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Survival & the Martial Arts

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Being able to handle yourself in a hand-to-hand combat situation is an important part of preparedness. I do not proclaim myself to be to be a martial arts expert – I am not. I have had my share of experience with several forms of martial arts including ju-jitsu, Okinawan-based karate, Filipino-based karate, and Filipino stickfighting. I feel comfortable that in most situations that I may need to defend myself – I will be OK.

One thing that is critically important and very much part of how I carry myself – is to avoid getting involved in any kind of physical confrontation in the first place if at all possible. If I have the choice to walk away – I will everytime. Screw honor and pride – I want to live.

For today’s world – a well-rounded skill set is needed. Training a combination of stand-up and ground fighting is important. You never know how a fight may go. If you have training only in “American” karate and have never grappled – you will struggle should the fight make it to the ground – especially if your opponent has ground training. The reverse is true as well.

With the popularity of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and the UFC today – many martial arts schools across the country are beginning to make grappling and MMA classes more available.  Training is not easy and takes a lot of dedication and money. Benefits beyond the skills themselves are increased confidence and better conditioning.  It is also important to remember that classroom training is not the same as combat. In a true self-defense situation – I have no problem breaking fingers, gouging eyes, breaking arms, ripping ears, etc. You will not find too many classroom partners to allow you to practice those on

If you develop skills with a decent degree of proficiency –  movements and usage of those learned skills will become more like instinct in the event of a situation. Having the mental toughness to handle combat I believe is equally as important as having the skills.

My experience and training has taught me that short powerful moves are better than flashy more time consuming ones. Some martial arts teach you how too block an opponents strike well away from your body – others teach how to perform a “defensive strike” against a strike very close to your body. Both may work – however one is much quicker than the other. Speed and power…….I like it.

Martial arts weapons training – such as stickfighting  – can be invaluable. I prefer weapons that the skills learned can be applied empty-handed as well. In my training with Balintawak (Filipino stickfighting) many moves – from strikes, counters, defenses, as well as self-defense techniques can be applied with no stick at all.

I am not backing any martial arts system over any other – they all have value. The important thing is to get training. If you cannot afford regular training – look into self-training such as DVD’s, books, and practicing those moves learned. It is better than nothing at all.

Take care -

Rourke

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