The Missing Components of Martial Arts Training
One of the most unfortunate misconceptions people hold about martial arts study is how it prepares you for real fighting. The most tragic holders of such beliefs are many (maybe most) martial artists themselves. It is very easy to foster a sense of confidence in your ability to fend off a real-life attacker when you have committed years to martial arts practice. It is true that knowing how to properly use strikes, blocks, and holds is essential to fighting. Furthermore, the levels of physical fitness many martial artists cultivate surely give them an edge in a fight.
The problem stems from the stark realities of what a real fight is like. Most people, martial artists included, have never experienced a true street fight. Full-contact sparring, school brawl, or even bar fights (where bouncers are there to keep the peace) seldom approach the danger present in a true combat situation. In situations where self-defense skills mark the difference between life and death (or serious lifelong injury), there are no bouncers or bystanders present to break things up. No amount of training in a dojo can reproduce the chaos and direness of a combat situation such as this. Canny martial artists must learn and accept this truth.
This is the first and foremost missing component of martial arts training: nothing can fully prepare you for a real-life combat - no matter how technically skilled a martial artist. A complete martial artist understands this and thus reinforces their acceptance of the first rule of self-defense: avoid violence at all costs.
Another aspect of a complete martial arts education is an appreciation of how fragile human bodies are. Reductively, martial arts are all about neutralizing the human body. Sufficient study of a fighting system should impart a deep understanding of how certain techniques work and why. This is especially important for directed strikes and joint manipulations. What needs to be appreciated by martial artists is that their bodies are every bit as fragile as the bodies of their would-be opponents. In friendly sparring, the risk of injury is high as most experienced in the practice can attest. The stakes are immensely higher in real fights – aggressors are not friends and not at all interested in restraint or morality. Additionally, the force necessary to neutralize such an opponent is often quite high – adrenaline and ego lower pain thresholds and increase aggression. In real fistfights, injury is all but guaranteed to one or both (or more) participants, and death is not off the table. Again, self-defense is about survival, and so avoidance of violence remains the correct remedy.
If fighting is unavoidable and you are at serious risk of injury or death, all options must be on the table. Unwary martial artists might think that their training in “clean” sparring bouts is enough to overcome anything a street goon conjures up. Make no mistake – fighting dirty works. A ruffian might have never stepped into a dojo in their life, but likely has a cornucopia of dirty techniques at their disposal. Dirty fighting can close or eliminate the skill gap between two fighters instantly. If your life is on the line, all bets are off, and an astute martial artist will know to both expect dirty tricks and have no hesitation to use them. Similarly, a complete martial artist will never not expect the use of weapons in a fight or be deluded into thinking that they can neutralize them empty-handed. TV and movies have taught us that disarming armed attackers is as straightforward as a block or parry. This is simply not true, and mature martial artists understand this. In combat, defeat means death. Fighting “honorably” is for competition and fiction, not real-life. The only dishonor is engaging in a fight that could be avoided.
Finally, a complete martial arts education involves understanding “street smarts”. Pop culture and macho nonsense create a delusion in many martial artists that their skills and confidence will allow them to walk where and how they please. This is not only immature, but it goes against the mantra of self-defense. Even if you are mature enough to understand the importance of avoiding violence, do not forget that this can be done by actively avoiding danger – before it finds you. Street smart involves situational and environmental awareness. It entails understanding the types of environments and situations most likely to foster danger. In addition, street smarts include knowing how not to present as a target for attackers.
Street smarts of this variety is a deeply psychological element. It requires knowing how to interact with would-be aggressors. De-escalation and non-engagement often require a deep degree of emotional control. Many times, people looking to start a fight do so by “pushing buttons” to provoke their intended targets. Oftentimes, they create situations in which it seems their victim has wronged them. It is all a ploy to illicit a defensive response – learning how to deny them these opportunities is the mark of a truly confident and disciplined person. This is a martial art in its own right.
The only moral way to practice and study the martial arts is for self-defense and personal development. There is no place in ethical martial arts for provoking or escalating violence. To this end, a complete martial arts education must include street smarts and an appreciation for the gravity of what combat truly entails. This is the principal difference between a true martial arts expert and an immature ruffian.
The Martial Way is a powerful and rewarding way of living derived from the martial arts. To learn more about the history, development, cultivation, and application of the Martial Way, check out my book NOBLE ECHOES: Gifts from the Martial Arts for Modern Life. Available in paperback or Kinde e-book.