The Importance of Self-Defense

      There are many factors that draw a person to begin training in the martial arts.  One of these factors is self-defense.  Many traditional martial arts teach much more than just movements to defend oneself from potential attacks.  The word ‘karate’ itself comes from the Japanese, meaning ‘empty hands,’ which can be interpreted to mean a method of developing a defense for oneself without the aid of weapons.  Practitioners of karate and other martial arts learn about the history and development of their art, they learn to be more confident and more aware, and they develop a physical fitness in addition to the many other important aspects of their training.  The ability to defend oneself from attack is not an overnight undertaking, but rather a lifetime spent developing your technique, strengthening your body, and learning – perhaps more importantly – to avoid potential attack situations.

     Most people that do not practice martial arts are often surprised to learn that many practitioners have never had to call upon their training to defend themselves.  However, it is this avoidance of potential attack situations that is ingrained in each martial artist throughout their training.  A key foundation running through all martial arts is respect.  Respect for your teacher, fellow practitioners, family, co-workers, strangers, and respect for life.  We are also taught to respect what we are learning.  In other words, respect for both the power of an attacker and for the lethal damage a martial artist could cause in defending oneself.  Martial artists are taught to use their art for defensive purposes only – never initiating a conflict.  In teaching self-defense to non-martial artists there are many different areas that could be addressed with varying degrees of emphasis based on what the course seeks to accomplish.

     While I concede that there are many different ways to teach and many different areas of interest to cover in teaching a beginning self-defense class to non-martial artists, I’d like to expand upon my experiences in teaching a specific self-defense course for the past few years.  First and foremost, I believe it is important to set a clear agenda for what you aim to teach.  One should not expect to join a beginning self-defense course and emerge as a samurai warrior.  It is important to establish a value system in determining the extent to which one should aim to defend oneself.  Life is too short and too valuable to risk over the loss of material items.  That is, if a mugger has a knife and wants your purse or wallet, it is not worth getting stabbed to keep your purse or wallet – even if it is a fancy one from Coach or Gucci.  A beginning self-defense course should seek to instill a sense of heightened awareness, a better ability to practice avoidance, an increased reliance on basic human instincts, and an improved sense of self-confidence.  These should be the underlying non-physical themes of any basic self-defense course.  In addition to these themes, a baseline of physical self-defense moves focused on simple body mechanics and easy to remember movements, releases, and escapes should be the focus.  The emphasis should be on providing a clear understanding of how the movements work along with repetition, repetition, and repetition.  Before we look at each of these areas closer, we should also address over simplifying the solution.

     In the late 70’s and early 80’s, training in the martial arts experienced a surge in popularity.  Many programs and instructors emerged to meet this demand offering different levels of training and effectiveness.  With increased information and data from law enforcement at the local and national levels, we now know more about the nature of physical attacks and the mindset of today’s attackers.  When addressing the different types of physical attacks that occur, it is important to address the different types of reactions and defenses to these attacks.  One might need to react very differently in one attack circumstance than they would need to react in another attack circumstance.  Because of this, it is important to stress that there is no ONE solution to an attack.  Training in self-defense does not afford the luxury of an ‘easy fix.’  In order to train someone to react to and defend against a particular attack – especially an attack of a sexual nature – one must know the location and setting of the confrontation, the type of attack, the motivation, mindset, and mental state of the attacker, and the personality of the potential victim.  The defense of an attack at a suburban mall in broad daylight would be very different to the defense of an attack in a dark alley of a large city at 3 AM .  The defense strategy one might offer to an aggressive, outspoken potential victim would vary greatly to the defense that might work for someone who is meek and submissive.  And, the defense to an attacker who seeks sexual gratification might be very different to the defense of an attacker snatching a purse for the money to buy drugs for a fix.  In teaching self-defense, one might aim not to offer a solution to all attacks but rather train students to develop a mindset to avoid attacks, become more aware, and increase the overall confidence level of their students.

     It is very easy to live in the safety of our normal activities and comfort zones.  When students begin training in self-defense, they must look outside of that comfort zone.  Reading about attacks, watching the news to hear about assaults, and beginning to understand where and how attacks happen is the first step.  Students can review statistics on assaults available from local police as well as the FBI.  The rise of the Internet has brought a wealth of information into our homes.  It’s there to review, but to raise awareness students need to really embrace this information.  Knowing the best places to park your car, the safest place to walk, and the best way to list your phone number are first steps to raising your awareness and avoiding potential attack situations.  Walking to your car with your keys already out may seem simple, but it is a step that many victims may not have taken.  Self-defense starts with learning how to trust your instincts.  We are born with an innate ability to think and rationalize.  As we grow, we learn to understand and predict certain patterns in life.  If something sounds too good to be true, we all know it usually is.  When offered a ride from a stranger at a time when you could really use a ride, we know it is often best to call a friend, family member, or cab company.  When a student begins to practice these safer measures, they begin to understand what self-defense is all about.  Just as we were taught as children not to accept candy from a stranger, we can sharpen our instincts as adults.  How often have your intuitions proven to be correct?  And, how often has your instinct to stay safe kept you from harm’s way?  To err on the side of safety is just plain smart, not overly cautious.

     Teaching students to go through life with a sense of heightened awareness and an eye toward avoiding potentially risky environments is the first and most basic step in self-defense instruction.  The physical aspects are secondary.  Some may dispute that concept.  However, if you can teach a student to stay safe and away from potential attack situations you have done them the best service they could have ever asked for.  As students learn the basic physical movements of self-defense and begin to practice these movements, they begin to develop the next key to their training.  Confidence.  Novice students without prior martial art instruction may have difficulty with the coordination of new techniques.  This awkwardness is natural.  It is also why much practice and repetition are necessary in any self-defense training.  As the students begin to better understand the movement of their limbs and why the movements will work, they begin to gain confidence in what they are doing.  I firmly believe that it is this confidence – more than anything – that will keep them safe.  We’ve discussed that different attackers have different motivations and different levels of commitment to causing harm in their victims.  Taking this into account, an attacker is much less likely to go after someone who is scared and afraid.  This basic animal instinct is seen when dogs bark at people who are afraid of them.  This new level of confidence acts as a deterrent in much the same way that ‘The Club’ will cause a car thief to move on to the next car in the lot.  While students start a self-defense class thinking that they need to learn physical movements to defend themselves, they may actually gain more benefit from their heightened awareness and increased confidence levels.

     Self-defense is an important aspect of the martial arts.  The instruction of self-defense is not a venture to be taken lightly.  Training in self-defense encompasses many areas of the mind and body and not just the physical aspects that most may think of first.  Knowing that there is no easy solution or quick fix is the first step in developing a program that works.  As with any learning program, providing upbeat and fresh instruction that combines both physical and mental attributes will provide the most comprehensive solution.  Keeping your students active will ensure that you have a captive audience.  And remember, that it is OK to have fun while learning.  Laughter helps with retention.  Have fun and be safe!