Do you only know one way? Have you only been taught to fight?
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For all the importance we place on learning how to fight and defend ourselves, the martial arts should at their core, teach that it is best NOT to get into a fight in the first place.
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There are dojo and instructors that teach only fighting as self-defense! With no consideration taken to other important aspects of self-defense. Such as; awareness, de-escalation, conflict management, escape, the law, basic medical knowledge.
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Self-defense has very little in common with sparring in the dojo or a competitive match. In a real attack, where someone want’s to inflict harm, there are NO rules. You never know what the attacker is capable of doing. Whether they’re armed or have accomplices, are their senses and sensations dulled through drugs or alcohol, or whether mugging or street fighting, is part of their ‘day-job’.
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It is vitally important that your training is clearly defined.
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In a real conflict, there are real consequences….. and this means that someone, probably you, is going to get hurt, or worse, lose their life. Are you prepared for those consequences?
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Self-defense training is about preserving your well-being. YES, you may have to fight…. but fight to ESCAPE. Your MAIN goal should always be escaping, getting home safely, unharmed. The main goal of self-defense or self-protection is NOT fighting.
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I can’t reiterate this enough. Because people everywhere just don’t seem to get it. The main goal of self-defense or self-protection is NOT fighting….. Got it yet?
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Your survival in most self-defense situations is determined by what you do at the earliest possible stage. And one of the most important things to realize about personal safety training is that it starts way before anyone lays a hand on you. Before things become physical, self-defense has already started, in what is commonly called the pre-confrontation and pre-fight stages of a conflict.
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When was the last time you practiced verbal de-escalation drills in your dojo? If you are teaching the martial arts as self-defense then this should be a major part of your training. If striking, sparring, kicking a tire and doing push-ups are the only self-defense techniques you practice (while valuable on their own), you have only scratched the surface of the skills you may find yourself desperately needing.
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De-escalation and conflict management is a major part of the training for many first-responders and law enforcement agencies, and if practiced and implemented correctly, many life threatening situations can be avoided….. Learn to use all the tools available to you to survive. And your brain is the MOST powerful tool… use it.
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“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this, you haven’t.” – Thomas Edison
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