| For most students studying martial arts and self | | | | and getting what he wants from you. |
| defense training, there is a critical, life-threatening | | | | That ""thing"" could be to: |
| mistake that they're making. This mistake is so | | | | - win the argument you were having |
| important that, if not corrected, you could find | | | | - get your money |
| yourself worse off in a self-defense situation than | | | | - get what you were protecting |
| someone who never studied martial arts and | | | | - make a point or statement (as in the case of |
| self-defense at all. | | | | terrorism or workplace violence) |
| This critical mistake is part of what I call, the | | | | - make you suffer, or... |
| Karate-Myth. It, along with a host of other | | | | - take your life! |
| ""false-beliefs"" can not only render all of your hard | | | | So what is this grand mistake? I think you have a |
| work, study, and martial arts and self-defense training | | | | pretty good idea by now, don't you? |
| completely useless... | | | | The mistake I'm talking about is wrongly believing |
| ...It can get you broken, maimed, or killed in a | | | | that training in either the martial arts or a |
| real-world attack from a criminal attacker who isn't | | | | self-defense class without the knowledge, |
| going soft and slow like your training partners in your | | | | understanding, and experience of what a real |
| martial arts or self-defense class! | | | | self-defense situation is like... |
| And you know what? | | | | ...will allow you to effectively defend yourself against |
| Its not just a mistake that students are making. This | | | | a street punk with real knife, or a 280 pound drunk |
| mistake is being made AND passed-on by so-called | | | | dock worker who has you in a bone-crushing |
| self-defense experts and martial arts black belts too! | | | | bear-hug and squeezing the very life out of your |
| Let's get something very clear before I let you in on | | | | lungs! |
| my little secret. And that something is this... | | | | Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that you go |
| ...It doesn't matter_ | | | | get into a bunch of fights, or walk through the worst |
| - how well you think you know a martial arts | | | | parts of town looking to get mugged so you can get |
| technique, or... | | | | real-life self-defense experience. |
| - how good you are at doing that self-defense move | | | | But, you can at least make sure that the person |
| in class. | | | | you're training with - that you're learning self-defense |
| All that will matter when the rubber-meets-the-road | | | | from - HAS the experience and knowledge you need. |
| and you're face-to-face (or worse) with a brutal | | | | You must find a teacher, mentor, or master with |
| attacker who wants you dead is... | | | | real-world experience or your training will end up |
| ...CAN YOU DO IT THEN?! | | | | being like the "blind-leading-the-blind!" If you don't |
| You must realize something right now, and make no | | | | know what you need, you have to find someone |
| mistake about it. You must understand that, unlike | | | | who does. And, if you don't have the experience, |
| most people in your life - unlike your mom, significant | | | | you MUST find a teacher who does. |
| other, or fellow martial arts or self-defense students... | | | | A street-fighting self-defense situation is not the time |
| A real attacker: | | | | to find out that what you've been spending your |
| - doesn't care what color your belt is | | | | hard-earned time, money, and effort on... |
| - doesn't care how many techniques you know | | | | Doesn't work! |
| - isn't impressed with the names of the people | | | | In a future article I'll be discussing how you can know |
| you've studied under | | | | whether the program you're in is worth anything or |
| - isn't going to help you do your technique correctly | | | | not - even if you don't have any real-world fight or |
| like your friend in class does - and a ton of other | | | | self-defense experience. But, for now, you can do |
| things you might use to impress others with your skill | | | | some basic homework by checking out some news |
| and "knowledge." | | | | stories and finding out what some of the common |
| He only cares about one thing and one thing only. | | | | attacks are that you may have to defend yourself |
| And that one thing is crushing or beating you down | | | | against. |