Fighting

What is the definition of self-defense?

What is the definition of self-defense? . The average person’s idea of what constitutes “self-defense training” is generally the furthest thing from the truth. . The question “what is real self-defense?”, prompts many to play their ego card. Some people become offended at the suggestion of anything outside their martial arts world that is not […]

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It begins at the beginning, with understanding “why” and not just “how” you are doing something.

If you’re an instructor in the martial arts then you will have a system that you use to instruct your class. It is more than probable that you learned this from observing your own instructor, in whatever style of the martial arts that you study and are now teaching. . As an instructor, it’s important

It begins at the beginning, with understanding “why” and not just “how” you are doing something. Read More »

“Never raise your sword in anger”.

Okinawa is rich in moral stories, and karate masters enjoy the telling of these stories. One such story is that of the poor fisherman, whose shrine stands today in a small area south of Naha, Itomen. . Prior to annexation by Japan, Okinawa was known as the Ryukyu Kingdom. The legend of two men whose

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For “bunkai” to be effective, it must be applicable to real situations. That is what kata was created for.

Think of the massive advantage you’d have if you knew what your opponent was going to do before it happened. You’d be able to react instantaneously. . A person’s unconscious and instant reaction to a stimulus is known as a reflex. Touching a hot stove forces the individual to instantly withdraw their hand. The person

For “bunkai” to be effective, it must be applicable to real situations. That is what kata was created for. Read More »

What is awareness and why is it so important?

What is awareness and why is it so important? . The martial arts community tends to focus on the hard skills of using physical force as the answer to all problems, with many dojo implementing a fight first policy, with very little focus on avoidance other than paying lip service to the idea. . By

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Have you only been taught to fight? If your goal is competition, then you train differently than for self-defense.

It’s incredibly interesting to me how rules determine the efficacy of certain styles of fighting, we can also see rulesets for competition change a martial art entirely. Its one of the reasons why its actually difficult to determine which style of martial art is objectively better (people constantly argue their system is the best). .

Have you only been taught to fight? If your goal is competition, then you train differently than for self-defense. Read More »

For most traditional karate-ka, kata is the foundation of karate.

What is the purpose of kata in karate? For most traditional karate-ka, kata is the foundation of karate. But why is that? . The trouble with determining the purpose of kata, is that the purpose you find in kata is directly related to your understanding and your training focus. The key to the purpose of

For most traditional karate-ka, kata is the foundation of karate. Read More »

You have to factor in your opponents reaction.

The martial arts require demonstration to supplement the whole teaching process. I get it. I demonstrate to my students. However, I always incorporate some level of failure into my demonstrations. Why? Because a real life attack is unpredictable, chaotic, vicious, and brutal. Your techniques will probably not go as planned and you may have to

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“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

Is it accurate to say that no martial art is necessarily better than another? . To provide an answer, you need to first complete the question. Define “better”. A martial art is better at what? Cardio? Sparring? Ground-work? Winning trophies? Self-defense? Street combat? etc. etc. . I think it is safe to say yes, that

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I guess you can’t fix stupid!

A comment on one of my recent articles stated; “Come step onto a jiu-jitsu mat and you’ll will be humbled. I guarantee it.” . A great many people are dying to be reassured that their martial art is the best and most effective. They evidently believe that their martial art is superior to all others

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Common misconceptions in self-defense.

Fighting ability is just one aspect of self-defense. It exists alongside other skills such as situational awareness, verbal de-escalation, escaping, weapons, protecting others, the law, etc. which many people unfortunately overlook. . Also learning to recognize and avoid, or verbally de-escalate potentially hostile situations, these are hugely important skills if your interest in practicing the

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A hands up guard may not be useful in self-defense.

In boxing we were taught the importance of a good, tight guard. When you put up a guard you’ve just consented to a fight. . Self-defense is different. In self-defense if you lift your hands and wait in your perfectly aligned tight guard, you’ve lost the initiative, the ability to surprise, and control the enemy’s

A hands up guard may not be useful in self-defense. Read More »