Conflict is part of life. People who avoid it may end up making bad decisions, and often make situations worse, such as when a difficult discussion, or standing up to someone is required. However, many avoid conflict because they are afraid of escalation. Understanding ranges of conflict gives you tools feel safer and more in control, even when the conflict is within yourself.
As an overview, The Peacemaker Academy recognize 2 fields of conflict: Emotional Conflict, and Physical Conflict.
Emotional conflict is approached with conflict resolution techniques. Of course, physical conflict has emotional conflict within it, but conflict that has escalated to a physical level may also need an additional set of tools.
The 5 Ranges of Physical Conflict help us understand the different dynamics at play in physical conflict.
- Distant Range: Only ranged weapons like bullets and arrows, and talking are available. Training in mobility, like parkour, can help you control this range.
- Threat: This range is where you can just touch your opponent with the full extension of your longest weapon, like a foot or stick. The psychological game is strongest here.
- Outer: Long ranged strikes are available here but grabbing is mechanically difficult. Kicking and punching or weapon skills are the tools. With multiple attackers, this is the closest you can safely get without risking becoming an immobilized target.
- Inner: This is the most dynamic range. Almost all strikes are possible, including knees, elbows, head butts and foot stomps, and grappling and unbalancing (throwing) are serious strategies. Because of the unpredictable nature of this range, many martial arts focus on one aspect of this range exclusively. Only MMA encompasses the full range of actions available in this range.
- Ground: Neither party is on their feet. This range is dominated by Brazilian Jujistu. If there is a single attacker, and you are more proficient in this range than your opponent, some of the safest ways of reducing conflict are in this range, such as immobilization (pinning) and submission.