Are you really ready to fight? Mentally?

[Kajukenbopr]

I dont think styles have "faults" to them, but they do have people that dont teach correctly, and obviously people that train correctly in front of the teacher and badly when by themselves.

you should go to other schools, but not just so you try to learn everything they have- the most important thing you have to learn from another style is how to counter what they do, with what you have. that simple. you learn their weak spots, and IF one or two moves could help improve ur movements, adapt it to your most comfortable style, whatever u like best.

If you try to learn 2000 techniques, it is very likely you will have 5 good ones and 1995 sloppy techniques. Pace yourself, and get comfortable with a certain type of movement, not 10 different styles with completely different strategies.

[Chikara]

I agree, good to be comfortable at fighting at all ranges and in many different disciplines of MA. That way, they can't surprise you.

 

Most dojos train only in ancient weapons and swords. How many of us carry a sword or a pair of sais with us? I'd say it's also important to get rid of what's not important and skip right to gun/knife/bottle/stick defense. The most common stuff first.

 

Another thing, only have 1 technique for many different attacks instead of many techniques for only 1 attack. That will reduce the time you spend thinking about it and you won't hesitate.

[Tiger1962]

I dont think styles have "faults" to them, but they do have people that dont teach correctly, and obviously people that train correctly in front of the teacher and badly when by themselves.

you should go to other schools, but not just so you try to learn everything they have- the most important thing you have to learn from another style is how to counter what they do, with what you have. that simple. you learn their weak spots, and IF one or two moves could help improve ur movements, adapt it to your most comfortable style, whatever u like best.

If you try to learn 2000 techniques, it is very likely you will have 5 good ones and 1995 sloppy techniques. Pace yourself, and get comfortable with a certain type of movement, not 10 different styles with completely different strategies.

BINGO ! YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD - and - EXCELLENT ADVICE YOU GAVE !!

The other thing is "confidence". Let's face it, if you are training to defend yourself against an attack, you need to have confidence in yourself and show it (besides having the necessary skills and strength). If someone off the street approaches you and you show the slightest bit of fear or apprehension, I believe that they will "feast" on that. Case in point: I don't consider myself to be super strong physically or the best fighter there is, however, one thing I have is confidence. I've had a few altercations in my time and each time I thought I'd probably get my butt whipped (if it got to that point) because of the difference in physicalities, however I didn't convey that in my physical actions. I knew that even if it escalated to a physical fight, I wasn't going to back down without every ounce of determination in me fighting back ---the other person was going to get hurt too. What I mean is I wasn't going to lie there and get kicked and punched.

I'm not saying this mental preparation is 110% foolproof and sure sometimes attackers just love a challenge. But I am willing to predict that more than half the time, if you "push back" they will back down thinking you are "crazy enough" to even stand up to them. Sometimes a pair of *THAT* is all you need.

I know, I won't be a victim anymore - (as in my pre-M.A. training days) and if I am defeated in a street fight, I'm taking the other person with me.

[tallgeese]

As to the ealier post about no styles having faults, I have to disagree.

I do think that your emphsis on imporper teaching and students not training properly is valid. However, I lean to the opposite end of the spectrum- every system has faults.

It's unaviodable when you consider the vast amount of situations that can occur in a fight and the tendency of systems to focus on certain aspects of the altercation. Also, depending what you want out of an art, there may be certain faults inhearnet to the way it's been put together due to your expectations. It happens and none of the arts we study are immune. The systems I come out of have very little to do with the esoteric side of the arts; very little to do with self-development. It's a shortcoming in what I do. No system I've seen handles knives as well as the Indonisean systems, no system I've seen spends as much time integrating firearms as Krav. This leave holes that you have to try and fill. However, Krav for instance generally (generally-before I start a flame war ) has less ground fighting than other arts that utilize joint position training. Nothing is without "fault" in the grand scheme of interpersonal conflict.

The best we can do is work around those shortcomings and try to play to our strengths. Also, we can cross-train to limit the faults in our own system by adding movment from other arts into what we as individuals do. This way we plug these holes. Another option is to live with the fault, accept it an moved on. This is common for limited contact sport schools who train to compete in what they do, and usually, this acceptance leads them to be very good at what they do. For me, this is how I've delt with the limited amout of tradition and formality in my own lineage. I've accepted it, taken the laughs for not knowing a word of Japaneese, and moved on. Now, when I'm even older than I am now and can't throw down as hard, maybe I'll re-evaluate that and cross train in something more geared to the art-form side of things. We'll see.

So, while I agree with some of the problems that Kajukenbopr wrote about, I also think that we all have faults in our systems. Just another perspective in the matter.

[bushido_man96]

The other thing is "confidence". Let's face it, if you are training to defend yourself against an attack, you need to have confidence in yourself and show it (besides having the necessary skills and strength). If someone off the street approaches you and you show the slightest bit of fear or apprehension, I believe that they will "feast" on that.... I knew that even if it escalated to a physical fight, I wasn't going to back down without every ounce of determination in me fighting back ---the other person was going to get hurt too. What I mean is I wasn't going to lie there and get kicked and punched.

I'm not saying this mental preparation is 110% foolproof and sure sometimes attackers just love a challenge. But I am willing to predict that more than half the time, if you "push back" they will back down thinking you are "crazy enough" to even stand up to them. Sometimes a pair of *THAT* is all you need.

My younger brother has this same attitude, too. I remember him telling me one time that "there ain't no two men in this world taking me down..."

How much truth one can really put in that, who knows. But, there is no doubt that approaching a conflict with that attitude does present a formidable opponent.