Confidence in using your Karate for real world self defense

[Go2ursensei]

how confident are you that ur knowledge of Karate would hold up againts 3 random knuckleheads that want to jump you or tackle you for example? Any stories of karateka here thats used their training to get out of a situation? If yes DETAILS pls

[wildbourgman]

I'm fairly confident my training gives me the awareness of my limitations, which in turn normally keeps me from putting myself in situations where I would get jumped by three knuckleheads.

Now if that situation would arise also because of self awareness attained through training tells me the first goal it to do things that would help me "not die". Its not about trying to look like Bruce Lee, its about trying to remain conscious and keep my hospital stay to a minimum. That at my age is victory against three young strong assailants intent on doing me harm, anything beyond that is great.

A story I might have posted before can possibly further explain this. At the dojo I train at we had a new white belt. He was a mid fifties, smoker, out of shape guy that had always wanted to try karate. We were watching two teenaged blackbelts train and he asked me "how long until I look like that?". I laughed and then realized this guy was serious. I wanted to ask him if he had a time machine!

What I told him was that his expectations should be set a little differently. First his training would allow him to see and feel in a safe environment the difference between himself and someone that was young, strong, and fast. That knowledge would give him the aforementioned self awareness that would hopefully keep him from putting himself in harms way. Secondly I told him that at his skill level his goals in an actual confrontation would be to stay conscious until help arrived. Finally I told him that at our age we were in a race to gain skill as physical aspects diminished. That process takes even more discipline and commitment than the teenagers we watched had possessed.

I think he trained with us another week before quitting.

[sensei8]

To answer your question, I'm complete in my MA totality. It's not ego, just downright to the core confidence of my MA abilities, as well as my MA limitations. I've MA limitations because I'm not perfect.

I've had my fair share of altercations throughout my life, but I'll not speak about them; that's not within me to do so. I don't fear anything or anyone; what happens happens; but I'm no push over. Sounds like ego, huh?? It's not because I've no ego to bruise or pump up.

I train not for the win or the loss, but for the increased abilities to survive any altercation(s).

[Spartacus Maximus]

As far as physical conflict and defense situations are concerned, the less one has had the better it is. Unless one is constantly putting themselves into situations that escalate to physical violence, the average person may have to defend themselves maybe once in their lifetime.

Violence never happens without any signs and unless one is completely oblivious, there is always the possibility to either prevent it or avoid it without ever raising a hand. The number of times a martial artist has been involved in self defense is by no means a measure of their skill level, effectiveness of their system or authenticity. It means absolutely nothing other than that they were unlucky or that perhaps there may be something wrong with their attitude or behaviour when faced with social conflict.

In today’s world, most people who live in a politically stable country is d relatively safe area will probably never have to use martial arts in “a real situation”, especially as adults.

Even the founders of many of the styles around today who lived over a hundred years ago rarely had more than one or two in their entire lifetime wherever records are available and accurate.

There are a few case exceptions to this, but the general rule is that most martial artists never have and never will have to use their skills in an unavoidable situation.

[username19853]

I honestly don’t think I can fight a trained fighter. I just don’t have it in me! But for some knuckleheads on the street, they’re probably drunk and/or stupid if they attack me, in which case I’m confident in my abilities to hit to the groin, elbows and knees, gouge the eyes, etc... if I’m ATTACKED, I’m fighting for my life because I don’t know what the other guy(s) are thinking or are capable of - and chances are, they don’t know either

Again, not because I can fight. But because I actively avoid people, situations and places (to a degree) that would make me feel like I’ll need to defend myself or someone else.

The fact is, to a fault, I’m more likely to defend or stick up for someone else than myself, it’s like a reflex. Without thinking, I’ve done it many times and I’ll continue to do it til I die. What I’ve learned, unfortunately, is that the people I’ll stick up for USUALLY continue to put them in situations where they could get hurt (emotionally or physically) and even if I can save them that one time, they tend not to learn their lesson.

So to save MYSELF hurt, because I care, I avoid those situations. Not the situations where I can help someone, but the situations where I’ll get (seemingly) uselessly involved.

[bushido_man96]

Fighting three people is a very serious situation, regardless of your skill level. It ain't going to be like the movies. You'll pull off a move on one of them, thinking you'll knock them out, when in actuality you'll probably get that one move off while the others close on you, and proceed to get overwhelmed because of math.

You'd need to be confident in your ability to maneuver yourself so that you are only fighting one at a time, while at the same time understanding your surroundings and knowing how to get out and away safely. All the while, yelling out things like "leave me alone!" and "stop attacking me!" so others hear you, and hopefully call law enforcement to intervene before you are too seriously injured.

[RW]

The way I see it, you learn to swim by actually swimming, you learn to drive by actually driving, and you learn to walk by walking (when you're a baby).

Learning how to fight is exactly like that, you learn to fight by fighting. The problem is fighting is bad for you, legally and from a health and physical integrity perspective, so it's best not to fight.

So the next best thing is to practice an art or sport that might prepare you as best as possible without doing the real thing. The issue with that is even the most realistic competitions might not prepare you for the real thing: for example, a well known professional MMA fighter (Falcao) got into a fight with someone at a gas station in Brazil. Long story short, despite his awesome MMA prowess he got knocked out because some dude hit him with a wooden board:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y859xp0vac

I don't know what this says (I don't speak Portuguese lol), but you get the idea.

Sure, Falcao was outnumbered 3 to 2, and sure, one of the guys had a wooden board... but that's the idea, a real fight is rarely a fair, no weapons, 1 vs 1 endeavor, and the fight will probably devolve into situations that your art doesn't practice with resistance (e.g. eye gouges, groin kicks, improvised weapons, etc), outside of compliant drills.

So in short, I don't really feel that confident LOL

[Spartacus Maximus]

It is just as important if not more to be confident in one’s ability to avoid conflict, potentially violent situation and dangerous places before needing to defend oneself.

[bushido_man96]

It is just as important if not more to be confident in one’s ability to avoid conflict, potentially violent situation and dangerous places before needing to defend oneself.

Very good point.

[Capella]

I think everyone who thinks he can easily take on three people at once, no matter how untrained they are, is massively overestimating himself. There are just too many variables and blind spots in that scenario.

I would still feel way more confident about the situation than I would have been before I started training. Mostly because I know how to keep my head straight in a fight. And I have a lot more stamina and can run a lot faster for longer than I used to.