The technique doesn’t work when your partner is resisting!
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A lot of martial arts techniques and applications, in my humble opinion, don’t work against a non-compliant opponent, especially so when applied in the ways that the vast majority of people try to apply it.
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Most martial artists, traditional and modern, are in denial. They think that what they do will automatically translate into a ‘real’ situation.
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Locking or throwing, as an example, a resisting opponent without some sort of ‘atemi’ is extraordinarily difficult (difficult enough that a lot of judoka will flat out tell you “standing locks don’t work”).
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There are people (very few of them) who can do this, but most of us mere mortals are not among them. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t practice such techniques – they’re very useful in appropriate contexts for creating openings, unbalancing opponents, increasing the effectiveness of strikes, and neutralizing some attacks. Locking and throwing is a useful skill – it’s just not a magic formula.
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In a self-defense situation, the range that most martial artists train for is wrong. They prepare for either very long range kicking and punching, or they work heavily on ground techniques, which in a street fight could be suicidal…… It is the absolute last resort for a street scenario.
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Another big misconception is that you can wait to be attacked and then block/trap/parry and counter. But again, this strategy would not and does not work consistently in a real world situation.
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If a physical confrontation is unavoidable, the only consistently effective technique in street encounters is the pre-emptive strike. The pre-emptive strike really is just common sense, and the moment you face an angry man who wants to flatten the world with your head, you will know this is the best option. What we are generally sold in martial arts as effective self-defense is at best foolhardy and naïve, and at worst a lie….. And that lie could get you killed.
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Size and strength too always play a part, and locks and throws should not be a preferred option. Gichin Funakoshi said; “Never forget that the essence of karate is found in ending the fight with a single kick or strike. Great care must be taken, not to be defeated, by being overly concerned with applying a throw or lock.”
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Compliance is a must to learn a technique, and this should be followed by progressive resistance, or non compliance to add realism and build your skill. When you reach the sort of resistance that you cannot overcome, then that is the time to throw a pre-emptive strike and try the technique again. In training there will always be a point you cannot cross for safety of your training partner….. But remember. If your technique doesn’t consistently work with resistance and pressure testing, IT WON’T WORK. PERIOD. 
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With thanks to Geoff Thompson and Iain Abernethy.
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