Martial Arts Self-Defense

Caveat: This article is mine and mine alone. I the author of this article assure you, the reader, that any of the opinions expressed here are my own and are a result of the way in which my meandering mind interprets a particular situation and/or concept. The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of other martial arts and/or conflict/violence professionals or authors of source materials. It should be quite obvious that the sources I used herein have not approved, endorsed, embraced, friended, liked, tweeted or authorized this article. (Everything I think and write is true, within the limits of my knowledge and understanding. Oh, and just because I wrote it and just because it sounds reasonable and just because it makes sense, does not mean it is true.) 

Please make note that this article/post is my personal analysis of the subject and the information used was chosen or picked by me. It is not an analysis piece because it lacks complete and comprehensive research, it was not adequately and completely investigated and it is not balanced, i.e., it is my personal view without the views of others including subject experts, etc. Look at this as “Infotainment rather then expert research.” This is an opinion/editorial article/post meant to persuade the reader to think, decide and accept or reject my premise. It is an attempt to cause change or reinforce attitudes, beliefs and values as they apply to martial arts and/or self-defense. It is merely a commentary on the subject in the particular article presented.

MASD or SDMA as I like to call it is about using martial systems for self-defense. The current status of what I have seed taught as self-defense deserves some text-time. Here is how I see it, very little if any of what is taught in dojo as self-defense is actually self-defense. I am actually giving the MA community the benefit of doubt simply for two things. First, there are more actual MA dojo that are actually teaching and incorporating reality-based self-defense into their dojo. Second, those who have taught the MA form of self-defense are getting it and moving over toward a more reality-based self-defense for their dojo. Just not enough change is being accepted and implemented in MA circles. The old way is entrenched deeply in the psyche of those sensei so change is much harder - for everyone.

Martial Arts self-defense is just not realistic in almost every form. It drives right past those principles, etc., that make self-defense, self-defense. They also either gloss over or just dismiss the other more difficult and non-fancy gratifying kung-fu and karate movie moves some actually believe will work in a SD situation. 

It is a bit like defenses taught in MA dojo for knife attacks and handling confrontations with firearms. They are just stupid and they will get you killed. My personal opinion but I feel truthful and relevant to modern self-defense training. I see someone pull a knife and I am out of there. I would hope that I wouldn’t get that far but the monkey slide (thanks Mr. MacYoung) is real and I have experienced it (thank goodness in a non-physical violent way). 

All in all my view is that martial arts is a huge contributor to certain principles such as physiokinetics, some call muscle memory and body mechanics, that are beneficial in the physical application in self-defense. All in all in my view the actual SD techniques taught through MA dojo are shit. Let me clarify, what I was taught as SD starting in 76 and through the next fifteen years or so were shit. None were realistic and relevant to what I have come to understand as conflict and violence in social and/or asocial situations. There is just to much missing from the equation so that 2 + 2 does NOT equal 4 but some other imaginary number that has nothing to do with conflict and violence even if your sensei says otherwise. 

Granted, what I am discussing or writing here applies to self-defense martial arts where other sport or philosophical forms of MA exist that this does not apply, the MA that don’t provide distinctions still exist and are putting out bogus information and training and practices.