Why learn self defence?

There is little doubt that society has become and is getting progressively ever more violent. Almost every day we hear of a stabbing, a shooting, a mugging or a sexual attack. However many theories that experts might have on the causes of violence and how to reverse the current trend, little seems to happen in the real world on the streets. If you have not been the victim to violence, then the chances are that you know somebody who has. The sad fact is that there are very few places in our towns and cities that are entirely safe, and there are many that potentially are very dangerous. Finding yourself in the wrong place and the wrong time can mean that you are in danger of injury or worse. Most people take a fatalistic attitude to this, and simply hope that such a situation doesn’t arise in their life, but that is hiding one’s head in the sand and failing to take full responsibility for your own welfare and safety as well as those for whom you care. The alternative is to learn some self defence skills, so that, if and when you find yourself in a potentially dangerous situation, you are able to cope and to avoid becoming another victim. Learning effective self defence skills does not mean becoming a black belt in martial arts, in fact far from it. Even with some simple and basic skills that are appropriately applied you are able to increase your chances of escaping from any unpleasant situation.

Although most forms of physical self defence include tried and proven techniques that can be mastered, self defence concerns much more than clever fighting and clever moves. In fact it begins before situations reach those levels. Prevention is always better than cure, and the best self defence is always prevention. You can best protect yourself by being aware of your surroundings, keeping away from poorly lit areas, holding your keys in your hand when you approach your home or door so that you can enter quickly, and not always using the same route home. If you are confronted, then it is better to hand over your bag or wallet than it is to get engaged in a fight in which you could lose your life or risk serious injury. In such a situation you might feel so affronted, angry and fearful that it is your natural instinct to fight, but it is better to swallow your pride and avoid physical violence. Understanding this and being aware of you, the environment and the situation is all a part of self defence.

A large proportion of self defence skills involve the application of the common sense facts that we have mentioned above, but if a fight is unavoidable, then it is better to be prepared to deal with the situation than it is to be a helpless victim. Learning self defence skills will equip you with the basic skills that you need in order to minimise the chances of getting hurt or injured. It is not just about learning how to fight. Basic self defence skills need to be easy to learn and easy to use. If you find yourself in a situation where you are being attacked, you have only seconds in which to respond effectively. At most you have five seconds to either incapacitate your assailant or to escape, and preferably both. There is little time to think; you must be able to react instinctively. You need to be able to use the fear that you will certainly feel into instinctive actions that will maximize your chances of survival even if you assailant is bigger and stronger than you are.

In today’s world it is more important than ever to learn self-defence skills, and whether you are male or female, weak or strong, young or not so young, learning basic skills is an investment in your sustained wellbeing, and possibly the wellbeing of those about whom you care. As we said before, defence skills are not about becoming an expert in martial arts. Basic self defence skills must be easy to remember and easy to put into practice. Self defence begins with self awareness and avoiding danger, but if physical action becomes avoidable, then you need to know what to do.