Self Defense

The Very Different Purposes of Self Defense and the Martial Arts Styles of the East

There are two very different styles of combat taught across America -- the straightforward self defense schools that teach focus under pressure and incapacitation maneuvers, and the more spiritually advanced martial arts styles that teach philosophy and self-control in addition to complex physical techniques. Not that either one is definitively superior to the other, just that they're used for different things.

If you're worried that someone is after you, or that you're likely to get mugged, you want to study self defense, not martial arts techniques. The flying kicks of Tae Kwon Do won't serve you in a narrow alley, and the do-no-harm philosophy of Aikido won't keep a persistent attacker down for very long. Moreover, martial arts styles tend toward complex movements that require a very clear head -- in battle, the focus that serves so well in the dojo is likely to be completely absent, making those complex movements a distant memory.

On the other hand, if what you want is a fitness regimen that will lead you to a better understanding of yourself and the way you interact with other people and the world, martial arts excel. Krav Maga cannot teach you how to push yourself beyond your own limits through extraordinary training techniques, and there is little in Sambo that will lead you down a path of meditative introspection. Self defense classes, whether life on on a self defense video, will rarely encourage you to become flexible or develop excellent cardiovascular health -- they're all about what works, not what's best for you as a person.

Self defense instructors -- especially the ultra-aggressive types you see on a self defense DVD -- always fall back to the euphemism of 'the street'. If it doesn't work on 'the street', who cares? Simple, classic motions that are easy to pull off under stress and have maximum impact on the opponent are the name of the game. The attackers on 'the street' don't follow rules -- they're bigger than you, meaner than you, better armed than you, and there are more of them than there are of you. If you can't put them down in one or two seconds apiece, you're going to get stabbed.

Martial arts instructors consistently stress that your biggest competition is 'the self'. You must constantly push yourself to outperform your previous best. You have to strive to do your best not just in the dojo, but in every aspect of your life. Everything you do is a form of competition, even if only to compete with your own last performance of the same act. It doesn't matter if you win a kumite -- what matters is if you really gave it everything you have.

The wisdom of studying both at once is questionable, as you run the risk of 'confusing' your muscle memory -- but most certainly, once you've mastered the basics of one, it's well worth your time to start the other. In short, there are excellent reasons to study both self defense and one of the many martial arts styles -- whichever fits your personality the best.