Something I posted on my facebook blog that I feel fits well into the self defense section here. Hope you like it.
I've been an instructor for many years now and have worked as a bouncer and in security. I've had my fair share of "fights" and had a few hair raising experiences. As such, I try to bring what I have learned in the real world, into the class room. Because of this, from time to time I hear and sometimes have to use the word "fight" and every time I do, it gives me the heebie-jeebies.
So What's Wrong with the Word Fight?
First, words are not just a term that has a definition. Words are tied to experiences, culture, and invokes an image in one's mind. You will hear the word "fight" used to describe a Boxing match, MMA, 2 guys in a parking lot circling each other exchanging blows, a sparring match, a woman fighting off a rapist. Do you start seeing the ambiguity yet? So if I tell a student that I am teaching them how to "fight", the image in their mind may be of themselves stepping back into a fighting stance, making a waasaa sound, and bouncing around like Bruce Lee when he fought Chuck Norris in Return of the Dragon.
For real world practical self defense, "fight" just may not fit the proper mindset. Why? Well you don't want to get into a "fight". Let the other guy do that. You want to end it!
Isn't this just Semantics?
As I said, words are tied to a mental image. Those of us that have been in the martial arts for a while know how important proper visualization and mindset is. The inexact science of Psychology has had many experiments on the connection between the mind and the body. In the ones that I have read about, there is very little difference between the 2.
So here is what it comes down to. If there is very little difference with the mind and the body, then training one way, while your mindset may be in a different place, will create confusion when you need your training to help you survive a threat. This confusion can mean disaster.
What should our Mindset be?
During training and a real world threat, your mind set should be to; "Do what you need to do to end the threat quickly, no more, no less". Don't fight, don't spar, don't play around, and don't worry about anything else! Remove the threat and get out. End it.
Anyways, I hope this article is of some use. Just as a note, this article only covers a small part of a bigger whole. I does not cover proper self defense training and visualization techniques one may use.
I've been an instructor for many years now and have worked as a bouncer and in security. I've had my fair share of "fights" and had a few hair raising experiences. As such, I try to bring what I have learned in the real world, into the class room. Because of this, from time to time I hear and sometimes have to use the word "fight" and every time I do, it gives me the heebie-jeebies.
So What's Wrong with the Word Fight?
First, words are not just a term that has a definition. Words are tied to experiences, culture, and invokes an image in one's mind. You will hear the word "fight" used to describe a Boxing match, MMA, 2 guys in a parking lot circling each other exchanging blows, a sparring match, a woman fighting off a rapist. Do you start seeing the ambiguity yet? So if I tell a student that I am teaching them how to "fight", the image in their mind may be of themselves stepping back into a fighting stance, making a waasaa sound, and bouncing around like Bruce Lee when he fought Chuck Norris in Return of the Dragon.
For real world practical self defense, "fight" just may not fit the proper mindset. Why? Well you don't want to get into a "fight". Let the other guy do that. You want to end it!
Isn't this just Semantics?
As I said, words are tied to a mental image. Those of us that have been in the martial arts for a while know how important proper visualization and mindset is. The inexact science of Psychology has had many experiments on the connection between the mind and the body. In the ones that I have read about, there is very little difference between the 2.
So here is what it comes down to. If there is very little difference with the mind and the body, then training one way, while your mindset may be in a different place, will create confusion when you need your training to help you survive a threat. This confusion can mean disaster.
What should our Mindset be?
During training and a real world threat, your mind set should be to; "Do what you need to do to end the threat quickly, no more, no less". Don't fight, don't spar, don't play around, and don't worry about anything else! Remove the threat and get out. End it.
Anyways, I hope this article is of some use. Just as a note, this article only covers a small part of a bigger whole. I does not cover proper self defense training and visualization techniques one may use.
