No Martial Arts or Self-Defense Technique is PerfectBy Jeffrey M. Miller
Far too many people who are training in the martial arts or in a self-defense program - including police and security personnel by-the-way - take for granted that all they have to do is learn a few tricks and that's it. When, according to the reality and nature of self-defense, no technique that you've learned in a martial arts or self-defense class is perfect in-and-of-itself for the unique situation and circumstances that you will find yourself in when you need it. And...
..that's okay.
What's important to learn is this...
..these techniques that everyone hold up as the "holy symbols of their style,"...
..were just passed down from past-generation masters as "examples" anyway!
After you've been training for a significant while with a focus on being able to handle a real-world self-defense situation, rather than merely memorizing a preset string of moves for your next belt, what you'll find is that...
..in your attempt to defend yourself in a given situation and against a unique assailant with his own 'favorite' techniques and attack-methods, you will actually be stringing several basic moves together in a moment-to-moment, spontaneous flow. The trick is to know your techniques so well that you can do this in what appears to be an effortless flow from one technqiue or skill to the next.
Just as I pointed out in "The Karate-Myth" there are certain critical pieces missing from the vast majority of training programs. And, it is those key elements that MUST be managed during a physical altercation if you are to walk away with most of you intact.
So, if you really want to be able to use what you've learned in a real-world self-defense situation...
..then you must be able to give up your attachment to your "perfect techniques."
Remember: The only people who believe that any given technique or skill is "perfect" or "unbeatable," has not been around long enough, or...
..has deluded themselves into believing that training in class, or competing in a tournament, is somehow equivelant to the all-out, adrenalin-triggering, overwhelm that makes you feel like your heart will explode in your chest during the "real thing."
