personal_thoughts2

Martial arts as Self Defense.
So you've decided you will learn how to defend yourself, and to that end you go down to the nearest martial arts club and start taking classes. After a while when the first soreness settles and you manage to get out of the front strangle you training buddy has you in, you think that "Hey, I'm starting to get this! I feel sorry for the poor bastard that tries to rob me tonight!" You step back into a powerful low stance and let out a mighty KIAI, as this will scare the thug whitless. Your selfesteem is furter enhanced by the instructors assurance that "this technique is quite deadly and you should be very careful, especially with your training partner and don't forget to bow before and after every technique." So you are learning the secrets of ancient eastern warlords as well as getting a liberal helping of oriental philosophy to boot, all that bowing must do something for your mind. Life is good!

This is actually pretty much what you'd expect from your martial arts class, right? You learn secret and unbeatable japanese or chinese fighting techniques, honed over the centuries, and since you do these techniques, you also have a shortcut to the oriental mind, from your training you can tap into the eastern wisdom. Moving the samurai moves lets you think the samurai thoughts.

OK, so I'm pushing it a bit here, but having been there and done that, I think I've earned the right. I really did think of my training in punches, kicks and jointlocks as something unbeatable. I was a definite samurai wannabe. Then one of my friend who'd trained in Judo picked me up, threw me down and then pinned me to the ground, holding me there. I, like many others, to that point thought of Judo as something watered down, lacking the true martial arts samurai spirit since it was primarily a sport and thus MUST have lost it's edge in the process.

I've changed my mind since, but I suppose you noticed that. I no longer feel that way about Judo, and since I've done judo now I've had ample time to get to know just how much you have to work to learn it, and how hard it really is to get someone on the ground when they don't really want to.

You have maybe seen a Karate display of breaking. Tiles flying this way and boards flying the other, and the climax, when the master or the masters strongest student steps up to break a baseball bat. He takes a stance, taps into the mighty lifeforce Ki. He concentrates, moves his palms outward with a face of pushing with all of his might, probably hissing like a cat at this point, and then BREAKS the bat with a powerful kick.

Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm sure that it does take a lot of power to break a bat. I know I wouldn't want to try. I've always wondered if the master would like to change the order of this break: what if I were to whack his leg with the bat instead, would he do that too? And what does breaking a bat have to do with self defense at the end of the day?

Probably very little. I mean, it's not like if you do get jumped that you say to the three guys trying to knock you over: "Hold on a minute. Can I just gather my KI for a while, there will be some hissing during that process. THEN you will get what's coming to you, haha!"

So, do I think that all training in Karate or traditional Jujitsu or Kung Fu is useless? No I don't. But I do think that there are definite shortcomings if you learn these arts for self defense, and while you could certainly use the techniques from these arts in a self defense situation, I don't think they are the best option. They are certainly better than nothing though.

Let's take Karate as an example here. First of all, I fully respect Karate as a martial art and sport, it will do wonders with you character and work you body, but I don't think it is self defense and I don't think it should be marketed as such. Karate as combat method is at it's best when faced with another Karate exponent, because then the altercation will take place within the range of technique that both fighters are used to. An age old question that often comes up is who would win if two masters of Karate and Judo squared off? I think the Judo guy would win most of the times, and the Karate guy might get a good shot off and knock the Judo guy out every now and again.

However, the true answer to this question is that it really comes down to the individual fighter, and if that fighter has done his homework, he will know both striking and grappling. The Karate guy will be out of his range of technique when he's grabbed and thrown, and the Judo guy will be out of his range once you start hitting him while he's on the ground. The UFC's and similar event have done wonders for opening the eyes and minds of people looking for practical and useful techniques that they have not found in the "traditional" martial arts. It's probably as close as you can get to training for an actual fight. It's still a sport though, and it's always one on one.

Then you have the next variable, and that is that you will almost certainly be taught that some things you cannot do in class, if nothing else because you or your training buddy would get seriously hurt. This will, however you look at it, limit your technique. And when you come across a seasoned streetfighter, he will have none of the limitations you will have worked hard for. He will knife you in the kidneys when you turn to walk away with pride after telling him you do not want to fight. He will hit you with a barstool in the back of your head and he will have two or three guys backing him up. They will all jump on your head when you're down. You do the math.

My point is this: keep training your chosen martial art, enjoy the good times you have with your training buddies, do a couple of tournaments if that's what you're into, but don't do the mistake of assuming that you do self defense when what you're actually doing is a sport or perhaps the physical expression of an art. Or perhaps you are just getting some light exercise in the company of friends? That's excellent, but again don't do the mistake assuming you're doing self defense. You aren't. At most you're doing moves you might apply in a self defense situation.

What is self defense then? This is MY answer: Don't be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
To elaborate a little, chances are you will never have to fight if you stay clear of anyone and anyplace that has anything to do with drugs. And by drugs I mean alcohol, pills, narcotics, steroids and so on. I can almost guarantee you won't have to fight then. It might not be your idea of fun, but it will be safe.