As I prepare to teach my next self-defense workshop for women and teenage girls…
Many people have the idea that to learn to protect themselves against everyday dangers they have to learn a martial art–they have to learn how to kick and punch like Jackie Chan. This simply isn’t true.
While many martial arts did evolve as self-defense systems, they suited the needs of a people in a specific time and place (such as sword-fighting on horseback in 17th century Korea). They don’t necessarily translate well to practical, modern-day needs. You’re not, for example, going to do a flying side kick to a potential date rapist, workplace harasser, or child abuser.
Instead, you can use self-defense techniques for the real dangers women and girls face in our society today, such as harassment, abuse, and sexual assault. These are best addressed through a quality women and teenage girl’s self-defense class.
Self-defense and martial arts each have strengths–and they do have things in common. Here are a few:
SELF-DEFENSE: Anybody can learn basic self-defense skills, even somebody small, elderly, with physical disabilities, overweight, or out of shape. It is not a form of exercise.
MARTIAL ARTS: Is a good workout. Will get you in shape and bring you the health benefits of fitness. Some schools are geared toward sports and competition and attract younger or more athletic people. Other schools are non-competitive and view martial arts as a practice open to anyone.
BOTH: Get you in touch with your physical power.
SELF-DEFENSE: Teaches simple practical skills to use against harassment, abuse, and assault, including everyday situations that don’t involve physical attack.
MARTIAL ARTS: May teach awareness to help with prevention, and may help develop confidence to handle daily situations. The physical fighting techniques of martial arts, though, are not usually practical or realistic for the kind of attacks that happen in today’s world.
BOTH: Increase confidence.
SELF-DEFENSE: Effective skills that can be learned quickly.
MARTIAL ARTS: Must be studied for a long time to attain proficiency; often a life-long pursuit.
BOTH: Create a stronger mind-body connection.
SELF-DEFENSE: Develops self-respect and awareness. Encourages personal insights into experiences with violence.
MARTIAL ARTS: Develops discipline, respect, focus.
BOTH: May spur internal change as well as learning specific skills.
SELF-DEFENSE: Depending on the program, may connect to feminism, anti-racism, and larger sociopolitical issues. Develops a broader awareness of issues related to violence against women and girls.
MARTIAL ARTS: Depending on the focus of each school, may encourage spiritual development and/or martial arts as sport and competition.
BOTH: May make connections beyond the particular focus of the program or school.
To find out about the next Self-defense Workshop for Women and Teenage Girls that I will be doing, please visit www.getmoredone.org/self-defense-seminars/
To find out about the martial arts school that I teach at, please visit www.DinotoKarate.com
Defend With Confidence – If you decide to take martial arts classes for self-defense, no matter what type of martial art you decide is the best martial arts for self defense for you, remember that choosing a good teacher and a good martial arts school is also important in your training. Also, remember that there are no superior martial arts, just superior martial artists.