Fighting and Self-defense

Many people think that fighting and self-defence are the same thing. They are not.
 
In a fight, the goal is to inflict maximum punishment on another person in order to “beat” them. There is a winner and a loser, with no goal of avoiding a conflict or escaping the situation. This is true whether in the ring or on the street. Most martial arts schools have the goal of teaching people to fight.  Karate-Do Shotokai (KDS) is not one of those.
 
Fighters will try to maintain a distance that is close enough to be able to attack the other person, trading blows as necessary. They learn to use fakes, feints, and combinations of techniques in order to gain the advantage and find an opening in the opponent’s defense. The goal is to win.
 
The skills of well-trained fighters are admirable, and I have no problem with the choice of people to train in a sport or fighting style—but other ways are equally valid.
 
It disheartens me when I read comments from people who believe that if a martial art is not “effective” for fighting, then people are wasting their time training in it.  Who gets to judge that? Is teaching people how to fight and the glorification of violence really so desirable?  Are people who do activities like painting or playing a musical instrument just for the enjoyment of it also wasting their time? A martial art is not useless just because it does not emphasis fighting above all else.
 
Self-defence, on the other hand, is the ability to protect oneself against an attack from one or more assailants, and hopefully escape. Many attacks in these situations will come from relatively untrained people who may try to use the element of surprise and launch an all-out attack. Learning to maintain a safe distance and to be observant are invaluable tools.

The best self-defence is to avoid conflicts or potentially dangerous situations in the first place. Letting our ego get the better of us and getting drawn into a fight is not self-defence—in fact it is the complete opposite. Once we get into an altercation anything can happen and we have put ourselves at risk unnecessarily. Learning how to deal with an unprovoked attack is not a bad thing, but the goal should be to escape the situation as quickly as possible and get to safety.
 
KDS students will learn skills that, over time, will result in an improved ability to defend themselves. We practice defending against strong and determined attacks from one or more people, learning blocking and counterattacking techniques and how to use the elements of distance, timing, and body mechanics effectively. However, it is not a self-defence class, as such, but rather a classical martial art. Not everything we practice must have a direct application in a self-defence situation.
 
In any case, true self-defence should go beyond merely learning to defend against a potential attacker. Do you exercise and eat a healthy diet? Do you wear a helmet when appropriate? Do you text while driving or do other stupid things? For most of us, these are far more likely to be dangers than getting attacked on the street.
 
Self-defence and sport are valid reasons to practice a martial art, but there are many more benefits beyond that. Over the course of more than 40 years, I have personally spent many thousands of hours practicing and teaching karate. That’s a lot of time to spend on an activity just in case someone attacks me sometime!  
 
In a classical martial art like Karate-Do Shotokai the struggle is ultimately more with oneself than against others. There is much value in practicing an interesting lifelong learning activity that promotes physical and mental fitness.