Let me say from the start I have every respect for martial arts teachers and students. I personally have trained in aikido for some 10 years and have an amazing aikido instructor. I have friends who are experienced in karate, judo and ninjitsu and have great admiration for their dedication and fitness.
But do formal martial arts work in a real street fight? Are the years of martial arts training worth it if your goal is to protect yourself and your loved ones in this increasingly violent world?
Personally I believe that learning street self defence is a far more effective method of protection than the likes of most martial arts. If you want to increase your fitness, make new friends and learn about other cultures and traditions take a trip to your local karate or aikido clubs. If you want to survive when some guy thinks your in his way after he's had a few beers and wants to use you as his punch bag learn some real street self defence methods.
So what is street self defence? There are some great courses you can follow and many fantastic books and DVD series out there. Basically it's about learning real, simple to use and potentially devastatingly effective self defence techniques. Yes I really believe you can learn these techniques from books or DVDs! They needn't be technical or graceful and you aren't going to have the style of 'The Karate Kid' when you apply them. But you will have a real chance of avoiding an attack or if it really becomes necessary of making a counter strike which will leave your attacker stunned, hurt or wounded and seriously thinking twice about coming at you again.
In my favourite martial art, aikido, we learn some beautful flowing techniques which give a real sense of achievement to practise. But as my instructor points out, in a real situation there are far simpler and more effective ways to defend yourself. These are the basis of street self defence. They may be strikes to the face - vulnerable areas like the eyes and nose - or kicks to weak areas like the groin or knees. Dirty some would say, but highly effective techniques in a real fight and that's what counts!
For more information visit Street Self Defence
