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8 Technical Aspects of the Martial Arts
In the past Japanese samurai, Mongolian horsemen, Manchu
bannermen, and European knights spent a lifetime learning the
highly complex art of fighting. It took many years of discipline
to master the techniques of unarmed fighting and fighting...
British Aikido Board National Nepotism Seminar
The British Aikido Board Disastrous National Nepotism Seminar 2004 – 99 Students By Henry Ellis ( BAB Founder member - now resigned ) For many years The British Aikido Board ( BAB ) have shown no interest whatsoever in the true history of...
How To Defend Against A Knife - Don't Use The Stuff Taught In The Dojo!
Defences against Knife attacks, Firstly if at all possible get yourself and anyone else out of the potential danger area.....RUN AWAY. Yes you heard right, run away. This is not a cowards way out, this is sensible. After all your potential...
The Biography of Sensei Derek Eastman - Part 1 of 2
I have known Sensei Eastman for some 12 years and during those years I have heard so many stories about both Sensei Eastman and Sensei Ellis and their dedication to the early promotion of UK Aikido, some of the history highlights their hard...
The Spread of Submission Fighting Techniques
During the 1940s, submission fighting techniques and practices enjoyed something of a rebirth and spread across the globe. Indeed, a burgeoning number of men and women around the world undertook to better understand and to more fully investigate...
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The Martial Arts and Self-Defense - Emotional Response and Reaction
The media has fuelled the perception that ordinary people on the
street are in constant danger from violent attack, and
self-defense classes promise to counter this fear.
To attract students, most martial arts schools in the U.S. teach
self-defense methods. They make many claims about the usefulness
of martial arts techniques in defending oneself against attack.
Such situations of attack are rare, however, and can be avoided
by not putting oneself in danger (for example, not walking
around bad neighborhoods after dark, not buying or selling
illegal drugs, not hanging around bars, not getting involved
with gangs, and so on). Being alert and aware of one's
surroundings and recognizing the types of events that are likely
to occur in certain locations are the individual's first line of
self-defense.
The media has fuelled the perception that ordinary people on the
street are in constant danger from violent attack, and
self-defense classes promise to counter this fear. In truth,
this perception is largely false, as more people are injured in
incidents of domestic violence than on the street by strangers.
To be effective, self-defense classes only need to reduce the
feeling of fear.
When a person is actually attacked on the street by a stranger,
the main problem in self-defense is generally not a lack of
physical ability to counter the attack, but an emotional
reaction, such as panic or anger, that can turn a bad situation
worse. Panic can
be paralyzing and invite attack, while anger
can provoke harm as well by frightening or angering an attacker
to further violence.
Serious training in the martial arts takes the emotional
reaction out of violent confrontations. After many hours of
practice, a punch or a kick becomes merely a physical force, a
fist or a foot is easily handled, and an encounter is not even
experienced as a personal attack. Students learn good
coordination and self-confidence, characteristics which can
discourage potential aggressors from becoming aggressive in the
first place. In the martial arts, the simple act itself of
practicing over a long period of time may be the most important
element in effective self-defense than any specific technique
learned.
Focusing on self-defense in today's world has changed the
techniques being taught in the martial arts. In the modern
world, no one is likely to be attacked by a sword-wielding
samurai. Instead, an attacker may be unarmed or have a baseball
bat, knife, or gun. Battlefield combat techniques would not be
very useful in these situations. The emphasis on such techniques
has declined in most martial arts styles and has been replaced
with techniques that are relevant to our times.
About the author:
Steven Gregoire has been training in the martial arts since
1986. Currently he operates Tigerstrike.com A martial art equipment and
supply store.
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