Self-defense Training and Testing

[Rateh]

I'd like to know what other instructors are doing to insure that their black belt students can defend themselves.

What specific drills or instruction do you provide that you believe is a good indicator of your students ability to actually defend themselves?

What do you do in testing to test the students ability to actually defend themselves?

If you are a student and not an instructor, what experiences do you have in your school that make you feel you could defend yourself?

When talking about self-defense, do you differentiate what between what would work in various scenarios. For example: youth students learning both what they can do to defend against their peers, and what they can do to defend against an adult. Or as an adult defending against your friend who is out of control, versus defending against someone who is threatening your life.

What expectations do you have on a black belts ability to defend themselves. Fight against any and all comers? Defend against scenarios most likely to occur based on the students age and gender? Escape without any serious harm coming to them? Do you teach them to run away? Do you teach them conflict avoidance and how to talk themselves out of a bad situation? Do you expect them to be able to stand toe to toe and fight it out?

I am interested in ALL ideas and concepts. I myself have 17 years of training, in various schools due to moving across the country. The school where I teach at it is me and the Master instructor, I teach the majority of the classes under his guidance. We are having our first group of students test to black belt next May, 8 in total. In some areas I feel very confident in our students abilities.

When it comes to self-defense I would like a more accurate way to know they are able to defend themselves, and I find this hard to achieve considering we cant ACTUALLY send them out into the world, put them into a situation in which they need to defend themselves, and then let them go all out and actually do it. I CAN actually check their ability to defend against various attacks, their ability to be spontaneous in their defense, their ability to effectively spar, their ability to do their forms in a way that reflects knowledge and understanding of the moves, their ability to hit targets with speed accuracy and power, their ability to perform techniques in the most effective manner, their knowledge of where to strike and how, their ability to block and evade, their ability to do basic defenses in a pressure situation, etc, etc. These I know how to test, but is that enough to know they can defend themselves? Is there more I can do?

Thanks for any responses at all, I will take everything into serious consideration, so that I may best help our students and school.

Again, I really appreciate any feedback, even if you don't think it is worth much, please say it anyways.

Thanks again!

[Wastelander]

There is definitely a lot to this one!

In my opinion, John Titchen has put together the best program for pressure testing martial artists in self defense scenarios. Sensei Titchen has done a great deal of research on how attacks occur, and then has his students reproduce this situations. He uses Spartan Armour, because you can still feel when/how you've been hit, and you can still move freely, unlike the bulkier REDMAN and BULLET suits. He has put up quite a few examples on his YouTube channel, but this one is a quick overview of his approach:

Unfortunately, we don't have the protective gear necessary to do this kind of training, safely, with a high level of contact. We do occasionally do these types of drills, and sometimes do "self defense sparring," but the contact tends to stay at about 50% power.

When we work our self defense techniques, beginners learn to do them without any resistance. Intermediate students start to encounter some resistance. More advanced students typically put up quite a fight. Obviously, with any new material, even the more advanced students will start with a lower level of resistance and work up. Working against a resisting opponent, who is trying to hit you, is key.

When we spar, we typically spar with about 50% power on our strikes, for safety. Some strikes, like leg kicks, we put more power into. Many of us spar MMA-style, with grappling (takedowns, joint locks, chokes, etc.) allowed. We also allow pressure point attacks, strikes to the groin, and simulated eye attacks (place the fingers on the eyes and push lightly).

We don't consider a 1st degree black belt to be an expert, and we don't expect them to be able to deal with all comers. That said, they should be able to hold their own in contact sparring with other 1st degree black belts, and they should be able to defend themselves against an unarmed attacker of a similar size. Perhaps more importantly, they have to have the resolve to keep fighting. In our belt tests, after going through all the fitness requirements, the forms, the techniques, etc., the last thing you have to do is spar all the people who are administering your test. They are better than you, they are going to push you to your limit, and you are already exhausted.

[Harkon72]

I'll be honest, in my last Karate school, nothing. One step sparring is a false representation of self defense skills, we know that. Free sparring has nothing to do with a real situation either, no-one will stand off you and bounce now will they? Even so called self defense courses have a pattern of attacks and responses that depend on choreography and compliance. What I have found useful is the principals taught by my Aikido class, expect nothing, take nothing for granted, react to each opponent on their own merits, each encounter is different, everyone has a different speed, stance and power and a different point of balance. There are no rules, you apply the principals of Aikido differently each time against one or multiple attackers. You have no time to think of a plan, you must move yourself and not interfere with the attacker, just direct him until he is no longer a threat. I thought that Aikido was a total waste of time and had no practical use until I was taught it in the proper way and by real martial artists. "We let you think that, Aikido is a simple secret hidden in plain view; its manner is a total illusion, and that's how we like it." (Sensei John, Cork, Eire.)

[bushido_man96]

Our testing requirements are forms, one-steps, sparring, board breaking. So, alas, we don't hit any self-defense areas, although our one-steps are referred to as our "self-defense techniques," which I don't really buy into. They could be a good training tool for that, but they have to evolve to do so.

The DT class that is taught at the university has a very good testing they do for midterm and final. One guy wears a Redman suit, and then there are usually two other "attackers" involved. The 3 attackers wait in the mat room, while the students go run wind sprints or what we would call "the line drill" in a basketball gym. After running, the person comes to the mat room, where the Redman attacks them with some kind of choke or something, and the student has to defend. From there, they are put on the ground mounted, and side-mounted, and the "attackers" offer resistance while they have to improve their position.

The wind sprints gets the students tired and amped up, which more closely will simulate how the body acts when the adrenaline dumps. And the first attack is a spontaneous attack, so its more like getting jumped. Although this system has some limitations, I think it is a good base to build from.

[Rateh]

Hmmm...

Well we really have no money in the budget for new equipment right now. Also, I really don't want to bring in techniques from other styles, as I feel that trying to mesh styles together isn't very effective.

I do like the idea of putting self-defense stuff near the end of testing when students are more tired, right now we do it around the middle. Perhaps I could also add it in at the end of some of the advanced classes without notice, just have some of the students stay after and ask them to do something they are not currently working on, but have trained in. We cycle through everything so this would be kind of a surprise, more like a real attack I would think. Just something along the lines of "Madelyn and Sydnee stay after please" then tell one of them to attack the other with a specific attack?

Thanks everyone for your comments so far!

[jaypo]

We train that every single technique we learn is for self defense. We do a lot of applications and free sparring. We also train Kyusho, and we add takedowns and joint locks to all of our techniques. However, the most important part to self defense is to learn situational awareness. Be aware of what's going on around you at all times. You can't be 100% perfect, but you can eliminate a lot of threats by just seeing them before they materialize.

No matter how much you train for it, you won't be fully ready for a surprise attack. But if you train your body and mind accordingly, you can be better prepared for an attack when it happens.

I train a traditional style, but we put practicality into our techniques. Instead of full drawback in our applications, we use our hand for defense (unless it's to pull your opponent into you). We incorporate a lot of takedowns and pressure point attacks, etc.