Like dbones I'm a bit tired of folks putting down martial arts who have no first hand experience with them. Martial arts are a
tool for self defense. Firearms are a
tool for self defense. A softball bat is a
tool for self defense. The tools for self defense by and large are not exclusive of each other. In other words, knowing hand to hand combat skills doesn't mean you can't wield a softball bat. Having a softball bat handy doesn't mean you can't have a pistol on your belt.
We all go through our lives in relative safety. We are not attacked every day. Nevertheless, most folks on this forum think about personal protection and self defense and to a greater or lesser degree prepare for it as well. I ask those who disparage martial arts...
If you find yourself in a self defense situation, how many tools would you like available to help you survive the situation?
One? Two? Three?
An actively training martial artist has one tool with him/her
everywhere. Is it the only tool they can or will have? No. Is it the best tool? Not for every situation, no. But it
is a tool. I won't presume to tell anybody they must learn martial arts or be unsafe, but I
will assert the more tools you have for self defense when the crap hits the fan the better off you are.
In addition, martial arts training can provide you with options for less than lethal response to a confrontation. If you find yourself in a one-on-one confrontation with an unarmed individual of about your age and size do you really want to have to shoot him to avoid a beating? Are you sure? I sure as heck don't. I'm not into killing folks (even if they
are @ssholes) and I'm sure not into the emotional, legal, and financial repercussions of such an action. If you don't know how to fight with your hands, your handgun might be the only choice you have because if you lose against this unarmed guy he suddenly can become an armed guy
because you are no longer in the position to defend your handgun.
Many mentions in this discussion have been made about mindset. Mindset is number one. I totally agree. Truth is, if you don't have adequate mindset and determination, you can't win even if you are adequately armed. When I teach unarmed self defense in a martial arts class, the first topics are situational awareness, retreat to safety is the first response if possible, avoiding a potentially dangerous situation is a legitimate behavior, and use of improvised weapons. I also talk about fighting to win and there is no "fair" in a fight on the street. Unarmed combat
is about mindset. Read the link provided to LawDog on mindset...now add unarmed fighting skills.
LawDog:
Long-time readers of this blog know that I am firmly of the opinion that any man or woman has only one weapon.
That weapon is the human mind.
Martial arts properly taught is a
sharpening of the only weapon we have
and it is a
tool we can carry into every environment we might find ourselves in. It is no concern of mine if you don't train in martial arts. I think that is a perfectly reasonable and rational choice.
Stating "All the dancing and rolling around martial arts stuff in the world isn't going to do a whole heck of a lot in a street fight against more than one person..." and generally disparaging training to fight with ones hands as "...years of obsessive paranoid labor and training?" is just an exhibition of ignorance.
Stating "I know two guys who used to have a standing offer - They will walk down an alley. They'll be wearing shorts, no shirts, and will each have a fanny pack with a sizable sum of cash in it. They'll also be carrying softball bats. You can start from the other end of the alley, armed with any less than lethal weapon of your choice. Your goal: The cash. Your health insurance better be paid up." is just a silly challenge. How does setting up a challenge stacking the odds heavily against any challenger relate to options for self defense? I could counter with "I know two guys who used to have a standing offer - They will walk down an alley. They'll be wearing no shorts, no shirts, and will each have a pair of 5 carat earrings in their ears. They'll also be carrying full auto AK-47's. You can start from the other end of the alley, armed with any caliber 5 shot snubby of your choice. Your goal: The earrings. Your burial insurance better be paid up."
Let's talk about practical efficacy. I'm a 47 year old guy who trains in martial arts on a regular basis. I might not be able to take on any two given thugs I might meet while unarmed in a back alley...but...I have a lot better chance now than when I was a 27 year old guy who didn't train regularly.
Sounds practical to me.