Have you ever heard the saying, “Bringing a knife to a gun fight?” This is often an allegory used to describe someone who comes to a real fight or some other situation ill prepared. All too often, this happens with martial arts practitioners. It really is a sad sight to see an accomplished knife fighter encounter an opponent with a gun. Much can be said about martial artists who get involved in street fights. They are equally ill prepared as the poor fool who thought he was going to stab the guy who just shot him. The problem with most martial arts classes is that they have what NATO calls “Rules of Engagement.” In the case of sparring, that means things like “no hitting below the belt,” “no kidney punches,” “no eye gouging”—in short, things that would be the very keys of survival in a real fight. “Walk away” is another particularly absurd code. In the words of Hunter S. Thompson, “You can turn your back on a person, but never turn your back on a drug, especially when its waving a razor sharp hunting knife in your eye.” These moral codes, while they may cultivate fine, upstanding citizens, are suicide in a street fight. Of course, there are situations that you will have to get away from. You may be seriously outnumbered or extremely outmatched. The problem of it is that you were picked to be victimized for a reason. There’s a very good chance that your attacker can outrun you. It’s in your best interest to slow them down in some way before you run. A kick to the groin can win you precious seconds you will need to escape. Of course, there’s another disadvantage to taking traditional martial arts lessons. If you get attacked tomorrow, the katas you spent an hour or two practicing in the dojo won’t do a bit of good. It takes time to become effective at most martial arts. Find one that you can start using now. Fear no man, Captain Chris Pizzo World Leader in Self Defense www.closecombattraining.com
