Do you teach Self Defense?
I've had an influx of parents call me and ask if I teach Self Defense. The short answer is YES, but the long answer starts with the parent understanding the question they are asking.
Are they asking to help their child so they don't get beat up or bullied at school? To teach them how to hit and avoid or block getting hit? To do more damage than they receive? Or are they talking about their child being in a potentially lethal situation where life and death hang in the balance?
It may seem strange to some, but the skill sets needed for those are extremely different and come with it an incredibly low and incredibly high sense of responsibility for ones actions that could have dire consequences.
Do not take for granted that a club or individual who says they are teaching you Self Defense knows what they are doing or have a skill set that matches what you need to learn.
Techniques aside, I have outlined our 4 Level Approach to Self Defense at Point Blank Martial Arts and to let you know we teach all levels of this, however it is clearly to be age appropriate.
Please fell free to contact me with any Questions.
Self Defense
Level 1:
Child and youth orientated self defense tactics
Level 2:
Defending against a single attacker without an intention from attacker to kill or cause permanent injury
Level 3:
Personal Injury is Imminent and the Determining cause of Altercation
Level 4:
Intent to kill or permanently maim and disfigure
The techniques and ability to apply them will differ from person to person.
However the concepts of Reading, Recognizing and Responding are universal; Knowing how to make yourself less of a target to potential perpetrators and minimizing the level of your involvement is key; Understanding the key indicators of violence so you can avoid situations; and always, understanding the Context of what is going on around you - what feels right, what feels out of place.
For more information, please feel free to contact me.
