Welcome

The first time I set foot in a martial arts school, I was terrified. As a natural born klutz, I was certain that my trial attempt at karate could have only one outcome; me, making a complete fool of myself. My sensei teases me about “sneaking into the school” to this day. In most of my life’s activities, I had simply been a nearly invisible participant. And, quite truthfully, I was usually content with that. I almost didn’t notice the internal changes that were taking place as I progressed in my chosen art. As it turned out, sticking with karate was one of the best things I ever did for myself.

The internal benefits of martial arts are innumerable, and something that every person deserves to experience. But personal growth aside, I believe that everyone – women especially – deserves a basic knowledge of self-defense. Unfortunately we live in a world where people are not always good, and innocent people are often victims of violent and horrific crime.

Also unfortunate is the fact that, in many cases, these crimes were successful simply because the victim froze, rather than fighting back. That is the main advantage a martial artist has over someone with no training. Our minds are conditioned not to freeze in threatening situations. Self defense has little to do with the flashy, complicated techniques that the martial artists of the movies usually display.

That is the goal of this blog; to give readers some knowledge that they can use to protect themselves in realistic scenarios. Sometimes all it takes is simple awareness and training your mind to react. The focus of this blog will be effective and basic defensive strategies against realistic attacks. I will also introduce the mindset you must adopt in order to defend yourself. And, of course, I will devote some time to other martial arts topics, such as internal benefits, lifestyle, meditation, etc… (After all, those are the things I love about martial arts!).

I hope to use this blog as a backbone for a future self-defense book, but most of all I hope that readers will gain knowledge that may protect them in the future! (Though I sincerely hope that nobody ever has to use anything they learn here.) I hope you find this blog interesting and useful, and that you enjoy reading and learning from it! I must ask though…please use caution should you decide to practice any of the techniques discussed here! These are real and effective self-defense techniques, and injury is a risk. These techniques should be used for self-defense only.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

"Best Defense, No Be There."

Mr. Miyagi, the famed sensei from the Karate Kid movies, may be fictional, but his words of wisdom contain very real truths. In the second movie, he teaches his student, Daniel, that the best defense is simply not to be in the way of the attack. This lesson can have a couple of applications. First, if someone tries to hit you, simply stepping out of the way can do you a world of good. It protects you from the strike, puts distance between you and your attacker, allows you a brief second to plan your next move, and gives you an opportunity to take over the advantage in the situation.

But I would like to think of the lesson in another context. The concept is simple. The most effective way to defend yourself is to keep yourself out of dangerous situations. To do this, you must increase your awareness. Pay careful attention to your surroundings. Walking with your head up and your eyes moving can do a lot to increase your safety. First, your apparent confidence makes you a less appealing target to would-be-attackers. Second, if you keep your mind focused on the world around you, rather than withdrawing into your own internal world, you will be able to see situations that might be dangerous.

You may, for example, want to avoid walking past a dark alleyway between buildings. Is there someone sitting in the van parked next to your car? Perhaps another entrance would be preferable to the mall door that is surrounding by a group of drug-doing-potential-gang-members. Keep your eyes open for anyone who looks “shady.” In a seminar on knife fighting, we were taught to watch a person’s hand for signs that he might be carrying a blade. Look for any telltale signs of aggression. Is someone following you too closely? Is the man coming toward you angling himself so as to pass much closer than necessary? Is his hand clenched around something?

If you see someone behaving suspiciously, avoid them. Even if you feel paranoid, crossing to the other side of the street can be a smart move. Trust your instincts. If someone gives you the creeps, create space between yourself and this person. Don’t wait to find out if you were just being paranoid. Make sure you use your other senses as well as your eyes. Sometimes you can hear an attacker coming before you see them.

Unfortunately I can’t cover all of the ways a situation might become dangerous. The trick is to keep your focus turned outward. Be aware of your surroundings and the dangers that might be present. If you don’t walk into a dangerous or violent situation, you won’t have to fight to defend yourself. Remember: “best defense, no be there.”

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