The Truth about Learning Self-Defense

You will not rise to the occasion, you will fall to your lowest level of training.  How far will you fall?

Martial Arts training prepares you to fight when you are at your best. Self-Defense training should prepare you to fight when you are at your worst.

The key difference between Mixed Martial Arts fights and other combat sports is the physical and mental preparation for a specified fight date and often times specified opponents that can be studied.  The combat athlete consents to the violence and hostility and plans accordingly.

Street self-defense, however, often happens when you are "in the wrong place at the wrong time".  You're mind is elsewhere, you are wearing day to day clothing and shoes, and you did not plan for violence.

We can all take a good beating if we consent to it, but no one enjoys being a victim of abuse.  This simple principle of psychology is what can make or break your ability to learn how to effectively learn self-defense.  Since training is only as effective as the accuracy of simulation, the intent and state of mind you are in during training drills must closely resemble the psychological feel of a violent confrontation.

Furthermore, violence is a two way street.  Not only should you be able to apply violence, you should also be prepared to receive violence.  

Applying Violence

Red man suits are tools to assess an individual's performance at higher physical and psychological intensities, which should be reserved for martial arts, intermediate and on-going self-defense training.

Red man suits are a detrimental tool to utilize for self-defense workshops in San Diego or for any beginner who is new to learning self-defense.

The REALITY is that beginners are experiencing a cathartic moment that creates a false sense of competance and a false sense of confidence.  

This is because the perception of a padded up bad guy makes you feel like you can hit without repercussion.  If your training partner is not padded up, then you may not consent to apply violence out of fear of harming your partner.  

The REALITY is that the human body is more resilient than what most people give it credit for.  Furthermore, it neglects THE FACT that punching, kneeing, and elbowing without protection has a high potential to hurt the bones and joints of the person applying the technique.  The shock of this impact can be psychologically crippling for those who have never punched a skull with their bare fist.

Receiving Violence

If you are attending a self-defense workshop for beginners, receiving violence should be limited to an accurate simulation of the most frequent types of unskilled attacks including haymakers and tackles.  It is less likely that you will be attacked by a combat athlete or skilled martial artist, so training for various technical attacks reduces the effectiveness of your training.

Training to effectively apply violence should include components of receiving violence.  This is a more advanced component of learning self-defense that should be reserved for intermediate and on-going self-defense training.  Training should have both the student and the bad guy in full protective gear.

Aggression and Survival Instinct Training

If you are an unskilled person attending a self-defense workshop for beginners, then an aggression driven workshop focusing on bare-bones technical training should be the focus.  The defender should expect fatigue to set in quickly.

If you are generally lighter, shorter, and weaker than most of society, then it is highly recommended continuing martial arts training.  Martial Arts training develops your ability to produce more power while conserving energy.  

When the bad guy is bigger, faster, and stronger, going ballistic may not be enough.  Martial Arts training will develop your ability to fight more intelligently allowing the opponents to exhaust their strengths.

Conclusion

If you are planning to attend a 1 or 2 day self-defense workshop in San Diego, be sure that you assess the training method.  For beginners, the techniques should be bare minimal and include both physical and psychological progressions.  

Our self-defense classes and workshops in San Diego include various training phases that account for both physical and psychological stimulus, stress, and effective responses.  

Our Martial Arts classes in San Diego are designed to progress from unskilled opponents to skilled, and basic movement to complex.

Click here to get started with our 
FREE 2 Week Sanda Guest Pass

Want to try out all the martial arts styles at our San Diego kung fu school?  Then get started with our $99 introductory course of 5 personal training sessions PLUS 4 weeks of group classes.  Not only will you get personal attention, you’ll also have unlimited access to all of our martial arts classes!  Need more information?  You can reach us anytime by calling (619) 917 – 9017.

Immortal Fitness Martial Arts

Adding years to your life through fitness and martial arts training.