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Illusions are more expensive than we can imagine

As we said in Self-defense: why 90% of martial arts does not work: the vast majority of martial arts are not suitable for self-defense.

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

Even if 6 Dragons Kung Fu draws inspiration and respects traditional martial arts as warfare combat systems (read 6DKF: what does it teach?), when we talk about real self-defense scenarios, some distinctions must be forcibly made.

Why most martial arts are not enough

As we have already mentioned, the illusion of being personal-defense experts just because we practice martial arts is very dangerous and can lead to:

Legal / economical problems – As the aggression, the excessive defense is punished by law and in many cases can lead to pay big refunds, imprisonment and even preventive imprisonment pending a judgment decision (it is not rare that in the absence of witnesses, it is necessary to isolate the possible culprits to prevent them from reiterating the crime and / or altering the evidence)
Psychological problems – Even if in words people abuse daily of violent meanings (eg. “I would kill him if…”), to hurt a person (in a moment of uncontrolled anger) up to cause serious, permanent damage (if not even death) is something that (even in the case in which we have simply defended ourselves) will probably persecute many of us for our whole life
Physical problems – Last but not list, fighting without rules (read The 6 types of martial clash) means accepting to suffer more or less serious damage to our body; the fights in which someone win without even being touched are only in martial arts movies (read Martial arts: movies VS reality, 7 differences); in the street even the greatest fighter of all time can be wounded to death (eg. by a knife) or even fall and smash his head (eg. remaining paralyzed for life in a wheelchair)
…

What are the risks

Especially if we practice martial arts, addressing the concept of self-defense in a serious and thorough way is vitally important; let’s imagine how we might feel after losing uselessly:

Mountains of money (in criminal trials)
Our dignity (causing irreparable damages)
Part of our mobility (maybe to prove our ability in front of our friends)
Or worse the life of a loved person (for not having the right notions to assess the situation)
…

How would we view our foolish martial pride after similar outcomes?

A note by Master Kongling – The moment to ask ourselves this question is now. Let’s do not make the mistake of thinking that it will not happen to us, that we are stronger, that we do not care (etc.): to think so are only people who have never approached this type of (very serious) situation.

Self-defense: what really should be

We must learn to discern the idea of martial art (or better “combat”) from the idea of self-defense (read Personal defense: the S.A.F.E. method):

The first puts life into play (aiming to prevail)
The second preserves it (aiming to survive)

This is a fundamental difference.

The perfect preparation for self-defense

In light of what we said, let’s see what real self-defense should be:

An education to the prevention of dangers (constant attention, use of deterrents, etc., read for example /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///)
An education to negotiation (know what can be granted and what not, deception, etc., read for example /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///)
An education to self-control (keep calm to avoid useless confrontations, reach the maximum of our psychophysical faculties if we are forced to fight, understand the others’ limits, etc., read for example /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///)
An education to a proportional level of defense (do not exceed with violence, know the legal limits, etc., read for example The 6DKF’s diagram about the use of violence)
An education to the real struggle, at 360° (through sparring, conditioning, weapons, freehand combat, tactics, simulations, etc. read How to learn to fight: all the steps)
A multidisciplinary path focused on principles and not premade solutions (adaptable, simple, realistic, profoundly trained, contextualized, etc.)
An education to be prepared to the dangers without living in a paranoid way (prevent the threats, be relaxed but vigilant, etc.)
An education to constant training (physical exercises, technical exercises, etc.)

Final notes

Some final considerations:

To reply to the title of the article, the best martial arts for self-defense is the one that allows to have at least a possibility to survive even in the worst situations (read also Self-Defense: is it possible to always be ready to fight?); to reach this level this needs a serious effort made of preparation, concentration and discipline
When we talk about self-defense there are no shortcuts or easy universal tricks (let’s get away from those who try to fool us so ingenuously, or they do not know what they are talking about or they are directly trying to deceive us, read also Recognize a good / bad master: 5 characteristics)
Finally, it is important to stress that the goal of this article is not to say that the 6 Dragons Kung Fu is the best martial art for self-defense but to give some ideas to reflect on when choosing a serious personal defense course (a choice that should not be taken lightly)
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In-depth video courses

Self-defense basics: how to – A video course about the fundamentals of 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s self-defense method
Self-defense: not violent self-preservation – An excerpt from the Self-defense basics: how to course

In-depth articles

Why martial arts do not work: 5 reasons – The sad truth about why martial arts are ineffective in combat
Self-defense: how to defend against a knife attack – A beginner to expert sample of how to face an aggressor with a knife

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

In your opinion, what is self-defense beyond the combat aspect?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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