nearby island.

One of the fighters -- a real dork -- approaches Bruce and picks a fight with him. Bruce recommends fighting on a nearby beach, and that they take a small row boat to it.

The other guy agrees and gets on the boat, with Bruce behind him. As soon as the guy gets on the boat, Bruce simply takes the ropes tying the boat to the main ship they are on and undoes it, letting the boat float out -- essentially leaving the guy in the boat with no way to get back on the ship.

OK, so what?

Here's what:

Bruce "won" the fight...by not fighting in the first place.

And you know what?

Bruce was very proud of that scene. He fully believed that was the best way to win a fight. To him -- perhaps the greatest fighter of his time -- "fighting" was actually a last resort. Because he knew what kind of power someone who really knows how to fight has, and respected it.

Think about it:

How many fights have you seen over really stupid situations, words or common misunderstandings?

Ask yourself:

Is one person calling another a name worth spending two nights in the hospital? Is it worth getting sued? Is it worth severely hurting someone, possibly even crippling them for life?

You know, you can learn a lot about street-fighting in various different books, DVD's, seminars and articles like this.

But just as important as learning the tactics and skills is making sure you use them for the right reasons.