(Approx 2 minute 45 second read)

Let’s start with some reality.
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There was another serious assault around the corner from where I live. And to those who say self-defense isn’t necessary? Maybe where ‘you’ live. However…
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This is a comment I hear very often: “Do the martial arts work in the streets?”
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Unfortunately, the vast majority of martial arts today fall into the category of “non-functional martial arts”. They emphasize predictable two-person drills against cooperative training partners, usually from a safe distance.
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Even when partners resist, there are still rules to follow, and the inevitable “tap out”. Of course, that has to be the case. It isn’t reality. It has to be safe.
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As such, their delivery systems are often lacking, and would get you beaten up, or worse, in a real encounter against an opponent, or opponents, who don’t stick to rules and may be intent on harming you with hidden weapons.
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I’m sure you remember the quote by Mike Tyson: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
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Modern karate is often criticized for its lack of realism, its lack of close-range techniques, the omission of groundwork, the unrealistic nature of its sparring, and the impracticality of much of what is taught. And in many cases, those criticisms are justified.
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However, it is not “traditional karate” that is at fault, but the way it is taught.
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Grappling skills, which are missing from many modern karate dojo, are essential in real combat. They formed a significant part of old-style karate and are largely absent today. This is the range where most damage happens, not six feet away in a preparatory stance with your hands held high in a guard.
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I see it this way: a brutally vicious criminal would wipe out most martial artists. I’m sorry to be blunt, but it’s the truth.
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When you live in a high-crime area, or when dealing with violence was once part of your career, as it was in mine, that reality hits as hard as that punch in the mouth.
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Let’s be honest. What you are taught in the dojo often has little relation to what happens in the real world. And when you are faced with a twisted individual, possibly high on non-prescription chemicals, intent on biting, gouging, and causing as much harm as possible, all the theory goes out the window.
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This is the truth. Unless you are prepared to go all the way, kicks and punches, grappling and choking techniques become insignificant unless you can access something more primal.
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Mindset is everything. Unless you have a place you can go when needed, unless you have a switch you can flick to what I call “brutal mode” – the willingness to cause serious harm when there is no other option – you may end up on your back, your head used like a football, spitting out your teeth for a week. In the worst cases, it may end in your death.
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None of this is about seeking violence. It is about accepting responsibility for what happens when avoidance fails and reality takes over. If your training cannot survive chaos, fear, and brutality, then it is performance, not preparation.
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You have to be prepared to push beyond what is normally acceptable. I am not advocating violence. I am stating a fact about survival when violence is forced upon you like it was around the corner from me.
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I’ll finish with this. Whatever you are being taught, you will need to adapt it to make it effective, or suffer the consequences.
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Real violence is not something you can play at. You may never need your karate in your entire lifetime. But if you do, if you turn a corner and are suddenly confronted by someone who doesn’t play by the rules, you had better be prepared.
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Without what we call “the brutal switch” in your head, and without training for your worst-case scenario, in reality, things can go badly wrong.
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Written by Adam Carter – Shuri Dojo
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Inspired by Alfie Lewis – 10th dan Mushin-Kai