A Must Have
There are many key components that make up a good reality based self defense system. Knowing the psychology of an aggressor, using body language and verbal skills, pre-contact/contact/post-contact, adrenal management, among others all contributes to a status quo of a good self defense system. In this article we will discuss a component that is often overlooked – System continuity.
One of the most important aspects of learning self defense is learning the guiding principles of the system. For you to be able to assimilate an entire self defense system the system must have principles and technique structure that are fluid from one type of scenario to the next. Meaning, they must lend themselves across the board. Whether we are talking about an empty hand confrontation, a gun threat, ground-fighting, or an edged or improvised weapon, the overall principles and movements must correlate. When principles change from one type of scenario to the next you are in for a confusing time if engaged by an aggressor. Remember attacks are not timed or rehearsed they are violent and chaotic. So streamed line continuity is imperative in your training.
Right Intent Doesn’t Always Mean Right Choice
Today we could randomly walk into a martial arts school and see multiple systems being taught. The instructors have the right intent; they want their students to be cross-trained for all scenarios. So they bring in other systems to strengthen their program. However there is a fatal error in the ideology of “piecemealing” to compensate. You may ask what is wrong with that since they are training their students to handle all scenarios. This is true, but it is not fluid in its approach. Don’t misunderstand the premise. It is extremely important to be able to negotiate various scenarios and ranges. There just has to be continuity in doing so.
Bottom Line
If we are talking about true reality based self defense, the system has to have principles and technique structure that flow together. If you are a school owner and are trying to strengthen your program, choose other systems that will be synergistic to your base system. If you are a student choose a program that has system continuity. This will allow you to negotiate different scenarios and ranges properly in the worst case scenario.
Remember competence breeds confidence, so it makes sense that the more confident you are in defending yourself, the less you will be affected by stress and anxiety. The need for intelligent self-defense training is imperative as the risk of encountering a violent situation becomes increasingly real.
