Martial Arts or Self Defense?
What Fighting Method You Prefere?
Martial Arts or Self Defense – Martial Arts are here since ancient times and they are all quite old so they must be good, and Self Defense is based on a real life street fighting and battlefield experience so that is good too, right? So which one can work best for me to protect my self and family on the street? Martial Arts or Self Defense?
Now this topic is really hot and people really like to discuss it. Well.. at least I do.
The big idea is that many people think that they do practice survival mindset and techniques practicing traditional Martial Arts (hapkido, aikido, etc.), some think they do the same by training sport martial arts(kickboxing, muay thai, etc.) and most specifically Mixed Martial Arts. Last camp is made of people learning real self defense systems(Krav Maga, Musado, etc.).
I just want to bring some of my personal light in this matter so please read carefully and understand, because you might disagree with me and that can be start of nice Martial Arts or Self Defense discussion.
“So Martial Arts of Real Self Defense, baby?” The fact is I am supporting the last party of self defense practitioners. But it took me quite long to even realize it.
Martial Arts have one big thing in common that makes real self defense stand above them all (in my point of view) and that is they are being controlled rules and safety. Another thing might be that Martial Arts teach more how to live than how to fight. One can learn basic principles of fight there but can not get ready for real street fight situation. Let me explain.
When you practice traditional Martial Art Karate for instance and you have your sparring training with you learning new technique, your sparring’s interest is not to hit you, but to simulate the technique you were shown. He’ll just punch in the air for not hitting you. That is so dead wrong! The fact is that you get used to it and it will heavily hurt your fighting mindset. You have to get used to facing true threat. I don’t mean that your sparring has to beat the crap out of you, no. But his concern should be to hit. If he learns how NOT to hit, how can he perform appropriate strike in real life situation? And that same comes for you. How are you going to avoid strike that is hitting and hitting hard when all you have been doing since that day is avoiding non-hitting blows? I hope you see my point fighter. Not all martial arts schools teach people like that, but you definitely should avoid that kind of training. For example full contact martial arts schools are very cool. Since you are expected to fight and beat someone in a duel, you must practice strikes properly and that counts.
Another thing about Martial Arts that is far from the reality is all the environment and stuff around. For example when you are a kickboxer and you fight in a ring.. a RING! Have you ever seen that kind of thing on the street? Perfect soft surface with ropes around. That is nonsense! When you fight someone on the street, there are stones all around, broken glass, obstacles in your way and other people get involved too. You just can get smacked by a god damn car out there!
Unlike Martial Art fights – there is no judge in street fight. No person, who will stop the mfcking guy from killing you.
When a boxer gets KO’d in a ring, the judge stops the fight and the one down gets immediate health assistance. When you get KO’d on the street – you’re f**ked.
You just have to deal with that all.
In real life you do not know who is facing you. It can be some blinking nasty rocky muscle mountain drunk guy who just got released from prison where he was for murdering his dog Fluffy and for nearly killing his wife Jenifer. He was celebrating a little and now he wants his bloody present, and that is you my friend. Do you think some passing-by martial arts judge will prevent him from killing you? Nope. He will grab the first thing he would have near his big hand and slap you to the ground with it. No martial art can prepare you for that. When in the ring you know that guy and what he is capable of. You can study his techniques and movements from his other fights.
And also remember. People don’t pick up a fight with someone they think they can not handle. So when you are approached, your assailant would be badder and meaner than you seem to be.
But I first said that Martial Arts are way older than real self defense systems! And that is right. Martial arts are really ancient stuff, but not the ones we are learning now. What I mean is that martial arts went through a big wave of change as the time passed by.
Many martial artists say, that if you want to learn true and real ancient martial art, you have to go to the place where it was found. Martial arts in modern world are more becoming a Hollywood trick than a way of fight and protection. Martial Arts used to be a way of life when warriors were training daily because they needed to survive. Today soldiers practice on shooting range.
Self Defense somehow picked over the relay of martial arts. The real self defense systems are now based on real fight case studies and practice experience like martial arts used to be. Self defense is but no longer an art. We are talking about REAL self defense systems and REAL addresses to a real life and real life is so nasty and brutal that if you want to survive, you have to accept nastiness and brutality in your self defense arsenal. The more brutal your self defense moves are, the bigger the chance you are going to survive.
Most real self defense systems were born during wars, and tell me in which war brutality was missing…
BUT HEY FIGHTER!
Martial Arts are cool! I’m not saying that you can’t fight when learning martial arts. No way, you can be very good in fighting. You can be the champion of the ring. But you must understand that street is not your territory and sadly for you – street is where real life takes place.
And hey hey hey. Don’t you ever think martial arts are bad – and I mean that. Martial arts are awesome! I love them and I would like to master them all. Keep practicing them, master and develop them. Just keep in mind that when it comes to a real life situation, you should always have some real self defense techniques and strategies in your arsenal.
I can’t wait for your opinions fighters.
So what do you think? Martial Arts or Real Self Defense?
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