Some thoughts on Self Defense.

[Reaper6]

In the beginning...

When you decide to undertake training, be it wrestling, boxing, or any of the numerous styles of martial art. You do not necessarily have to have a direction. Perhaps you want to compete, or lose weight or be able to defend yourself. Whatever the reason, all are valid. When you decide that you either wish to start learning Self Defense, or wish to use what you've learned to that end, a lack of direction will not do.

The focus now has to be brought to bear on the reality of violent attack, and the "realistic" means to defend it. It's not about points or competition anymore, it's about survival. It's a fact that there are several techniques and training methods within the martial arts that are not conducive to surviving an attack. On the opposite side of the same coin, there are many techniques that do serve well to save your life. When undertaking Self Defense, you have to strip away the techniques that are not valid, and hone the ones that are. This is just the beginning.

Know your enemies...

No matter what style you've chosen, or what technique you've developed, if you do not understand what you are facing you can end up dead or severely injured. If you are not prepared for the amount of remorseless violence heading your way you're a goner for sure. It is not a natural act to kill within your own species merely for the sake of killing, and yet it happens everyday. The violent criminal doesn't care about nature, and is often addicted to violence, and uses violence for violence's sake.

Isn't there an upside? After all won't martial arts training give me an advantage? in a word, no. Not only is there no upside, the stark reality is the thug generally has the advantage. As martial artist, most of us believe in things such as honor and integrity, and as such, we are law abiding citizens. This doesn't afford most of us the opportunity to have a lot of real fight experience, and we don't want to harm anyone. Mr badguy on the other hand probably has fought 100's of times, and engages in violent acts everyday. This person knows how to intimidate and is completely fearless. If you do not train specifically for this type of encounter, 20+ years of martial arts experience can fail you. This is not a statistic people, its a cold hard fact.

Get your head in the game...

In the realm of Self Defense we must all become psychologists. Not only studying the mind of your attacker, but your own as well. The fact is the mind we are graced with is pre-programmed to respond like a victim. While its true that anatomically the body does take steps to preserve life in traumatic situations, these do not necessarily aid in self defense. If you do not become very accustomed to the mental, emotional, and chemical reactions taking place in the midst of a violent attack, they will control you, and hinder you instead of helping you.

Understand fear...

One of the reasons fear can incapacitate us is because we have not been trained to understand it, so it can be utilized in a positive way. Uncontrolled fear breeds negative results, but in order to better control fear, you have to understand it.

I use the acronym F.E.A.R.- False Expectations About Reality. This is the dark side of fear. The mind play that ensues when you became afraid. An unchecked untrained mind will make the reality of any situation appear far worse than it is, and if it truly is bad, it certainly doesn't help us to make it worse. Doing so will decrease our ability to react properly to violent stimuli.

With training we can better understand fear and create a positive response, transforming fear into an entirely new acronym. F.E.A.R.- Face Every Attack Realistically.

From Lamb to Lion...

Now that we understand our fear, and no longer think as a victim, we are starting to crawl out of the hole a bit and can begin to see the light. Now there is another hurdle to pass. We must become the predator. We must completely be able to do whatever is required to regain our safety or the safety of our loved ones.

All of these areas can be expanded upon, and this was just a summary of some of the things I've pondered about Self Defense. I welcome all to add to this and contribute as much as you like. These were just some thoughts of mine, and how I break down Self Defense training to my students.

Thanks.

[Harkon72]

I had a potential Self Defense situation just the other night.

I was on the bus, late on the way back from work. Three young men were drunk at the back of the bus. One of them came forward and opened a can of beer over an old gentleman sitting in front of me. The old man was in his eighties and disabled. I controlled my anger just about and pulled the thug back by his shoulder, I shouted to ask what he was doing and closed my right fist to my chest. On seeing this the tattooed youngster asked me to calm down. I let go of him and told him to get to the back of the bus and to sit down. Thankfully he obeyed me an slumped to his chair. It was over in a second, but I was just about to pull the trigger. Controlling anger is an important skill. The old man smiled at me and the hoodlums got off at the next stop.

[Reaper6]

I agree anger should be controlled. Sounds like you're a protector personality (not a bad thing), you injected yourself into an outside situation that had not yet become violent. I myself would have likely not involved myself, and let it play out a bit longer, if I got involved at all. I'm not saying you were wrong in your actions, just that there are different responses depending on the personality type you happen to be. I mention it because in a self defense scenario knowing your own mental/emotional makeup aids you in your self defense decision making.

[Dobbersky]

I had a potential Self Defense situation just the other night.

I was on the bus, late on the way back from work. Three young men were drunk at the back of the bus. One of them came forward and opened a can of beer over an old gentleman sitting in front of me. The old man was in his eighties and disabled. I controlled my anger just about and pulled the thug back by his shoulder, I shouted to ask what he was doing and closed my right fist to my chest. On seeing this the tattooed youngster asked me to calm down. I let go of him and told him to get to the back of the bus and to sit down. Thankfully he obeyed me an slumped to his chair. It was over in a second, but I was just about to pull the trigger. Controlling anger is an important skill. The old man smiled at me and the hoodlums got off at the next stop.

Awesome, this is what being a martial artist is about, defending those who are unable to defend themselves

OSU

[MasterPain]

Sadly, many of us have been taught, often subconsciously, that being good and peaceful means acting like a victim when aggression is appropriate. How often do we see a video of a person who responds to being struck by looking at the ground and walking away submissively- even while still being struck? The inability to accept that violence is happening makes the victim seem to think that if they ignore it, it will go away. In the wrong situation, this can mean death for you and those in your care. Skill means nothing if you lack the courage of your convictions.

[Reaper6]

Sadly, many of us have been taught, often subconsciously, that being good and peaceful means acting like a victim when aggression is appropriate. How often do we see a video of a person who responds to being struck by looking at the ground and walking away submissively- even while still being struck? The inability to accept that violence is happening makes the victim seem to think that if they ignore it, it will go away. In the wrong situation, this can mean death for you and those in your care. Skill means nothing if you lack the courage of your convictions.

It definitely requires training to not think like a victim in the face of violence. Also sharpening awareness skills is pretty major. Being able to see some physical cues, body language, verbal, and other signs aids in prevention before situations escalate in some instances.

[Groinstrike]

In the beginning...

When you decide to undertake training, be it wrestling, boxing, or any of the numerous styles of martial art. You do not necessarily have to have a direction. Perhaps you want to compete, or lose weight or be able to defend yourself. Whatever the reason, all are valid. When you decide that you either wish to start learning Self Defense, or wish to use what you've learned to that end, a lack of direction will not do.

The focus now has to be brought to bear on the reality of violent attack, and the "realistic" means to defend it. It's not about points or competition anymore, it's about survival. It's a fact that there are several techniques and training methods within the martial arts that are not conducive to surviving an attack. On the opposite side of the same coin, there are many techniques that do serve well to save your life. When undertaking Self Defense, you have to strip away the techniques that are not valid, and hone the ones that are. This is just the beginning.

Know your enemies...

No matter what style you've chosen, or what technique you've developed, if you do not understand what you are facing you can end up dead or severely injured. If you are not prepared for the amount of remorseless violence heading your way you're a goner for sure. It is not a natural act to kill within your own species merely for the sake of killing, and yet it happens everyday. The violent criminal doesn't care about nature, and is often addicted to violence, and uses violence for violence's sake.

Isn't there an upside? After all won't martial arts training give me an advantage? in a word, no. Not only is there no upside, the stark reality is the thug generally has the advantage. As martial artist, most of us believe in things such as honor and integrity, and as such, we are law abiding citizens. This doesn't afford most of us the opportunity to have a lot of real fight experience, and we don't want to harm anyone. Mr badguy on the other hand probably has fought 100's of times, and engages in violent acts everyday. This person knows how to intimidate and is completely fearless. If you do not train specifically for this type of encounter, 20+ years of martial arts experience can fail you. This is not a statistic people, its a cold hard fact.

Get your head in the game...

In the realm of Self Defense we must all become psychologists. Not only studying the mind of your attacker, but your own as well. The fact is the mind we are graced with is pre-programmed to respond like a victim. While its true that anatomically the body does take steps to preserve life in traumatic situations, these do not necessarily aid in self defense. If you do not become very accustomed to the mental, emotional, and chemical reactions taking place in the midst of a violent attack, they will control you, and hinder you instead of helping you.

Understand fear...

One of the reasons fear can incapacitate us is because we have not been trained to understand it, so it can be utilized in a positive way. Uncontrolled fear breeds negative results, but in order to better control fear, you have to understand it.

I use the acronym F.E.A.R.- False Expectations About Reality. This is the dark side of fear. The mind play that ensues when you became afraid. An unchecked untrained mind will make the reality of any situation appear far worse than it is, and if it truly is bad, it certainly doesn't help us to make it worse. Doing so will decrease our ability to react properly to violent stimuli.

With training we can better understand fear and create a positive response, transforming fear into an entirely new acronym. F.E.A.R.- Face Every Attack Realistically.

From Lamb to Lion...

Now that we understand our fear, and no longer think as a victim, we are starting to crawl out of the hole a bit and can begin to see the light. Now there is another hurdle to pass. We must become the predator. We must completely be able to do whatever is required to regain our safety or the safety of our loved ones.

All of these areas can be expanded upon, and this was just a summary of some of the things I've pondered about Self Defense. I welcome all to add to this and contribute as much as you like. These were just some thoughts of mine, and how I break down Self Defense training to my students.

Thanks.

Good stuff.

This is were i think hard sparring to exhaustion comes in. It is only when you are extremely tired and getting the crap kicked out of you that you can get a good fear response in a controlled setting.

[sensei8]

In the beginning...

When you decide to undertake training, be it wrestling, boxing, or any of the numerous styles of martial art. You do not necessarily have to have a direction. Perhaps you want to compete, or lose weight or be able to defend yourself. Whatever the reason, all are valid. When you decide that you either wish to start learning Self Defense, or wish to use what you've learned to that end, a lack of direction will not do.

The focus now has to be brought to bear on the reality of violent attack, and the "realistic" means to defend it. It's not about points or competition anymore, it's about survival. It's a fact that there are several techniques and training methods within the martial arts that are not conducive to surviving an attack. On the opposite side of the same coin, there are many techniques that do serve well to save your life. When undertaking Self Defense, you have to strip away the techniques that are not valid, and hone the ones that are. This is just the beginning.

Know your enemies...

No matter what style you've chosen, or what technique you've developed, if you do not understand what you are facing you can end up dead or severely injured. If you are not prepared for the amount of remorseless violence heading your way you're a goner for sure. It is not a natural act to kill within your own species merely for the sake of killing, and yet it happens everyday. The violent criminal doesn't care about nature, and is often addicted to violence, and uses violence for violence's sake.

Isn't there an upside? After all won't martial arts training give me an advantage? in a word, no. Not only is there no upside, the stark reality is the thug generally has the advantage. As martial artist, most of us believe in things such as honor and integrity, and as such, we are law abiding citizens. This doesn't afford most of us the opportunity to have a lot of real fight experience, and we don't want to harm anyone. Mr badguy on the other hand probably has fought 100's of times, and engages in violent acts everyday. This person knows how to intimidate and is completely fearless. If you do not train specifically for this type of encounter, 20+ years of martial arts experience can fail you. This is not a statistic people, its a cold hard fact.

Get your head in the game...

In the realm of Self Defense we must all become psychologists. Not only studying the mind of your attacker, but your own as well. The fact is the mind we are graced with is pre-programmed to respond like a victim. While its true that anatomically the body does take steps to preserve life in traumatic situations, these do not necessarily aid in self defense. If you do not become very accustomed to the mental, emotional, and chemical reactions taking place in the midst of a violent attack, they will control you, and hinder you instead of helping you.

Understand fear...

One of the reasons fear can incapacitate us is because we have not been trained to understand it, so it can be utilized in a positive way. Uncontrolled fear breeds negative results, but in order to better control fear, you have to understand it.

I use the acronym F.E.A.R.- False Expectations About Reality. This is the dark side of fear. The mind play that ensues when you became afraid. An unchecked untrained mind will make the reality of any situation appear far worse than it is, and if it truly is bad, it certainly doesn't help us to make it worse. Doing so will decrease our ability to react properly to violent stimuli.

With training we can better understand fear and create a positive response, transforming fear into an entirely new acronym. F.E.A.R.- Face Every Attack Realistically.

From Lamb to Lion...

Now that we understand our fear, and no longer think as a victim, we are starting to crawl out of the hole a bit and can begin to see the light. Now there is another hurdle to pass. We must become the predator. We must completely be able to do whatever is required to regain our safety or the safety of our loved ones.

All of these areas can be expanded upon, and this was just a summary of some of the things I've pondered about Self Defense. I welcome all to add to this and contribute as much as you like. These were just some thoughts of mine, and how I break down Self Defense training to my students.

Thanks.

Solid post!!

Question for all...

Can techniques from YOUR style, whichever the style might be, be used, by yourself, to defend yourself from the beginning of ones training?

[Harkon72]

Yes! Our Sensei teaches effective Bunkai to the first, most basic Kata. In Shiozuke he teaches a neck break as a response to the first attack.

[bushido_man96]

All good points, Reaper. Especially about psychology. Training the mind in that way, to deal with fear and overcome, is probably the most important aspect of self-defense.