You might think that a martial artist has an advantage when it comes to self-defense because she has greater knowledge of various ways to defend herself. That is, in part, true, but knowledge has less to do with it than you might think. If you were to learn just a few basic techniques, you would be just as capable as defending yourself as the black belt sitting next to you on the bus (you just might not look as fancy doing it). The real advantage that martial artists have over everybody else is that they have trained their minds to defend themselves.
One of the most common things a martial arts instructor will see in beginners is a tendency to freeze up whenever a strike comes their way. A white belt in a sparring match will simply cringe away from an attack, rather than blocking and counter-attacking. They are lucky this is a friendly match. Otherwise, they would probably have just taken a serious blow. The reason they do this is simple. Their brains have no prior experience with an attack. It can be scary to see that fist coming toward you, and your brain thinks “what is going on? What do I do?” They don’t respond because they can’t respond.
Unfortunately that is also why a lot of real life attacks are successful. The faster a victim responds to her attacker’s moves, the more likely she is to survive. I would encourage you to spend some time thinking about realistic attack scenarios. I’m not suggesting you become paranoid. All I’m asking is that you take note of potential dangers in your immediate area, and rehearse in your head a plan for escaping that danger. If you see a parked van, for example, try visualizing what you would do to escape, should someone reach out and try to pull you in.
No, this is not paranoia. When you visualize things in your head, your brain catalogues those images for use later on. In addition to their physical practice, many athletes will visualize their sport in their minds. This helps tell the brain what it needs to make the body do. If you have seen it in your mind, your body will respond accordingly. This is because your brain has already dealt with the situation.
If you were walking through the parking lot, and someone really did reach out of that van, you would not freeze up. Your mind thinks “I’ve done this before!” and allows you to respond accordingly. You don’t have to dwell on danger. You don’t have to be afraid of it. But it is definitely a good idea to think about the possibility of it. Spend some time rehearsing scenarios in your head. If you know ahead of time what you would do in a given situation, you will be much more likely to successfully defend yourself. It is important that you develop a mindset that will allow you to protect yourself and keep you from freezing up in dangerous situations.
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