Martial Arts and Self Defense Articles, The Self Defense Company

You don’t have to be Mr. Miyagi to figure this one out. And it didn’t matter if I was on the Wrestling mat or the Judo tatami; I have heard this same answer over and over again from every level of world elite coach and athlete.

When ever someone showed a pin or a submission, someone in the crown would always ask “What’s the counter?” or “How do you get out of that?” to that the expert would reply %99 percent of the time with. Don’t get there! The other 1% of the time would be something you could do to either prolong the inevitable or worm your way to a better position. But there was never any magic pill or secret, ancient technique other than sheer guts and determination (with a lot of strength and endurance) to liberate yourself from a brutal hold.

But the point every world champion and elite coach was trying to make is: a lot has happened PRIOR to this position and if you find yourself here a lot more as gone wrong! If there is a next time, you better take steps to ensure that you avoid this situation instead of thinking you could pull a technique out of thin air to save you. Because there’s no secret move or magic that will spring you from someone who knows how to really strangle or fight. Once they have the position, you can only HOPE that they mess up. And unlike sport, in the street, there is NO next time!!!

In your more advanced training you focus on the nuances of technique and position. The subtleties of a strangle or the rotation of a fist. And these are good when you’re studying an art. But don’t confuse the two. The chance that you may have to even worry about this under real combat conditions are slim at best; even if your vocation causes you to deal with violence on a daily basis. I guarantee you still won’t have the presence of mind to recall any of that unless you’ve trained it obsessively so it is instinctive and convulsive.

Training different methods and exploring new aspects of martial arts are great, and studying a martial art or sport is an EXTREMELY worthwhile endeavor, but make no mistake, if it looks pretty in the dojo, it won’t work in the real world. Believe me, I’ve spent the better part of a life training and looking for the thing that does. And no matter how hard something is trained, it still rehearsed and choreographed. So before you think about trying your new-found techniques on someone who really doesn’t care how many stripes you have on your belt. Listen to what many people a lot better than me have said so many times before… Keep It Simple Stupid!

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