What is Practical Self-Defence? 5 Elements.

Practical, feasible, realistic, and concerned with what is possible.

When we ask people why they come to us for self-defence training, they often answer:

“It’s practical.”

This is, by far, the most frequently cited reason. But what is practical self-defence?  

Here are five elements of practical self-defence.

1. Realistic scenarios. You need to understand how assailants behave. They attack when you are not ready, from different directions, and in ways that are far from sportsmanlike. To adequately defend, you must understand real assaults.

   
   

2. Adaptability We do not choose where or when an assault occurs. It can be while you are walking, standing, sitting, inside/outside, on a subway, in your home, in a public gathering... Anywhere. Anytime. Practical training includes various scenarios in various contexts.

   
   

3. Stress. No matter how well trained you are, an assault will induce stress or even terror. You must learn to function under stress.

   
   

4. Simple. Under stress, our motor skills suffer. Techniques need to be simple and grow from our natural reactions. Not all of us can move like Jet Li or possess the strength of a 2OOIb competitive fighter. Practical training accommodates people of all ages, fitness levels, and sizes.

   
   

5. Does it work? Complex defences can work against a compliant attacker in a studio. Here is the bad news. In real life, assailants are anything but cooperative. They recoil their punches, hit repeatedly, and yes, they fight back!

   
   

Practical self-defence must educate you about real-life assaults and give you the skills to get home safely.