Don't Learn Karate from a File Cabinet

From balance and flexibility, to fitness and countless other health benefits, martial arts training is undisputedly good for anyone who practices. But what about self defense? Martial arts schools are popping up on every corner of every small town and major city throughout this country and they are all touting the fact that they teach real world self defense skills. Is this the case? Is it true that in order to learn effective self defense all one must do is join the closest karate or taekwondo studio?

Unfortunately, a very high percentage of these schools don't understand the first thing about real, effective, martial arts based self defense. It is more than unfortunate as men and women, seeing the real need to learn skills to defend themselves, buy a product that will not be able to deliver as advertised. It's much like buying insurance from a company that will be sure to close hours before you need them.

Recently I came across a karate school that just began advertising "Law Enforcement" classes for police officers. I happen to be very familiar with the curriculum that this school teaches because many of their students have transferred into our school. This school, advertising self defense and law enforcement training, teaches what I refer to as the File Cabinet approach to martial arts.

This File Cabinet approach is the most common style of martial arts instruction today. Somewhere between seventy to eighty percent of all schools in America today would fall into this category. In this approach, a student is taught techniques to deal with specific threats in specific ways. Let's look at an example of a simple self defense situation. In this scenario, the attacker throws a right jab punch to Defender's face. Here is how Defender has to process the situation using the File Cabinet approach:

Step 1. Defender sees the attack
Step 2. Defender recognizes it as a right arm jab to the face
Step 3. Defender remembers three responses that he has been taught to this specific attack
Step 4. Defender chooses response number one
Step 5. Defender executes step one of response one (move with front foot to the left)
Step 6. Defender executes step two of response one (perform an outside middle block)
Step 7. Defender executes step three of response one (perform a left straight punch to the kidney)

Seven steps. Not very fast or efficient. In fact, it just won't work at all; it's way too slow. Understand that action is faster than reaction, and yet, with this approach, the martial artist must to be able to react to a one step attack (punch) with a seven step defense? This type of martial arts instruction looks good in the dojo, but is impractical in real self defense.

The second approach to martial arts is what I call Principle Based martial arts. With this approach, self defense is greatly simplified and students learn concepts and principles that will work universally to all threats. This allows a student to make up responses to attacks on the fly and that are appropriate to the threat. We call this a liquid martial art.

Take the same scenario from before, a right jab to the face. The "liquid" martial artist would simply see a straight line attack and move out of the way. Then, counter attack at a weak point. The steps written out would look like this:

Step 1. Defender sees a straight line attack
Step 2. Defender gets off the line
Step 3. Defender counter attacks

Note that not only are there only three steps as opposed to seven, but each step is much simpler as well. For example, in the first scenario, the Defender has to get very specific as to what kind of punch it is (jab), where it is directed to (face), and even what hand is being used to throw it (right). In the second scenario, the Defender only has to see that it is a straight line attack.

To further explain how simplified self defense can be with the second approach we need to explain how many various kinds of attacks there are. In the first approach, the student is taught that there can be literally thousands of ways that he can be attacked. This can be very intimidating and make it difficult to choose the correct response under pressure because the ability to think decisively decreases under the pressure of a real self defense situation. The File Cabinet approach just doesn't work.

The martial artist who was taught liquid martial arts is taught that there are only two possible ways that he can be attacked. All attacks, whether with fists, feet or a weapon, can be grouped into a couple categories we name straight line or arcing attacks. Understanding this principle, the martial artist can now breath a deep sigh of relief, knowing that his task is literally simplified by thousands of memorized techniques. This approach to self defense and the martial arts increases efficiency and effectiveness, and also decreases stress.

There are other principles that the liquid martial artist is taught. Principles such as stepping off the line, circular motion, moving the center and stunning are just a few. These principles are trained so that they become a natural response or what is referred to as muscle memory. Then, the martial artist no longer has to think about what he is doing, rather he just acts.

Yes, balance and flexibility are important. The fitness and health aspects of martial arts training is very valuable. But remember, martial arts is more than that. Martial arts is, at it's core, about the ability to be able to defend one's self. And real self defense doesn't come from a file cabinet. Real self defense comes from understanding and committing to muscle memory, priciples taught by a skilled teacher who understands what it means to be a liquid martial artist.

How to Choose the Right Martial Arts School for Your Child.

An increasingly large number of parents are realizing the tremendous benefits that some type of martial arts training would have for their children. Everyone agrees that the development of physical fitness, as well as the positive character associated with martial arts training, are more important than ever. The conundrum lies in the fact that there are so many options to chose from and most parents really don't know what to begin looking for in a school for their child to participate in.

The fact is, not all martial arts programs are the same, but what is helpful is that most martial arts education in this country can be placed into one of the following three categories:

Performance Based Martial Arts
This school focuses on training for tournaments and the flashy movements that will impress the judges and audience. The students are trained to be show stoppers, to yell loud and kick high. They practice acrobatic movements with precision and flair. The students are usually strongly encouraged or even required to participate in tournaments where these skills can be "shown off" and trophies can be won.

Competition Based Martial Arts
A competition based school focuses on tournament style sparring. Often referred to as "players", these students are trained in how to score points by hitting certain areas on their opponent's body. Strategy is taught along with many kick-punch combinations that can be used to win the match. Again, students here are encouraged to participate in tournaments.

Traditional Martial Arts
Traditional martial arts schools tend to focus more on the original, self defense and self improvement aspects of the martial arts. Perhaps not as focused on showing off their skills at tournaments, these students are taught that their martial arts should be a more personal discipline, not to be flaunted. The character training and discipline in this type of school is often a very high priority, perhaps due to the fact that it is real self defense skills that are being taught. A traditional martial arts student is often taught a depth of the particular art that other schools can often bypass.

Keep in mind that these three categories are generalizations. It does not mean that there is never any crossing of lines between these styles, however, be aware that each school has a specific bend or focus which directly correlates to how a child is taught.

What a parent looking to get their child into a martial arts program must decide is - what benefits do they want their child to gain? Most schools will help a child makes gains in the area of physical fitness, but do all programs really focus on positive character along with it? All martial arts schools will teach kicks and punches, but if you want your child to be able to defend themselves, what would the best school choice be? Gaining confidence is also very important to parents, but some schools may actually take confidence and turn it into cocky; not what most parents really want for their children.

As you visit various martial arts schools, keep these questions forefront in your mind. Then, look for an instructor who is more interested in being honest with you as the parent and finding the right fit for your child, rather than simply signing up a new student. All the gimmicks in the world, free lessons, uniforms, and special deals, are just that — gimmicks. Look past them to what the school really is. It should be professionally run, clean, and safe. Instructors should be well trained not only in the martial arts, but in how to teach them to your child. But most of all, remember, you, as a parent, know your child better than any martial arts instructor no matter how gifted he or she may be. Choose the school that will offer to your child the most benefit for their life.

The martial arts aren't for everybody, but they are for many more than you may think. If you make a wise decision  now on where to start your child's training, martial arts may be a catalyst for your child's growth that will be appreciated for the rest of their life.