Self Defense - What are People Teaching our Kids?

I can't help but to be amazed at what passes for skill and attributes by instructors and their claim that they can teach self defense tactics to Kids, our Youth and our future.

Most instructors have never been in a situation where actual self defense was needed to save their own lives, nor have they had the training to face reality and the ever flowing face of combat without rules.

This came to a crisis point for me when one of my students came to class after a day at school and told me that for Gym class they brought someone in to teach them self defense. He showed me the techniques that were used which were absolutely beginner, showy moves that had no place in teaching any individual that this would work in real life or allow them to escape from danger unharmed.

I have no idea who is vetting these people to go into our schools and offer this false sense of security to our kids.

Listen, anyone can teach kids how to draw, but if they want to enter an art competition, they need to eventually realize that crayons and coloring inside the lines of an animated picture is not going to help them.

If you are going to train kids, call your training what it is. Call it fun, interesting, physical manipulation of a static situation, entertainment, I don't care.

But do not introduce it as actual Self Defense when it clearly has no reference to reality.

Last aspect I want to add here, is that Self Defense is composed of 2 specific components:

- Self Protection (the Physical)

- Personal Security (the Application of principles and procedures to reduce the risk of criminal acts)

90% of all martial arts focus on the Physical aspect alone. That is not the answer, but as aspect of self protection.

Here is a great little clip of a Joe Rogan interview on this topic

NOTE: CONTAINS LANGUAGE THAT MAY BE OFFENSIVE