Martial Arts and Self-Defense Part 1

After a seminar in Boston    Mr. Hayes and I were discussing Martial Arts and self-defense. Mr. Hayes was commenting on the fact that moving in a reckless manner was very dangerous in Martial Arts and self-defense. This was a subject which was discussed recently in one of our leadership classes at the Boston Martial Arts Center. One of my students asked how one can move in an environment in which weapons were being used, since this is often the case in situations/attacks which occur outside the dojo. The most important thing to consider is to move in a way that would greatly reduce the chance of getting hurt. By moving in a non-reckless way and by not ‘just’ using speed and power a person can greatly improve their chances of survival. (It is very important to use techniques that are made for self-defense if one is going to defend oneself – see part 2 to this post). This lesson was made very clear to me when I was working as a doorman and was asked to walk a very impaired customer to the street. The customer bumped into the hallway and I noticed that he had a broken beer bottle cupped in his hand. I took care of the client appropriately, but had I rushed into the situation with reckless intent I could have become seriously injured and lacerated.

Boston Martial Arts Center