Martial Arts: As a practicing martial artist I can unequivocally state that when used by a trained practitioner "Martial Arts" are very effective in protecting you from attack. Martial Arts are great for developing coordination, physical fitness, flexibility and combat skills. They also demand a great deal of dedication and time to master and often what is taught has no "Street" applicability. The reality is that most people don't have the time or the inclination to spend years studying a martial art and learning how to make it effective in an attack situation. Many of the skills taught in classes are frangible, meaning they require constant practice in order to make them work in the manner in which they were designed. Often they are complex and require fine motor control; two things that will be in short supply in a combat situation due to the Adrenaline Response.
One of the biggest problems with traditional martial arts is that they cannot adequately prepare their students mentally, physically or emotionally for the realities of street violence. Realistically it takes roughly two years of consistent attendance (2-3 nights a week) to become proficient in the combat arts to make them work in a attack situation. Most people do not have 2-3 years to learn to defend themselves as they work, have families and jobs that take up their limited free time.
What limits most traditional martial arts classes is the fact that training doesn't occur at full speed and power. Nor can one defend him/herself in this manner due to the risk of injury to both parties. This makes training less effective due to Operant Conditioning. In combat terms Operant Conditioning means that "You fight like you train". This means that if you are not training your body to utilize your martial arts skills full power and under Adrenal Stress, then in an actual attack you will be unable to effectively utilize them at full power and speed. A second problem is that classes generally fail to address the fact that violence rarely happens in the manner in which most martial arts are taught. What is lacking is the emotional and psychological component that accompanies a real attack and the fact that this "Fear" is not present when training occurs in class.
What is often overlooked when people begin training are two very important facts. Most people including martial artist instructors have never been involved in a real fight in their lives. This is not a bad thing, it shows a lot of self control and excellent interpersonal skills. The point is not to confuse actual combat with what happens in the dojo, because they are not the same thing. The second fact is this; I know a lot of talented and skilled martial artists who can apply their skills with devastating power and accuracy. These masters are greatly skilled and deadly in combat, but the fact remains; most of us will never be the master. I can take golf lessons from Tiger Woods and still never play like a pro. Don't delude yourself with fantasy. If you want to study the arts do so with an open mind and an understanding of what they do and do not represent.
Self Defence: A properly designed Self Defense course can provide combat ready skills in a short period of time. It has instructors specifically trained to deal with the dynamics and emotions surrounding an actual violent encounter, how people are victimized and who understand the Sexual Assault Sequence. Our courses are thoroughly researched and our instructors are experienced in dealing with the emotional, physical and psychological components that are present during violent situations. Perhaps more importantly, they have years of real world experience dealing with violence.
We teach only simple, effective and combat proven Self Defense concepts that rely on Gross Motor Skills. Reality Based Padded Attacker training is the most efficient way to teach students to use their Self Defense skills. Our students learn to use Kinetic Linking and Vital Point Striking to enable them to incapacitate an attacker and escape. Reality Based Training ensures that students will be able to realistically utilize these skills in an actual attack.
Research by pioneers in the fields of Human Behavior and Personal Safety (Grossman, Debecker, Siddel) supports this. Just as importantly students also get an opportunity to practice the Personal Safety concepts they've learned to try and avoid conflict altogether. True Self Defense is not about technique, style, or even method of teaching. It is about conditioning the mind to...Survive at all costs."
Teaching people to "Throw The Switch" is one of the most difficult things to teach during a Self Defense course. Utilizing realistic scenario's is one of the best ways to accomplish this. One of the biggest benefits of Reality Based Training is it's ability to provide student's with an opportunity to inoculate themselves to the "Freeze" response that often occurs as a result of the shock and surprise of a violent attack.
We know that the Adrenal Stress Response is a very real factor in every Self Defense situation. We place student's in adrenal stress and teach them how to overcome it's debilitating effects. What they are learning is how to respond instinctively and reflexively to a set of stimuli (violence) and escape to safety. All of our Personal Safety concepts are reinforced and practiced during the training scenario's.
There are three types of people in the world; predators, prey, and warriors. Learn how to change your mindset and develop a warriors mind. It's not as difficult as you might think. It comes with self confidence, training, practice and experience. The only way to get the last one, is to gain the first three. Understand that it's OK to be afraid. We're all afraid if we've got any sense whatsoever. Confronting our fears is the first step to self confidence. Once we realize that we can overcome our fears everything else is suddenly possible.
