Recently, I had the privilege of being contacted by a TV producer to do a short self-defence snippet for a SABC TV program that was aimed at empowering the youth of South Africa. The specific topic they wanted to interview me on was my take on self-defence and my company, Defence Unlimited. Below are 3 questions that I was sent to prepare me for the interview. I decided to write it down (as I normally waffle quite a bit without a script and when I have camera’s focused on me), but it will be interesting to see the interview (once it has been edited) and compare it to what I had wrote!
Question 1: The importance of self-defence, the martial arts, and the responsibility that come with the freedom to defend yourself.
Firstly, I have made a clear distinction between martial arts and self-defence training. There are some martial arts, not many, that have retained its primary objective as being a means of protecting oneself from danger, hence a martial art for self-defence. However, many martial arts have progressed from this very primal objective to a more philosophical practise aimed predominately at cultivating the human body, mind and spirit.
There are some martial arts that have also crossed over to into the realms of sports and bring into it elements such as competition, rules and winners & losers. In many cases, this commercialisation has help some martial arts flourish and become as prominent as they are today. It does, however, bring with it the negative traits of sports too, such as bad attitudes, poor sportsmanship and politics.
However, besides the obvious physical conditioning, martial arts and self-defence training do have something else in common, which is to cultivate some very positive characteristics in the practitioner, namely confidence, resilience and discipline.
Confidence - By installing confidence in a person, you give them the ability to face life head-on, with their head held high. A stressful job becomes so much more manageable as confidence in yourself and abilities allows you to realise that this is just a job after all; or the peer pressure in school become less overwhelming as you feel you can now stand on your own and be ok with it.
Resilience – The ability to get back up after you have been knocked down, is a trademark of successful people. Life, like in the dojo (training hall) is not always going to be hunky-dory and go according to plan. There will be set-backs, slow progress, and disappointments. The key is to get back up, brush it off, learn from it, and keep on going.
Discipline – The assertion of willpower over more base desires, and is synonymous with self-control. Having this ability allows us to harness our time, skills and mental capabilities into something positive. In training, this could involve repeating a technique over and over again until it becomes instinctive. In life, it could be following a strict code of conduct (such as marriage vows) so as to ensure one’s marriage is happy and faithful.
By having these 3 characteristics, it gives us the foundation and choice to live what I call, a fully-engaged life – A life that you want to live. The key word here is that it gives you choices, and this on its own is a great responsibility. You can choose to live a good life, or you can choose to live a bad life. You just have to live with the consequences.
Question 2: A demonstration and tips on how to defend yourself in various situations.
In self-defence, I am a firm believer that non-violence is superior to violence, hence, I use a strategy I have developed called, “A.D.A.P.T”, the art of non-fighting.
ADAPT stands for:
- Avoidance
- Dodge; Escape; Elude; Evade;
- Arbitrate (officially try to settle disagreement. to officially try to settle a disagreement by considering all the facts and opinions); Verbal Dissuasion; Oral Combat; Dissuasion, Negotiation,
- Pretend / Posture
- Tactical Control; Restraint
All of these individual tactics are a non-fighting response to a possible harmful situation.
(More on this in future posts)!
However, at the same time, I am not naive and should an altercation become physical, I will use whatever means possible, physical or non-physical, to protect myself and my loved one.
One of the organizations I belong too, called MDW (www.multidimensionalwarrior.co.za) , have a nice maxim which is, “Pressure dictates tactics”. Basically, depending on the amount of pressure an aggressor directs at me, I will adapt my self-defence response accordingly. As an example, an aggressor comes at me empty-handed, I will draw a knife or retractable baton. If they come at me with a knife, I will draw a firearm. If they draw a firearm, I get in my car and get away! You get the picture, right?
Initially though, all attacks will begin with me being unarmed to defend myself. This is where I will use some unarmed techniques to give me that momentary opportunity to either get away, or draw a weapon, or position myself in a better position to launch a full-on assault at my aggressor. In the case of confronting the attacker, one must know and understand what tools he/she has at her disposal, and what target areas are feasible at that moment.
Question 3: The importance of being taught by an expert (Basically, what Defence Unlimited is, what it offers, and how people can contact you and make use of your services)
Expert is a very deceptive word. An expert implies I know everything, where in fact, all I am but a mere student who has found some truths that resonate with me and that I can apply into my daily life. Since I was 8 years old, I have never stopped learning something about any of the martial arts that I had studied. I have a love and passion for it, but realised that besides the martial arts, there is a greater need for something for the everyday-person to be able to protect themselves, so that they can live the lives that want to live. Hence, Defence Unlimited was formed. Our mission is to “unlock potential to live a fully-engaged life through effective self-defence training”. By educating and empowering people with self-defence skills and knowledge, they will feel more secure at home and work, and will be more inclined to engage positively in their life. This in turn allows them to strive towards their goals and dreams, and hence, allows them to live a happier and fulfilling life! Our self-defence system is for a smarter generation and is simple, effective and relevant. For more information on Defence Unlimited and what we do, please go to www.defence-unlimited.com.
With that said, there are many schools and “experts” out there that teach martial arts, self-defence or both. Some are good and some are bad and the best way to find out is to check their credentials and experience one of their classes. Be wary of some of the stuff you can find on You Tube as that would totally get you killed in the streets.
As a closing question, I was asked what my definition of self-defence is. My answer was that for me personally, self-defence is understanding myself and what I am or am not capable of doing in order to protect myself or my loved ones. It is about answering this simple, but profound question: "What am I willing fight, die or kill for?" If you can honestly answer this question, then you have answered what self-defence is for yourself. The rest is just commentary that must be practiced and incorporated into your daily life to ensure that that answer remains secure.
Till next time!
Get EDUCATED. Feel EMPOWERED. Live a FULLY-ENGAGED life.
