What to expect from Martial Arts

Self defence teachers generally teach a selection of principles & techniques that they’ve learnt from the various martial arts systems they’ve studied.

Traditional martial arts often require formal uniforms and strict discipline. Modern combat sports have competition oriented training. Some martial arts have neither.

  • The benefit of strict discipline, is people don’t get hurt in class, and people who are not patient & respectful enough to participate properly in these classes are usually not responsible enough to deserve to know their techniques anyway.
    • The downside is, when people can not freely explore techniques in their own way, and can not freely ask questions at will, it stunts their growth, narrows their mind and hinders their learning experience in some ways.
  • The benefit of competitive training exercises, is they tell people how good they are, at certain things, which helps prevent superiority and inferiority complexes.
    • Although the downside is, it creates misconceptions. Protective gear and rules can give people a false sense of confidence – typically the most effective targets (eyes and nuts) are banned from competition so people never really know the full extent of their vulnerability. People too easily think they can take a shot to give a shot, and play a points based game, but in reality, one shot is often enough to permanently disable someone, so defensive boundaries should be more urgently enforced, and strikes should be more reserved until really needed, and more end-goal oriented when used. And people too easily forget about the potential for weapons to be drawn, additional adversaries arriving, next-day follow-ups, and revenge being taken out on friends & family members. So just as competition helps to dispel delusion, it also breeds it.
  • The benefit of dedication to lifelong improvement in martial arts, is it creates a level of refinement to the mind, body & spirit. So long as you’re not overly distracted by ineffective techniques & principles, martial arts classes tend to create accomplished & confident individuals.
    • But the downside is, it can consume a lot of time & effort which could be invested in other things. And it creates habitually biased reactions and over-confidence which could be used against us. Many a great wrestler has been punched and knocked out by a random man. Many a great boxer has been stabbed with a knife by a random man. Many a knife fighter has been shot with a gun. How would a shooter fare vs a swarm of drones? What about invisible chemical or radio weapons? Modern warfare is heavily technological, and psychological too. Ultimately the art of fighting, just like war, is a filthy messy business. There’s nothing glamourous about it, if we’re being brutally honest. Peace is a far more worthy pursuit.
      • But for people who have too much pride, and for people who would over-react out of fear, and for people who are not so comfortable in their own skin, practising martial arts can be a step towards the pursuit of peace by giving them the confidence they need in order to be calm & humble in the face of confrontation. Just knowing we can flick a switch to fight very competently whenever we need to, and knowing any sharp opponent can do the same too, is often all we need in order to be humble, mature, polite & respectful enough to dissipate confrontations amicably without ego or insecurity getting in the way.

Which Martial Art is Best?

For what purpose? In order to recommend a martial art, I really need to know what is your goal. Ideally I’d also know a bit about you, like what your training background is, and what your strengths & weaknesses are, as well as what specific club you’re thinking of joining because every martial art has better and worse teachers. But if I know nothing about you or your teacher – only your general status & goal – here’s what I’d recommend…

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How is Self Defence so different to Sport Combat?

The goal is different

  • In the streets, pacifying the attacker is the goal – aiming for maximum peace – this means it’s ok to step back a lot, making good use of space and deflections in an attempt to dishearten the attacker, using Aikido footwork and deflections for example.
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Why learn a range of martial arts instead of just mastering one?

Ideally you’ll practise a range of martial arts that are all highly effective and inter-complementary yet focusing on different things.

For example, Wing Chun Kung Fu is focused on parrying and counter-striking techniques – it’s probably the best martial art in the world for dealing with someone trying to punch you in the face, by blocking and punching them instead.

But if you want more dynamic movement, to have more options and to deal with a wider variety of situations, including some less serious situations and some more serious situations, you will need to delve into other arts too.

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What martial art should I learn?

The answer to the question ‘What martial art should I learn?‘ depends on who is asking, and what are their reasons for wanting to learn a martial art.

So let’s assume you’re an average Joe who mainly just wants to learn effective empty-handed combat.

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Is Boxing a Martial Art?

Yes, boxing is a martial art.

Modern standard western boxing has limitations, for example, rules dictate that you can’t grapple, or strike with anything but the fists, you must wear well padded gloves, and you must fight from a standing-up position; however, the skills that boxing does focus on are integral to any strike-style martial art like Karate or Kung Fu for example.

Some martial arts focus on striking (like Karate) while others focus on grappling (like Judo). Western Boxing is one that focusses specifically on striking, more specifically on striking with the fists, but this hyper-niche focus by no means stops it from being a martial art.

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Is it easy to learn Tai Chi at home?

You may have recently bought a DVD or started watching a YouTube channel with the aim of learning Tai Chi at home. Now you’re wondering, is it even possible to get good at tai chi from home, without attending a class? The answer is yes, to a certain level – you could call it a vanity level – and then to progress further you really need to practise Tui Shou (Push Hands) with a partner.

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