A Topic to Consider in Teaching Martial Arts/Karate

Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

When I say, “MA,” I am talking about both martial disciplines and karate. In this article the topic to which I allude to in the title is, … wait for it … “Women’s Self-Defense.” 

First, in my humble opinion MA/Karate are last ditch disciplines in the self-fense (I stole this from Marc MacYoung; it means a combination of offense and defense for protection) arena.

Second, the majority of MA/Karate taught today regardless of one’s intent are NOT adequate for self-fense from a physical applicability. Yes, they have a lot to teach but toward the hands-on part of self-fense, not so much. I come to this conclusion due to my own limited experiences and to the studies I have conducted over the last decade or so. Just read Marc MacYoung’s book in the name of self-defense or Rory Miller’s book(s) on violence, etc. - very enlightening. 

Third, self-fense of the physical kind is, even without karate/MA, is a last ditch don’t have a choice I made stupid choices and mistakes so I am not in a situation that I should have not encountered type of thing. Reading just the books I recommend on self-defense will enlighten MA/Karate communities to the very stunted and limited self-fense often incorrectly taught through dojo, training halls and gyms. 

Oh, we were going to talk about women’s self-fense as it pertains to MA and Karate, well … in my humble opinion, without any real experience and understanding of women, their needs for self-fense and how to teach them, I say that the best self-fense a woman can get is, “Awareness, Avoidance and Deescalation (as a last resort)!”

These three are all discussed in Mr. MacYoung’s and Mr. Miller’s books and all that is also taught and provided by these two, and other violence professionals not named but listed in the Biblio, in their weekend long seminars, etc. Also, they will happily and readily provide where the best self-fense for women if you need to keep up what they teach you and so on. 

In this article a blogger who goes by the moniker of “Kitsutoshi” has an article on women’s self-defense and the obstacles women run into in trying to find an appropriate, realistic and beneficial self-fense program. I do apologize for my ignorance of women’s self-fense and my ignorance to their needs in this discipline but just the same I felt it was time to address this subject other than writing in a generic form of a genderless nature (or so is my goal anyway). 

Read the article HERE: “Martial Arts Delusion and How It Hurts Women.” 

In general and generically self-fense is unique to each individual regardless of gender and one of the most egregious mistakes most martial arts and karate self-defense businesses makes is remaining ignorant to such things because there is no ‘one fense fits all categories,’ it is a very complex and dynamic field of study and warrants dedicated and serious attention if you are going to participate and/or teach such things. 

Hat tip (Ritsu-rei) to <Swimming in Deep Waters by God’s Bastard> as the inspiration for this post.

Bibliography (Click the link)

“In order for any life to matter, we all have to matter.” - Marcus Luttrell, Navy Seal (ret)