Teaching Martial Arts for Self Defence

Teaching Martial Arts for Self Defence

I hear and see a lot these days of various martial arts systems and organisation’s that claim to provide the “ultimate solution” for all of our self defence needs.  For those of us who are a little bit more worldly wise than your run of the mill “enthusiastic novice” there is normally an air of caution when it comes to engaging with groups such as these, this might have something to do with the direct debit instruction you might be asked to complete on attending your first class, or the “10 week course” that you are obligated to sign up for if you want to learn the basics before you can attend normal classes. It’s a sad but true fact that a lot of martial arts organisations see students as a source of income rather than someone with whom they can invest time and effort.

The truth is some martial arts are simply not as effective as we might think when it comes to training to defend ourselves in a real combat situation and in most cases seem to create a “false economy” that’s guaranteed to be nothing more than a fast means of relieving us of our hard earned cash and more importantly has the potential  to be a real eye opener for anyone who may be unfortunate enough to find themselves in a real violent confrontation, and suddenly finds out that everything they have worked hard to achieve in practise fails miserably when confronted with reality (or finding out that  “it doesn’t do what it says on the tin”).  

There are some misconceptions that a lot of these so called “martial arts/self defence experts” would like us to believe are the right reasons for adopting their systems as our own. Although some of the qualities mentioned (listed below) by those organisations may sound genuine and fit for purpose, they are a byproduct of training and not the primary objective for learning a martial art for self defence.

Misconception 1
The purpose of martial arts should be to build discipline and improve physical fitness enhancing individual strength, flexibility, balance, and cardio-respiratory fitness. Building personal courage, self confidence.

Wrong. The primary objective of a martial art should be to improve the combat-effectiveness of the individual, specifically, to teach the individual to become comfortable with the level of conflict required in a real-life self-preservation situation.

Misconception 2
Safety must be emphasised at all costs to the point of stressing no striking or only simulated strikes to vital points such as the head, neck and groin area. If you strike at all, you should stop short (pull your punches) to these vital areas so that you maintain safety above all else. Only "light blows" should be made to other areas.

Wrong. The primary focus of a true martial arts program should not be to prevent the maximum number of injuries during training but to prevent the maximum number of individual injuries during a real violent confrontation. Bumps and bruises do come with the territory when applying reality-based training, unless of course you want students to experience a false sense of security and misplaced confidence.  The only confidence worth obtaining in a true martial arts/self defence program is achieved through successfully employing combat-effective movement and technique.

Misconception 3
Most fights end up on the ground so ground-fighting should be where you place most of your emphasis.

No. This way of thinking is extremely flawed. The ground is the last place you want to be in a real-life situation. We aren't training for the UFC or a grappling tournament; we train for real-world success. Too many variables can happen to you on the ground on the street. For self-defence, preventing the maximum number of individual injuries is the goal. Therefore, knowing how to stay on your feet should be a much greater concern.

Misconception 4
Locks and holds are the best way of incapacitating an attacker.

False. Striking is entirely more effective in a realistic environment than holding or putting someone in a lock. Your goal in a realistic situation must be to incapacitate the attacker in the quickest way possible. Striking is much quicker, a lot simpler and has the potential to be much more devastating to an attacker.

Misconception 5
Training in kickboxing and/or wrestling will make me ready for the street.

Wrong again. Approaching a self-preservation situation with a sport mentality gives the individual a false sense of confidence. Training for realistic self-defense is much different than training for a rules-based combat sport.