Self defense: Myth vs. Reality (Edited)

glockmeister · Green Belt

This is just from my personal experiences and observations, so it is possible that some may disagree with me on some of these things bit I have come across many Myths in the real of self defense especially involving martial artists.

Myth #1: "Bad guys don't train"

Reality: What is a "bad guy?" To me it is anyone who is standing in front of you wishing you to do you harm first of all, and that can be someone who is either trained or untrained. Who is to say that a person wanting to rob/rape or murder you is not a trained boxer, wrestler or Karateka? Working in the Dept. of Corrections, one would be surprised at how many inmates who come through the gates who were ex military, ex-boxers, Karate black belts, ex wrestlers, and so on. Now obviously, they must have done something "bad" to get into prison, yet some are also trained fighters. One must never assume that the "bad guys" don't train.

Myth#2 " Most muggers and other criminals are generally not in good shape and therefore, wouldn't be much of a challenge against a trained Martial Artist"

Reality: People often get criminals mixed up with the hot head who thinks you just stole his parking space mixed up. Sure, both may be an adversary at some point in your life. However, Criminals, by their very lifestyle tend to be in better shape than the average joe and in some cases more than the average martial artist. If you have ever visited a prison yard, chances are you will see huge inmates pumping massive amounts of Iron, they are bench pressing more than the average karate student will ever hope to and have ripped muscles and have the ability to probably pull your arms out of your sockets.

Myth #3 "Self defense situations are usually over with quickly, therefore you don't need to concern yourself with conditioning and endurance much"

Reality: Self defense is more than just punching someone in the mouth. When I think of self defense or better yet, self protection, I often think of not only a would be mugger, but maybe the idea that you may have to drag or carry an unconscious family member out of a burning house, run away from a potential threat, Even pushing your car to the side of the road to avoid getting it rammed and yes, in some cases, if you have to fight and the fight goes the distance. I agree that most SD situations may be over quickly, although in the case of stamina/endurance, it for is is along the lines of "better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it."

Myth#4 "It is unlikely that a Martial Artist would have to worry about getting into a fight with another martial artist, since we generally do not get into street fights."

Reality: Hogwash! Martial Artists are human beings, and being such suffer from and are affected by the same emotions as non-MA's such as envy, greed, wrath, etc. therefore, there is no way to come to the conclusion that MA's are less likely to get into a fight or lose there temper than anyone else.

Myth#5 " Any training is better than no training."

Reality: That's only true if you are getting good, quality training. Poor and ineffective training can actually do you more harm than good by giving you a false sense of security and having you armed with shoddy techniques that can make a physical situation go from bad to worse.

Myth#6: BJJ, boxing, Judo, MT, and (fill in the blank) are not real effective and were invented for sport, therefore haven't much value in unarmed combat.

Reality: All these "sports" were designed with combat in mind. Let a Judo practitioner use one of his "sport" throws on you on a solid ground and see if it feels real or not. BJJ was designed as a street fighting art. the whole reason for the point system was to reinforce good habits in attaining better positioning during an actual fight, with top and back mount being highest since in a ground fight, those are two of the strongest positions to be in.
Boxing was one of the fighting styles taught to the ancient Greek soldier as well as Wrestling and Pankration. While they may not have as many "deadly moves," Both are quite functional.

Myth#7: "(fill in the blank) style wouldn't be effective because you don't see people using (fill in the blank) style in Pride or UFC"

Reality: While MMA is definitely a good test of overall fighting skill, it has in some ways distorted some people perceptions about " effectiveness" Yes, it has helped open people's eyes to the effectiveness of grappling and has shown to be a good test of skill, the thing to remember is that these fighters are modern day gladiators really. They sometimes spend 8 hours a day, 7 days a week training. People like to take styles that the MMA fighters take in an attempt to be "more effective" without realizing that it is not the style itself that makes some of these fighters, but the level of fitness and amount of training. While in some ways, MMA has definitely shown the advantages of some styles like Muay Thai and BJJ, It doesn't, by default mean all other styles would be ineffective in a self defense situation.

Myth#8 "(fill in the blank) % of fights go to the ground"

Reality:There is no scientific data to support what percent of street fights go where. Period.

Myth#9 "(fill in the blank) style beats (fill in the blank style i.e. Stand up versus ground) XYZ% of the time.

Reality: See answer to myth #8

Myth#10 "The ground is a bad place to be in a street fight anyway, so training to fight on the ground would be a waste of time."

Reality: The fact that in a lot of cases it is a bad place to be is the exact reason one should train it in the event that they find themselves there. There are also situations where it may be a better place to be such as if you are a trained ground fighter and your adversary is obviously better stand up fighter than you and it is a one on one weaponless fight with no chance of you running away.

Myth#11 " Size doesn't matter."

Reality: Everything matters! His skill, your skill his strength and yours, his mindset experience or lack thereof, if either of you are intoxicated, etc..
Even if you are much more skilled than your opponent, if he outweighs you by 100 lbs of solid muscle, it force you to change your strategy. What techniques work on someone your size or smaller may well not work on someone who is a great deal larger than you. Also a 275 lbs power lifter may lack technique, but may not need much of it if he manages to seperate your head from your body or pick you up and throw you against a wall or body slam you into the pavement.

Myth#12: Martial artist have a great advantage over a " street fighter."

Reality: the term "street fighter" is a generic term That covers too broad of a spectrum for that to hold much truth. While some so-called street fighters may be nothing more than hot-headed punks who have trouble backing down and lack real skill, there are others who have spent years growing up in the roughest areas of town, have done time in state prisons and know from first hand experience how to fight with knives, guns and bare hands. They may never have stepped into a dojo, but they have learned from fighting for their lives in the mean streets and the prison cells, they are great at using improvised weapons, using violence to get what they want and are used to hitting and getting hit, something not all MA's are used to. Such an individual can be a terrifying opponent in the street. While being a trained boxer or MT fighter may definitely give you an advantage, one must not be to over confident when confronted with any opponent.

As I have said in the beginning of this post, there are obviously differences in other people's "reality" From my experience as well as observation, this has been my reality. Feel free to add. I would like to get feedback from others on the board.
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ps1 · Black Belt

Great Post! I agree with every point. This exemplifies the staple mindset of any effective self defense class. I especially agree with the section where you talk about "self protection" and pulling family members out of buildings and such. Well done.
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bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

I agree with ps1. These are all important things to consider when you may have to defend yourself.
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TraditionalDan · Orange Belt

A good post, one that practitioners of any art/arts should read.

It's good to let people know that it is sometimes your goals as a martial artist, rather than the style that will be effective in self defence.
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bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

One note in particular that comes to mind is the myth that the bad guys don't train. I have heard different stories of guys in the pens that train for various scenarios. For example, I was told that the inmates will assume a cuffing position, and then practice dropping to the ground and scissoring the legs out from under the guy who is playing the arresting officer.

Where there's a will, there's a way.
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Taylor · Yellow Belt

Yeah, plus there's something to be said for the "training" that a person gets just starting and getting into a lot of fights. Some of those 'street fighters' are just damn good at a few things that they've perfected through real-world application many, many times.

There's also something to be said for a person who can see that moment in a fight where you have an opening, not physically, necessarily, but psychologically. It's that one moment where if you strike, and continue to strike until the opponent is on the ground, you will utterly dominate him. Street fighters, through practice, have learned to find and exploit that moment without hesitation (which is the key), and can do so almost without fail. At that point, technique and ability is almost meaningless. I have seen martial artists, and even quite competent ones, taken down by that ability (I was a bouncer for two years).

glockmeister · Green Belt

Taylor. You put that very well and made a very good point. That's the whole point of this thread, to get some really good discussion. I haven't even thought of that the way you put it.
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Givnal · Yellow Belt

Absolutly, that was a great post and all of it was 100% on, loved it.

On the note about tough guys just fighting alot....I know lots of familys that have many brothers in them that have spent about all their lives punching and kicking each other. Most of them are accomplished at beating and getting beat at an early age so in a way its just an extension of early training.

Some people are just naturally nasty and dont mind getting cracked in the head where most people would back down. Also we shouldnt forget about the thugs that are doped up enough to keep coming when they shouldnt. Even an extreamly accomplished MArtist could easily be overmatched if the opponent doesnt feel broken bones or other pain related gifts.

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

Toughness is often an attribute overlooked. Many times, toughness can overcome skill.
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TraditionalDan · Orange Belt

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