Is Your Martial Art Effective?

One of the things that plagues most martial artists is the question of “Will my martial art be effective on the street?” We spend much time in the training hall working on our techniques and honing our martial arts skills but are we working on the techniques that will save us in a real self defense situation?

Coach Freedman stresses that most of our training might not be effective in a real fight situation. Many factors will affect the outcome for a violent situation. Some of the things that will make a difference are:

• The street is not the same as a training hall. The floors are not smooth, there are no floor pads, and now somebody is really trying to hurt you.
• In a violent situation you will not be able to think clearly due to the adrenalin rush. All those memorized techniques will be quickly forgotten.
• Weather, your health, the number of attackers, weapons involved, all those thing will make a difference and cannot be replicated in a training hall.

That is why Coach Freedman always stresses foot movement. He says that in any of the violent situations he was involved in, it was the foot movement that saved him.

This is not to say that our martial arts training is useless. In fact it is quite valuable in conditioning our bodies and spirits to be able to handle a violent situation. We just need to realize that the only way to really know our training is effective is to be involved in a violent confrontation and that is not a good place to be. If our training is really good, it will teach us how to stay out of such confrontations. An old buddy of mine used to say “It is easier to stay of of trouble then to get out of trouble.”  That is really good advice.

Marc ‘Animal” MacYoung, who has a very good site No Nonsense Self-Defense, has a lot to say on this subject. He states “Self-defense is a much more complex issue than mere physical prowess. Commonsense, lifestyle choices, certain habits and good manners will go much further to ensure your personal safety than any fighting style. “ He has a long article on the subject of self defense and martial arts that you can read here. I would recommend going to Marc’s site and taking some time to read what he has to say.

Another recent article was posted by Sensei J. Richard Kirkham B.Sc  on his Hawaii Martial Arts forum. In the article “The Ultimate Fighter A Conversation with a Gang Member” Sensei Kirkham talks to a gang member about the very real situation of violence on the streets. When the gang member is asked about fighting martial artists he replies “I’d say a person who has experience with real fights, will always have a hand up versus a person who does self defense drills. The reason why is because until that person who trains in self defense gets their hands dirty, they will lack true experience in fighting someone. For instance, a street brawler doesn’t train to do one technique to take someone out. They basically concentrate on bashing someone’s head in and pounding on someone. So if the martial artist does a self defense move and it doesn’t work like in class, they may be up that famous creek. Experience reins supreme.” This mirrors what Coach Freedman has always told us and should be well noted by anyone that thinks that their training will be effective on the street.

This article is meant to be a heads up for all us martial artists. We cannot believe that our training in the practice hall is all it takes to protect ourselves. We need to have a realistic view of what our training provides and be prepared for the reality of what we may face on the street. We cannot get arrogant just because we have training. Being humble and aware of our limitations are just as important in keeping us safe. I would be interested in hearing your views on this subject.

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Tagged as: attacks, effective, footwork, self defense, training, violence