Avoiding a Beating (or Worse)

No-Nonsense Self Defense has a good overview of simple ways to avoid a beat down type of attack, in its article entitled "The Biggest Pre-Attack Indicator Of Them All." If you have studied Rory Miller's books concerning violence (Facing Violence or Meditations On Violence) you should already know what's in this article; but if not, it is a good introduction to some basic concepts of avoiding a violent attack. Obviously, the concepts won't help you avoid a "knock-out" game attack or some other purely predatory attack, but they will help in the more common situations you will likely face.