Don't Fall Victim To The Karate-myth If You're Looking For Self-defense-based Martial Art Training

There is a general belief held by the public at-large

, and even promoted by many so-called martial arts masters. That belief is that you can learn self-defense from the martial arts. While the belief is not entirely untrue, in today's world, it may just be one of the greatest myths about the martial arts that you'll find.

Let me ask you a question. When you think about karate or any other martial art, and what you'd learn by taking up the practice...what's one of the first things you think of?

For most people, the predominant answer is... Self-defense.

And, while I've written at length about the difference between fighting and self-defense as both strategic goals, and actual mindsets under the stress of a combat situation, we don't even have to go that far when looking at this strange but almost universally-held belief among the public - especially here in the West.

When I first explored the idea of taking martial arts, I was in Junior High School - what you young-pups now call Middle School. Since I was the victim of bullying - being beaten up after school several times each month, my reason for taking up the study and practice of martial arts was limited to a need for self-defense.

But, having grown up in the big city, seeing actual attacks take place, and having experienced them first-hand myself, I was quickly disheartened by what I was being taught. I didn't know where the teacher was going with what he was passing on, so I stayed for a while - both in his class and in many others as I desperately searched for a class and a teacher that taught something that reflected what I saw in the world around me everyday.

Finally, it hit me. After years of study and moving from teacher to teacher and "style" to style, it hit me.

After actually running into teachers who DID teach from a perspective that matched my experience, I finally figured out what the problem was all those years. I finally figured out why I spent all of that time, effort, and, yes, money, jumping from place to place.

What I discovered was something that I call...

The Karate-Myth

Rather, this myth was more of a collection of myths, misunderstandings, and flat-out lies being promoted or perpetuated by the unknowing...

...both from within and outside the ranks of the martial arts themselves.

Here are the two primary reflections of this karate myth as I speak about it to those seeking real-world self-defense strategies for dealing with Today's violent attackers. Each part of the myth makes the victims of it both less effective, and compliant in their own deception.

The Two Basic Elements of The Karate-Myth

1. Anyone with a Black Belt Can Defend Themselves - Nothing could be further from the truth. It takes more than just knowing some moves to be able to defend oneself against a determined attacker bent on sending you to the hospital or the morgue. And...

Anyone with a Black Belt, or Who's Teaching a Self-Defense Class is an Expert and Can Teach Me How to Defend Myself - Again, sorry but... Wrong! Having a black belt in a martial art is akin to being in a certain grade in school. White belt is like kindergarten, etc. Experience, sometimes more than knowledge, goes a long way in being able to teach any skill to another. And the unfortunate truth is that...very few martial arts instructors have any self-defense experience at all.

This doesn't mean that any given teacher hasn't won trophies in competitions, nor does it mean that he or she can't spar with you without losing. But...

There is a huge difference between fighting in a ring - a contest - where you'll be matched with someone else having about the same build, rank, and experience as you do - and surviving a life-threatening attack from someone who only has one rule in mind - win. I would never say that a high-school wrestler couldn't defend himself, but wrestling wasn't designed for self-defense.

I don't know how long the karate-myth has been around. But I do know that it has effected, scarred, and even been responsible for the injury and death of countless individuals who were looking to be able to defend themselves in the real world. It has been responsible for...

1. People, especially adults, dropping out of martial arts classes shortly after joining because what they saw didn't seem realistic or usable on the streets.

2. Individuals being hurt or killed trying to defend themselves with techniques that just don't work against real attackers, throwing whatever they want, in a real assault.

3. Students and martial arts fanatics taking on the title of instructor without the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience.

4. Instructors waking up to the reality that they aren't teaching self-defense, but a stylized system of movement, exercise, or sport. And...

5. Students being duped for hundreds, even thousands of dollars for the rank of black belt, with nothing more than the "feeling of confidence" that they could defend themselves. When in reality, what they may have purchased was a belt and a false-sense of confidence that is no-more supported than a house built from a deck of cards.

Don't get caught up in the karate-myth. If you're looking for realistic self-defense training that will work on today's streets, you need to know two things. You need to know...

What you need to learn. But before you can do that, you need to know...

What a real attack is like.

And, to get both of these things, safely and reliably, you need to find a teacher who has both. You need a teacher who teaches the right skills BECAUSE...

...he or she has been there.

They may not teach you all the flashy, cool, and exciting moves you see in the movies, but...

...they'll definitely make sure that you don't fall victim to the karate-myth!

by: Jeffrey Miller

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