The Reality of Self-Defense
"When I was younger, I had some friends who trained traditional martial arts; and they were good. They had won most of their competitive fights and they were well known for their skills in the ring. Then there was another group of people; people without any formal martial arts training. Nevertheless, do not think they did not know how to fight. Oh boy, they were good… and feared. There was absolutely no sense of fairness and rules. The only goal was to win. The people who had training in martial arts were used to rules and practiced accordingly. Naturally, they got into fights and were surprised when they lost against someone with no martial arts training. After all, they had formal training in fighting. How could they loose against someone without any training? The answer is simple: The reality of a self-defense situation is often very different from a competitive fight. Anything can happen, at any given time. Anybody who has ever been attacked knows that. There are only two rules that apply to every self-defense situation:
Rule #1:
“The attacker is always stronger than you are!”
Jennifer C.:
“Especially for a woman training in self-defense it’s easy to realize this is true. This probably makes it easier for me to give way and deflect an attack. I do not expect to use brute force to overpower my opponent. What I do get from this training (besides confidence) is core body strength, balance and coordination. I can deflect an attack, stick to it and return with a counter-attack in one motion.”
It does not matter how strong or fit you are. You can be certain that your attacker is stronger; ALWAYS! Don’t believe it? Let us assume for one moment that you are the attacker. If you were to attack someone random on the street, who would you pick? Would you pick the 300 lb person who looks like he is going to push you through the wall or would you pick the little guy who seems nervous and scared? I think the answer is obvious. Now, why would any other attacker do this differently?
If you are attacked then it probably is because the attacker sees an opportunity and thinks you are an easy target. If he is right or wrong does not make a difference anymore because he made up his mind. You are going to drive yourself crazy if you want to figure out why he attacked you. It does not matter and you need to let it go. It is happening and you have to deal with it, like it or not. A different attacker may have picked someone else – so what?
Some people want you to believe that it was you who provoked the attacker. Something you did (or did not do) made the attacker decide to attack you. Have you ever heard the phrase: “You need to be aware of your surroundings?” While this is a valid statement, it is not always applicable in a real life situation. Many times we are busy or preoccupied with other things such as an important meeting with a new client, a conversation with coworkers or friends or making sure our child doesn’t run off at the mall. It is not always possible to be aware of a possible attack. Attacks normally happen when we least expect it; not when we are ready to defend ourselves. But here is the real problem: What if you are of your surroundings and you are aware of the thug approaching you to rob you or even hurt you. You can see him coming closer and you have this certain feeling that this is not going to be pretty. The real question you should ask yourself is: What do you do now? Running away is not an option for several reasons. Maybe it is too late to run away, or you do not want to leave your child behind or the bags are too heavy. Whatever the reason is, you know you need to do something to ensure your safety. Often times, screaming is not an option because there is nobody around to help you. What are you going to do now? This is why you need to have adequate training in real life self-defense. Self-defense training will enable you to control the situation and respond appropriately and calmly. A response may be verbally or physically, but you can be sure that you will be able to make the best decision and come out safe.
With Revat, you can learn how to deal with different attacks in various situations. The training prepares you for all kinds of real life self-defense situations. It offers the most complete self-defense curriculum. Going this route will assure you that you are always one step ahead of your attacker. That means, whichever attack he chooses you are prepared in advance and know exactly how to deal with it. It will feel like another training session for you because you have been practicing different possible scenarios in the classes.
As soon as the attacker realizes that you can protect yourself effectively and you are prepared to do so without being afraid he will reconsider and leave you alone..."
