As for averaging down, I only do it because I know where I stand when entering a new position. I'm not good and waiting and picking bottoms intraday on new positions, instead I'll average down as long as I still believe in the research I've done. The key to averaging down is to not jump into the entire position on the first trade. Right now, I'm looking at full position to be in the 6-8 contracts (for the $200-$500 per contract price range). I always start off around 1-2 and sometimes 3 contracts, then I'll wait it out and let the position play out through the day. If it's much lower, then I'll add another 1-2. And for positions I want to hold for a longer period, if it drops again the following day, then I'll add another 1-2 calls.
I think what most professional traders meant when they say they don't average down is when they have a full position in play already. At that point, the risk becomes even greater to average down. That's something I've only done once or twice this year, and I believe I came out even on those two trades.