Self-Defense and Martial Arts: What’s the Difference?
At Synergy Martial Arts we are often asked the above question. Our response is simple. We are not trying to create champion tournament competitors or preserve an art or a Lineage; we are giving you the tools you need to protect yourself, and your loved ones, in case you are attacked.
Can you learn self-defense from a martial arts program? Sure, but it will take you many years to put together the skills that you need to defend yourself. Martial arts programs are designed to teach you stylistic versions of combat; when someone studies them, he or she spends a lot of time on refinement and self-perfection—the sense of reality, and the threat of injury, is lost.
Can you learn self-defense from mixed martial arts (MMA) or another martial sport? Again, the answer is very similar to the one above. Yes, you can. The problem lies again in the training method of the sport. Many people look at MMA and think that it looks very brutal; in reality, there are many rules in place to keep the participants safe. Participants cannot strike the eyes, groin, throat, base of the head, spine, and many other places that any self-defense program worth its salt should teach.
So in our opinion, when you evaluate a self-defense program, you should hold certain principles to be mandatory:
· The program must be comprised of methods that can be applied by a majority of the population, i.e. a kick to the groin is painful to most people, male or female, and the groin is located anatomically in the same place for everyone: Between the legs.
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· Escaping should be the most emphasized component of the program. The last thing that anyone wants to do is to engage an attacker. If you have a choice, you must get out of the situation in the quickest, safest manner possible.
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· The instructor must not have you performing one, lone technique to try to end an attack. You need to be able to hit an attacker many times, in rapid succession, in order to stun him so that you can escape.
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· Weapon training must be taught but taught in a very pragmatic manner. You need to understand that, if the attacker has a bat or a knife, you are going to get cut or hit. Once you understand this, you are working to reduce your chances of injury: learning to cover a knife attack with your forearms, instead of your wrists, reduces your chances of getting cut across parts of your anatomy that will bleed profusely.
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· The instructor must teach you the tools that will do the most amount of damage, in the shortest amount of time, so that you will be able to escape in the quickest manner possible. These tools are elbows, knees, head-butts, finger-jabs to soft areas, and palm-strikes. These tools take a very short amount of time to learn and require very little time to practice so that they stay familiar.
We are teaching you to be able to preserve your own life if you are attacked. In this month’s Men’s Health, they ranked the most dangerous places for men to live: unfortunately, Detroit was high on the list. If this is true for men, you can bet that it is true for women as well. Even though we live in a suburb of Detroit, and violent crime is a low incident in our area, many of the people in Livingston County commute to Detroit and the areas surrounding it.
Bruce Lee was quoted as saying, when someone asked him why he practiced Martial Arts:
BL: Do you have car insurance?
Q: Yes.
BL: Why?
Q : In case someone hits me?
BL: That is one of the reasons I practice martial arts. In case some hits me.
Also if you are looking for a Martial Arts or Self Defense Instructor please read the previous blog. How to choose a Martial Arts Instructor.
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May 23, 2008 at 2:07 am |
[...] Lyle Johnson wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptAt Synergy Martial Arts we are often asked the above question. Our response is simple. We are not trying to create champion tournament competitors or preserve an art or a Lineage; we are giving you the tools you need to protect yourself … [...]
May 23, 2008 at 3:22 am |
[...] Read the rest of this great post here [...]
May 23, 2008 at 12:30 pm |
In the world we live in today, there is an absolute necessity for people to learn some type of Self Defense technique. Not necessarily karate or tae kwondo (or any other of the amazing martial arts), but simple “automatic” responses to a dangerous situation. Martial arts
May 23, 2008 at 6:39 pm |
As an instructor, how difficult is it to balance a self-defense vs. competition students within the same class? I believe that a simple comment could help put the technique into context for both sides. I’ve seen this before and its great to have an instructor who reflect the streets and competition. It does not appear to me that this would take much effort as an instructor. Thoughts?
Ultimately, if the instructor is too focused on competition or tradition, students will walk out. I’ve seen this happen as well.
May 23, 2008 at 6:40 pm |
One more thing too, this is a great post. Would you mind if a quoted this (obviously linking to you as well) on my site? Thanks!
May 24, 2008 at 12:57 am |
Thanks for the kind words. Of course you can. Thanks and keep checking back. I will be posting video blogs very soon.
Shawn
May 24, 2008 at 1:07 am |
Also as a reply to your question re: Sport and Self-Defense. I believe that it really depends on the Instructor and how well that they understand the material that they teach.
I believe that I could teach someone how to be skilled @ the Sport aspect even though my primary focus is Self-Defense. This is due to the exposure that I have had to Instructors like Sensei Erik Paulson and Ajarn Chai in Seminars.
Again the techniques are going to be very similiar but the method in which they are trained in and way they are delivered are going to be different.
For example I would not look for a triangle or an arm bar in a Self-Defense situation. I would look to keep the attacker close to me with an over under hook or double under hooks until they pulled back so that I could release them and use there force to then push off with my legs then escaping.
Hope that answers your question.
Shawn
May 26, 2008 at 1:24 am |
The difference is discipline. I think martial arts is a great way to learn respect and discipline while protecting yourself if the need arises. I am also a very clumsy specimen so I carry pepper spray. http://Www.laneselfdefense.
May 26, 2008 at 2:44 am |
Again I am going to say that it depends on your Instructor. I teach a very non-traditional program. The Material that I teach is potentially very dangerous. With that being said I go to great lengths to place the responsibility on my students along with this responsibilty goes discipline.
A Martial Arts program teaches preserving a system/art 1st then Self-Defense 2nd. There is nothing wrong with this as long as the Instructor makes this clear and the student understands this.
Self-Defense teaches preserving your life 1st then system/art 2nd.
Also Self-Defense techniques should not require alot of finesse to pull off. If it does you will fail when it counts.
Becareful with that pepper spray “professional” attackers will train themselves to become immune to it. My brother was a Corrections Officer in Kansas for 3 years and would tell me about the inmates that were immune to spray. In my opinion one should not become dependant on a method of self-defense other than there body. Use the tools for example spray, batons, kubotons, etc to help you escape but have a back up plan if they don’t work or they are not available.
Shawn