Intelligent Self Defense & Fitness Class in Kuala Lumpur
Martial Arts versus Self Defense
What is Self Defense?
The First lesson to learn in Self-Defense is that you are important. The most valuable possession you will ever have is you. No-one has the right to hurt, intimidate or harass you. You have the right to protect yourself and you are well worth fighting for.The second most important lesson is to learn to understand that your mind is your most valuable weapon, in self-Defense we use our mind to control panic and fear, use our brain to assess a situation and to judge the most appropriate action to take.We use our Brain to make choices and making choices is a big part of Self-Defense.
Self Defense is not just about learning a few techniques, it’s about all the things we do on a daily basis to make our lives safer. Much of it is common sense and the rest of it just makes sense. Some things you just do without thinking about whether it’s wearing a seatbelt, crossing the road or using a knife safely. At one time people had to be forced to wear seatbelts in the car, nowadays people sit in a car and reach across without a thought. It shows that when you do something often enough, it becomes a habit, after that it becomes instinctive.
Martial Arts versus Self Defense
I would never disrespect one fighting art over another. I would recommend that you look into the various types available to you and ensure the one that you choose satisfies your criteria, whether you want to be more involved in a traditional art, a competitive sport, keep fit, a family recreation or purely for self defense. Go and watch a few classes and see what you think for yourself, talk to the instructor and if it's Self defense that you are interested in and then ensure that they dedicate a large portion of their instruction specifically to self defense training.
Traditional martial arts often dedicate a great deal of time to Kata, which are sequences of moves and techniques, simulating a person taking on one or more opponents. Often they involve speed, power, great poise and flexibility. These can be a good training aid but offer little assistance when it comes to practical modern self defense. Many arts do not prepare you for when an attacker comes in close contact or takes you to the ground as these may not be techniques that are allowed under the rules of a particular style. Remember in a street fight or attack, anything goes.
For a moment, picture two athletes in a tournament facing each other. They have prepared for weeks or even months, physically they are in great shape. Keep looking and first let's take away the referee together with the rules that he was there to enforce, now anything goes, they're not restricted to the same variety of moves that they are both accustomed to. Take away the gloves, the foot pads, padded head gear, groin protector and mouth guard. Take away the matting and replace it with concrete, let’s add some brick walls and remove the lighting. Take away the crowd and anyone else there who may have been ready to jump in and break them apart as one guy is beat beyond unconscious. In fact let's change the environment to a back alley, a back lane, maybe a kitchen, a bedroom or even a lounge and let's make available all the weapons in each of these environments: glass, steel bars, screw drivers, knives and other items that you may not even recognize as a weapon. There is a different type of mind set required for a street encounter that is not necessarily covered by the average Martial Arts class.
In most cases it may not even be such an organized stand off but most likely be initiated with a blind sided attack, a mugging or even an attempted rape. Change the odds and replace one of the fighters with another who is fifty pounds lighter so it’s no longer a match fight, change the attacker to two men or more. Now many of these competitive athletes may well be in great physical shape but are they prepared mentally for such an encounter? In most cases, the answer is no. Many experienced martial artists have gone to pieces in a street fight mainly because of the mind set required and also, what works in the training hall may not be practical on the street, especially if space is restricted.
The First lesson to learn in Self-Defense is that you are important. The most valuable possession you will ever have is you. No-one has the right to hurt, intimidate or harass you. You have the right to protect yourself and you are well worth fighting for.The second most important lesson is to learn to understand that your mind is your most valuable weapon, in self-Defense we use our mind to control panic and fear, use our brain to assess a situation and to judge the most appropriate action to take.We use our Brain to make choices and making choices is a big part of Self-Defense.
Martial Arts versus Self Defense
I would never disrespect one fighting art over another. I would recommend that you look into the various types available to you and ensure the one that you choose satisfies your criteria, whether you want to be more involved in a traditional art, a competitive sport, keep fit, a family recreation or purely for self defense. Go and watch a few classes and see what you think for yourself, talk to the instructor and if it's Self defense that you are interested in and then ensure that they dedicate a large portion of their instruction specifically to self defense training.
Traditional martial arts often dedicate a great deal of time to Kata, which are sequences of moves and techniques, simulating a person taking on one or more opponents. Often they involve speed, power, great poise and flexibility. These can be a good training aid but offer little assistance when it comes to practical modern self defense. Many arts do not prepare you for when an attacker comes in close contact or takes you to the ground as these may not be techniques that are allowed under the rules of a particular style. Remember in a street fight or attack, anything goes.
For a moment, picture two athletes in a tournament facing each other. They have prepared for weeks or even months, physically they are in great shape. Keep looking and first let's take away the referee together with the rules that he was there to enforce, now anything goes, they're not restricted to the same variety of moves that they are both accustomed to. Take away the gloves, the foot pads, padded head gear, groin protector and mouth guard. Take away the matting and replace it with concrete, let’s add some brick walls and remove the lighting. Take away the crowd and anyone else there who may have been ready to jump in and break them apart as one guy is beat beyond unconscious. In fact let's change the environment to a back alley, a back lane, maybe a kitchen, a bedroom or even a lounge and let's make available all the weapons in each of these environments: glass, steel bars, screw drivers, knives and other items that you may not even recognize as a weapon. There is a different type of mind set required for a street encounter that is not necessarily covered by the average Martial Arts class.
In most cases it may not even be such an organized stand off but most likely be initiated with a blind sided attack, a mugging or even an attempted rape. Change the odds and replace one of the fighters with another who is fifty pounds lighter so it’s no longer a match fight, change the attacker to two men or more. Now many of these competitive athletes may well be in great physical shape but are they prepared mentally for such an encounter? In most cases, the answer is no. Many experienced martial artists have gone to pieces in a street fight mainly because of the mind set required and also, what works in the training hall may not be practical on the street, especially if space is restricted.
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