Best foot forward

When the president calls "play" do you step forward? Backward? Do you know? The way you start a fight can determine your strategy. By giving ground straight away you may be giving the initiative to your opponent, or possibly luring him into a trap. By moving forward you could be taking the initiative, or blindly walking into a trap. You might also be expressing your personality i.e. defensive or aggressive, or proactive as opposed to reactive.
It may seem a minor thing to be worrying about but there's an old maxim that says "The fight is won whilst the sword is in the scabbard".