There are literally thousands of martial arts, self-defense, and close quarter combat systems out there.
If the student’s interest is in self-defense they should also choose a style/system accordingly.
If your primary interest is in reality-based self-defense, you should be aware that there are a few primary components which should make up such a system.
These components together represent a complete and comprehensive reality-based self-defense methodology.
The components are as follows- 1) Mind-Set & Emotional Conditioning – the willingness and determination to do whatever it takes to survive a violent situation is one of the most important components of real self-defense.
2) Awareness – the ability to observe the world around us is far more important than any physical self-defense skill.
Awareness skills include internal awareness, external awareness, general observation skills, and common-sense strategies such as learning how to not look, act, or think like a victim.
Obviously, all self-defense and martial arts systems contain the basics.
4) Skill & Combat Drills – this includes simple skill developing drills which are used to build skills and attributes that can’t be developed as efficiently by other means.
We should know how to deal with them just in case but instead of training for them why not train to avoid them altogether? Scenarios are taught by a majority of styles and systems.
The key to realistic training is understanding how those scenarios are taught and how they are used to develop the practitioner’s protective & defensive skills.
The traditional self-defense scenarios versus wrist grabs, for example, are OK to teach beginners, but the truth is that such scenarios do not reflect reality.
To develop reality-based scenarios we must simply study real-life attacks and build scenarios around such attacks.
The above five components should represent the foundation of any reality-based self-defense style, system, or course.
The study of all of these components will provide the student with the knowledge and skill that’s needed to survive violent situations.
Punches- As mentioned in other articles, if your goal is to learn every facet of martial arts then punching skills definitely have their place.
Even with this common-sense understanding, it still amazes me how many self-defense courses emphasize punching skills over simpler and more effective techniques.
Traditional Kicks- These are a necessity for comprehensive martial arts training, but are inappropriate for real self-defense.
The need for traditional ground fighting in real self-defense is pretty slim.
If self-defense is your primary reason for seeking out a training course, be sure that self-defense is what you are getting.
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