"...martial arts instructors who teach self defence tactics that are repetition/technique based, executed on overly compliant partners, and do not take into account the effects of fear in a life or death scenario, are possibly placing their students in a dangerous position." (pg. 6)Placing the student in a dangerous position? Jesse Enkamp over at KARATEbyJesse has a good way of explaining that:
If you were to walk into a gun shop, and ask for their best revolver, you would expect to get what you ask for, right? Of course. But what if - when your life might suddenly be in danger - the time comes to actually use that revolver?
What if, at that very moment, you find out that your revolver is a water pistol?
A squirt gun.
You thought you were buying one thing, but you got something completely else.
You thought you were safe because you had the revolver, which may have changed your perception of what constitutes a threat, or perhaps even clouded your judgement.
- See more at: http://www.karatebyjesse.com/karateka-do-you-need-a-reality-check/#sthash.MV9x1h1F.dpuf
What if, at that very moment, you find out that your revolver is a water pistol?
A squirt gun.
You thought you were buying one thing, but you got something completely else.
You thought you were safe because you had the revolver, which may have changed your perception of what constitutes a threat, or perhaps even clouded your judgement.
- See more at: http://www.karatebyjesse.com/karateka-do-you-need-a-reality-check/#sthash.MV9x1h1F.dpuf
But it can be confusing (like it was for me) when the sign on your dojo reads "traditional" and you are even being taught karate by an actual Okinawan master! Those two things together sound like you're gonna learn the "real" thing. It's funny because I guess for some people, realizing the truth comes in the form of a bloody nose or bruised ego (or god forbid, a crippling injury or death!) because you decided you wanted to try out your martial skills in public only to find you had no actual skill. And for others it comes in the form of a feeling that something just ain't right. That's how it was for me. I could not have explained why I felt that way at the time. I was turning whatever that feeling was inward and berating myself for not being able to put two and two together. My Sensei kept wanting me to participate in the tournaments and I was silently like, "I don't care about no f---ing tournaments!". Partly it's because I'm shy and have a natural disinclination towards performing in front of others; and partly it's because that's not the freakin' reason I got involved with karate in the first place! I'm not saying participating in a tournament isn't a good thing. I'm saying that:"If you were to walk into a gun shop, and ask for their best revolver, you would expect to get what you ask for, right? Of course. But what if - when your life might suddenly be in danger - the time comes to actually use that revolver? What if, at that very moment, you find out that your revolver is a water pistol? A squirt gun. You thought you were buying one thing, but you got something completely else..."
If you were to walk into a gun shop, and ask for their best revolver, you would expect to get what you ask for, right? Of course. But what if - when your life might suddenly be in danger - the time comes to actually use that revolver?
What if, at that very moment, you find out that your revolver is a water pistol?
A squirt gun.
You thought you were buying one thing, but you got something completely else.
You thought you were safe because you had the revolver, which may have changed your perception of what constitutes a threat, or perhaps even clouded your judgement.
- See more at: http://www.karatebyjesse.com/karateka-do-you-need-a-reality-check/#sthash.MV9x1h1F.dpuf
What if, at that very moment, you find out that your revolver is a water pistol?
A squirt gun.
You thought you were buying one thing, but you got something completely else.
You thought you were safe because you had the revolver, which may have changed your perception of what constitutes a threat, or perhaps even clouded your judgement.
- See more at: http://www.karatebyjesse.com/karateka-do-you-need-a-reality-check/#sthash.MV9x1h1F.dpuf
If you were to walk into a gun shop, and ask for their best revolver, you would expect to get what you ask for, right? Of course. But what if - when your life might suddenly be in danger - the time comes to actually use that revolver?
What if, at that very moment, you find out that your revolver is a water pistol?
A squirt gun.
You thought you were buying one thing, but you got something completely else.
You thought you were safe because you had the revolver, which may have changed your perception of what constitutes a threat, or perhaps even clouded your judgement.
- See more at: http://www.karatebyjesse.com/karateka-do-you-need-a-reality-check/#sthash.MV9x1h1F.dpuf
What if, at that very moment, you find out that your revolver is a water pistol?
A squirt gun.
You thought you were buying one thing, but you got something completely else.
You thought you were safe because you had the revolver, which may have changed your perception of what constitutes a threat, or perhaps even clouded your judgement.
- See more at: http://www.karatebyjesse.com/karateka-do-you-need-a-reality-check/#sthash.MV9x1h1F.dpuf
"If your training has led you to believe that you will somehow be able to control yourself and the situation without your training ever having placed you in harm’s way, then you have been misinformed...There are vast differences between sparring in an institution where you know that a fight will not deteriorate to the point where your opponent is going to bite you or stab you after you are knocked to the ground, and when these things become a very real possibility." (pg. 11)The following video is a great example of what "kumite" means for modern karate practitioners. Ask yourself, "Is this how people fight in real life?". I'm not posting this video to imply in any way that the athletes involved are somehow incapable of defending themselves in a real situation. This video showcases in fact the awesome skills of renowned karate athlete/champion from Hawaii Elisa Au Fonseca (she's wearing the blue belt):
It's likely because I've had very little experience with handling real-world violence that I somehow believed my kumite sessions in the dojo were preparing me for reality. There were certainly a lot of lessons I learned about myself through kumite but ultimately that kind of practice was not geared towards building real fighting skill.
"Sparring, and in the case of Wing Chun, ‘Chi Sau’ practise, are usually too regimented and controlled, and both are too bound by protocol to successfully reproduce the emotional pressure that occurs when a threat is not generated at our choosing." (pg. 14)Reproduce the emotional pressure. Among other things, that means your training needs to help you break through the psychological "freeze" that happens when you are assaulted (read Rory Miller's Facing Violence). I realize that not everyone wants to get involved with martial arts for the same reasons I was interested in it for. There are other benefits to modern martial arts that make it appealing to people. But if you are smug enough to think you will be prepared for a real-life attack simply because you know how to punch, kick, jab or throw someone, then I hope that one day all reality does is slaps you in the face and not stabs you in the back (literally). Your personal safety is serious business. It needs to be trained as such.
"It is, or should be, the goal of every sincere instructor to equip his or her students with the skills to survive. It is the wish of the authors of this article to encourage, at the very least, a discussion of the protective methods now employed in your school. We would hope that the concept of Personal Protection presented on these pages will lead to a return to reality and practicality in the martial arts, regardless of style." (pg. 19)
Elbow SMASH!
- Hiji Até
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