(Approx 1 minute 50 second read)

I recently had a persistent commenter on my Facebook page, a person who, every time I posted an article about self-defense, would jump in to say that in his 40 years of training, he has never had to use self-defense. He claimed that he trains purely for fun and fitness and saw no point in pressure-testing karate applications because doing so would be too dangerous.
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I don’t know where he lives, but in my part of the world, there’s always something going down.
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That said, he’s not entirely wrong. The truth is, most adults will never find themselves in a physical altercation, and for many, the need for physical self-defense is rare.
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But does that mean it’s unnecessary?
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Martial arts offer a lot beyond fighting. Training is fun, keeps you in shape, and builds discipline and confidence. Engaging in violence should always be the last resort. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
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The world isn’t as safe as we’d like to believe. Road rage incidents, muggings, assaults – violence doesn’t wait for an invitation. It happens when you least expect it, sometimes in places you thought were safe. One of my students was recently attacked at a wedding!
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If you’ve been training for 40 years, how can you be sure your time won’t come? And if it does, will you be prepared? Perhaps not.
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Let me ask this. What brought you to the dojo in the first place? I doubt it was for “fun”. No serious dojo advertises karate as entertainment. You may enjoy the training, but that likely wasn’t your motivation for joining.
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Some people train for sport, others for health, and that’s fine. But there are also people who genuinely need to learn how to protect themselves. Dismissing self-defense as unnecessary is shortsighted – if not outright foolish.
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Just because you live in a “safe” area doesn’t mean violence isn’t happening elsewhere. A few streets over, someone might be fighting for their life. Would you be ready if it were you?
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Of course, we can pressure test our methods, and we do so in the safest possible way. Yes, we understand it’s not ‘real’, but the goal is to get as close as possible. Are you saying that when I was in the services, we shouldn’t have tested our practices?
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Training for self-defense isn’t paranoia – it’s responsible preparation. You may never need it. But if the time comes, will you regret not taking it seriously?
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Then again, maybe you’ll have time to explain that you only practice for fun while someone is trying to punch you in the face.
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Written by Adam Carter