The first time someone gets involved in a confrontation that spirals out of their control, their first thought is often “I need to learn how to defend myself.” With that, they will Google, they will read, and then will often end up at the local martial arts club, boxing gym or MMA academy. Convinced that learning how to fight better will solve their issues, they throw themselves into training. They attend class 2-3 nights per week, pay their money, sweat, bleed, cry and feel proud of their efforts. Next time when that bully/abusive boyfriend/drunken idiot at the bar hassles them, they’ll teach him a lesson, right? Maybe.
Very rarely is a far more important question asked; “What could I have done to prevent this from happening in the first place?”
As a long term traditional martial artist, as well as a fierce proponent of reality-based self-defence (RBSD), I am often asked how I can seemingly play for both teams. Unfortunately, these days it seems that you are either one or the other. Some traditional martial artists scoff at the idea of running around in street clothes and role-playing in what they see as more of a bad acting class than a martial arts class. However, there are many open minded instructors that are curious about what RBSD may offer, but reluctant to abandon what they currently teach. The good news is you don’t have to. Read on to find five ways to incorporate some reality into your classes without pretending to be an Israeli commando.
