John Connolly

Mary,

I don't believe that anyone has stated that not training for internal power means you are training for aggressive response or fighting.

I think what many people are saying is that with internal power, you can better make the choice to be aggressive or gentle.

I think you can do that without internal power development too. However, I also believe that the capacity to not harm one's attacker in a self-defense scenario is commensurate with one's personal ability/strength (however defined).