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Alvin · 07-05-2009, 02:10 AM

Hi oldbiker,

I've been doing martial arts since 1995, first in Wing Chun, then mainly Bujinkan Taijutsu, and now Tony Blauer's Personal Defense Readiness system, with dashes of Tai Chi, Tai Chi Sword and TKD thrown in.

Let me try to help you with my 2 cents. First of all, despite many claims to the contrary, it'll be more useful for you to distinguish that martial arts and self-defense are always not the same thing.

This is really important.

The Fine Line Between Martial Arts & Self-Defense

The simplest way to describe it would be that martial arts teach you the physical level of self-defense - they come in at the point when you're already in danger.

But violence doesn't happen in a vacuum; what were you doing before the fight happened? Did you choose to walk the dark alley shortcut at 2am despite your common sense? Were you verbally sparring with someone and letting your temper and mouth get the better of you? Did you notice that weird person loitering around the ATM but decided to go withdraw your money anyway?

That's the self-defense aspect that comes BEFORE the physical that, in my humble opinion, is much more useful to the ordinary civilian than physical martial arts skill. Hey, if you can avoid the fight just with your awareness and wits alone, why not? The point of all this is to get you home safe in the first place, isn't it?

Unfortunately, these skills have no relation to anything like a wrist lock or elbow strike, and most of the martial arts schools, at least the ones I know, don't teach them.

What Are Your Goals?

It sounds like I'm knocking martial arts, but I'm not. I'm a martial artist myself, and I still enjoy them very much. The most important question here is then what are you goals? What do you want to get out of martial arts training?

For example, if your main goal is to get fit and buff, then a martial art like Muay Thai or MMA would help you reach that goal faster than something like Tai Chi or Aikido.

If your main goal is to appreciate it as an art form, maybe something like wushu would satisfy you.

Do you see what I mean? It's not about which martial art you should train in, but what you want to get out of martial arts and then choosing accordingly.

Recommended

Personally, my main goal in taking up martial arts is self-defense, which is why my path has taken me down to systems like Tony Blauer's PDR. If you're also inclined that way, here are some links you might find useful.

Are Martial Arts Self-Defense?
Are Martial Arts Self-Defense?
Marc 'Animal' MacYoung's No Nonsense Self-Defense site may be wordy, but it's bar-none the best self-defense site I've ever found. A whole encyclopedia's worth of knowledge there, all had to be for free.

Fast Defense
FAST Defense - Confidence, Courage, Composure, Unity... - Home
I've never attended one of Fast Defense's courses, but I've heard they do good stuff.

Tony Blauer's PDR & SPEAR Systems
Tony Blauer Tactical Systems
What I personally train in for self-defense. My previous martial arts training have all benefited me in some way, and I'm sure I'll find them useful if it ever gets physical, but the PDR system has probably taught me more about useful self-defense than my years in MA (about 14 years now).

07-05-2009, 02:10 AM	#23 (permalink)
Alvin Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Singapore Posts: 433	Hi oldbiker, I've been doing martial arts since 1995, first in Wing Chun, then mainly Bujinkan Taijutsu, and now Tony Blauer's Personal Defense Readiness system, with dashes of Tai Chi, Tai Chi Sword and TKD thrown in. Let me try to help you with my 2 cents. First of all, despite many claims to the contrary, it'll be more useful for you to distinguish that martial arts and self-defense are always not the same thing. This is really important. The Fine Line Between Martial Arts & Self-Defense The simplest way to describe it would be that martial arts teach you the physical level of self-defense - they come in at the point when you're already in danger. But violence doesn't happen in a vacuum; what were you doing before the fight happened? Did you choose to walk the dark alley shortcut at 2am despite your common sense? Were you verbally sparring with someone and letting your temper and mouth get the better of you? Did you notice that weird person loitering around the ATM but decided to go withdraw your money anyway? That's the self-defense aspect that comes BEFORE the physical that, in my humble opinion, is much more useful to the ordinary civilian than physical martial arts skill. Hey, if you can avoid the fight just with your awareness and wits alone, why not? The point of all this is to get you home safe in the first place, isn't it? Unfortunately, these skills have no relation to anything like a wrist lock or elbow strike, and most of the martial arts schools, at least the ones I know, don't teach them. What Are Your Goals? It sounds like I'm knocking martial arts, but I'm not. I'm a martial artist myself, and I still enjoy them very much. The most important question here is then what are you goals? What do you want to get out of martial arts training? For example, if your main goal is to get fit and buff, then a martial art like Muay Thai or MMA would help you reach that goal faster than something like Tai Chi or Aikido. If your main goal is to appreciate it as an art form, maybe something like wushu would satisfy you. Do you see what I mean? It's not about which martial art you should train in, but what you want to get out of martial arts and then choosing accordingly. Recommended Personally, my main goal in taking up martial arts is self-defense, which is why my path has taken me down to systems like Tony Blauer's PDR. If you're also inclined that way, here are some links you might find useful. Are Martial Arts Self-Defense? Are Martial Arts Self-Defense? Marc 'Animal' MacYoung's No Nonsense Self-Defense site may be wordy, but it's bar-none the best self-defense site I've ever found. A whole encyclopedia's worth of knowledge there, all had to be for free. Fast Defense FAST Defense - Confidence, Courage, Composure, Unity... - Home I've never attended one of Fast Defense's courses, but I've heard they do good stuff. Tony Blauer's PDR & SPEAR Systems Tony Blauer Tactical Systems What I personally train in for self-defense. My previous martial arts training have all benefited me in some way, and I'm sure I'll find them useful if it ever gets physical, but the PDR system has probably taught me more about useful self-defense than my years in MA (about 14 years now).