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What is Real Self Defense
June 26th, 2008 · Filed Under: self defense
Self defense is one of the those subjects that truly is far from easy to establish a definitive, proven, method.
Earlier, I wrote a post (that included a few videos) about knife defense that was mainly humorous but in a serious kind of way . . . if you know what I mean. You can see it here http://nkhuong.com/blog/knife-defense/
The main idea behind that post really applies to all aspects of self defense, not just knife defense.
Most self defense courses / methods, are based on a very specific understanding of what is needed to defend one’s self. These notions and understandings are as varied as there are people thinking about it.
Almost all of these ideas have value in them and add to the whole. Very few people, however, take into account the totality of the self defense world.
The reality is, that there simply is not enough research and unbiased evidence that points towards a clear path. Self defense and the art of fighting, are not simply about hurting and/or defending against getting hurt. The real challenge is not in the physical aspect of self defense, but rather in the mental and psychological elements.
Most of the information we know about self defense comes from the military and law enforcement. As valuable as the information is, one must consider the context from which it was gathered. Generally, this means war and very specific crime settings.
In war, the psychology of soldiers is very different from that of civilians in self defense situations during peace. Similarly, the mindset of a law enforcement officer apprehending a criminal will also be very different.
Even within the civilian self defense scene, we should consider the difference between a road rage based assault and the sexual predator. We should know the difference between the petty thief lurking in the dark and the religious zealot hidden in broad daylight. This is really only the tip of the self defense iceberg.
As with all skills, self defense also requires practice.
There is no such thing as the ultimate street fighting weekend crash course seminar that will leave you prepared for the worst.
Cultivation and maintenance are essential.
In Health,
–
Nhan-Esteban Khuong, L.Ac.
www.SGVJeetKuneDo.com
November 27th, 2008 at 9:49 am
We live in a fast food culture where people do not want to devote the time to truly learn anything. Martial arts takes a long time to learn for a reason. It’s not just book learning, one must physically practice. Even then, that is insufficient, one must practice with an expert that can correct mistakes.
A long time ago I was at the Ontario Budokan when a man walked in to talk to my instructor, D. MacDonald, who owned the place.
The man asked how long it would take to get a black belt. When my instructor said, “Probably ten years” the man got upset. “The Tae Kwon Do place I just went to said I could get one in three years!” My instructor replied, “You get what you put into it. If you just want a black belt you should go there.”
I worked at a law office once with a reserve officer who once showed me his resume. Many of the self defence training classes he had taken were 8 hour seminars. He told me that these 4- 8- or even 12-hour weekend seminars were common in law enforcement.
You can’t just “kind of” know how to fight. Sure, you may have played a little piano. You “kind of” know how to play a piano. But can you play a piano with your heart rate racing at full blast, adrenaline burning through your system while a man punches you in the face? “Kind of” knowing how to play piano will be insufficient.