In this video from the “Martial Study 8: Survival on the Ground” online course, I’ll share my opinion and explain why the highest rank fighter is not always the most successful in the street.
Table of Contents
Understand the principles of self defense
In my opinion, self defense goes beyond techniques. Of course, you have to know the technique in itself, but you must to understand the principles, that’s what will allow you to progress.
For instance, you can be extremely good in technique, know how to throw your punches, turn your hips well and so on, but in the street, you probably won’t have the time to reproduce them with enough precision.
This is just my opinion, but remember that when you are stressed, every second matters, and you will certainly not have time to do very technical moves. It will resemble more an “oaf fight”, and you won’t even be sure to hurt your opponent.
All this to let you know that the most important thing is to im-pro-vi-se! Or at least, to try…
“Improvisation is something you cannot improvise”
I keep telling this to my trainees.
Some people have black belts in martial arts. It doesn’t matter what martial art, they master the technique, but once they are out, they are not worth a bean. Why? Because the gym has nothing to do with the street.
On the other hand, some people don’t practice, however they have the rage, the vice, they are tough, so much so that in the street, they can turn into “killers” without ever having set foot on a tatami, nor practiced any martial art. For them, it is simply innate.
However, it can be practiced. One can increase one’s strength, speed, flexibility, etc… but as far as determination and anger are concerned, the reptilian instinct is more difficult to develop. We can make people aggressive, this is the case of soldiers, but for some people, it is simply innate.
We all have this reptilian instinct inside us, but it is more developed in some people. I don’t think that a normal person will accept that you bother him for a long time…
On the other hand, some people can take a beating without turning a hair. Well, in such a case, it will require much more work. However, as I am not a psychologist, I will not go any further regarding this matter.
To sum up
To put it in a nutshell, the capacity not to endure must be more developed than the technique itself!
