(2 minute and 44 second read)

Many people who comment on my articles seem to want to reduce real-world scenarios to fighting in a cage, or some form of sport.
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Let’s be clear. It isn’t.
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If you have to fight someone for your survival, then yes, of course, any form of fighting will be of benefit, and a mixed martial art is going to put you at an advantage….. if you are one-on-one with an unarmed attacker.
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The problem comes from that fact that not everyone is equal, and neither is every scenario.
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Are you young, old, injured, only confident fighting in the dojo or gym – what if there are multiple attackers, hidden weapons, narrow dark alleyways, caught in your car?
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Even if you do practice a fighting art, not everyone is capable.
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Self-defense in the real-world is a specific skill, like any other. You train for the specific context. The traditional martial arts, MMA, boxing, wrestling, Judo, BJJ, the list goes on, all of these are great, but it is NOT the right answer, ALL of the time.
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Focusing on a single “best” fighting system overlooks crucial realities of self-defense. Real-life situations rarely translate perfectly to the chaos of the real world, demanding adaptability and awareness much more than specific techniques. Fighting back shouldn’t be the automatic first response.
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Unless you specifically train for it, you have to consider so many other things; surprise attacks, multiple attackers, environmental hazards, confined spaces, hidden weapons, whether you are alone, or with children and family, whether you are fit and healthy or suffering an illness. Can you help someone else who is being attacked and lead them to safety?
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As someone commented “what good is MMA (insert other fighting method) when you are 70 years old”. The list goes on.
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Not everyone is the same, not everyone has the same experience.
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All of these aspects have to be considered outside of any sporting contest. Anyone having the attitude of a single system as the ultimate, has NO idea of what is required to help yourself or others in self-protection. This is an extremely narrow potentially dangerous view.
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Many vocal proponents of this view have no firsthand experience of being assaulted. Opinions seem to be based on limited exposure to popular social media, YouTube, Games, video etc, which can create a skewed and unrealistic perception of combat effectiveness.
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And there are those individuals who project expertise despite having no actual training or combat experience. The armchair, “keyboard warrior” mentality, often leads to overconfident people with a lack of understanding of the complexities of real-world self-protection. Undoubtedly, they will encounter serious issues should they ever face a threatening situation themselves.
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The concept of “best” is subjective, as it heavily relies on individual needs and contexts. What works for one person in a specific situation, might not work for another.
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If you want to protect yourself from threats in the real-world, then find a school that teaches exactly that.
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Finally, one of my students used his skills, in an escalating threatening situation, caused by a drunk at a wedding.
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Using verbal skills to de-escalate the issue, combined with controlling the individual.…. There was NO fight.
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He stated to me afterwards; “It was a wedding after all.” ….. He used the right training in the right context.
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There are multiple different scenario’s you could find yourself in. Fighting first, with any system, is NOT always the answer, as it would NOT have been in that example.
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While opinions are important, making bold statements without a full understanding, missing key information and lacking context, can lead to huge misconceptions.
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I understand peoples perspectives, consensual fighting is great to watch, but I think it’s crucial to consider all aspects before making strong assertions.
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