Twenty-three years ago today, a historic attack on the United States of America had far-ranging ripple effects for that nation and across much of the world. Without commenting on any faction involved, and with respect towards the many lives lost on the day and in the years following, it was something that forced the USA to face reality—the reality that despite its material and technological wealth, and its military strength, it was vulnerable. This is something that all of us have to face at some stage, not least of which being the time of our death.
My experience teaching tae kwon do in Perth’s affluent western suburbs over many years leads me to believe that there are many people who lead fairly safe and stable lives. This is a blessing. It can also lead to complacency. I have seen it in my own life, and in the lives of those close to me, so I am simply trying to point this out in a sober way, without judgement.
A few times over the years, acquaintances and colleagues have asked me about ‘real fighting’ or ‘real self-defence.’ I do not lay claim, by any means, to being an athlete, expert, or master of ‘fighting’—but I have had the experience of simulated combat training and related exercises over more than 30 years, and one thing I come back to is this: an actual assault situation will be ugly; very ugly. For people who have never trained in or experienced a serious martial art style or a real-life assault situation, I suggest that they will vastly underestimate the speed and the level of aggressiveness that will be involved.
You can talk about it and theorise about it as much as you like, but if the day comes that someone actually physically attacks you for real, you will have to face the reality of whether you have some capability to defend yourself, or no capability at all. I know; I have been there.
For anyone who is considering learning a martial art for actual defensive purposes, whether under my instruction or anywhere else, I will ask this: just how seriously are you taking this endeavour? Are you taking it as seriously as you would a soldier undergoing training in preparation for war? As seriously as you would if having to handle firearms? If you were undergoing training to become a paramedic? If you were training to become an air traffic controller?
All of those situations are life-or-death situations, whether for yourself or for someone else. You should not take such preparations lightly. And yet many people I have met over the years seem to hold the broad view that martial arts are not something serious, but can be taken lightly. Well, in Australia we do live in a free country and we have a lot of leeway in how we approach things, but consider that how you prepare for a situation will determine how you perform in that situation.
I put it to you that a frivolous approach to martial art training for defensive purposes is not going to give you a good result—should the day arise that your abilities are put to the test. In a life-or-death situation, all of us will have to face reality.