how confident are you in your art ?

[Deleted member 39746]

Christ this was a neco, but as it has been necroed. Confidence is half the fight so best be confident in it because if you arent you probbly are going to loose irrespective to anything else.

 

[Acronym]

Christ this was a neco, but as it has been necroed.

Does this question have an expiration date?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Does this question have an expiration date?

Generally speaking, folks don't reply to old threads, as the folks they reply to (and others involved in that thread) may no longer be around. Instead, it's usually better to start a new thread.

That said, this is far from the oldest thread to be necro'd on this site.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Does this question have an expiration date?

Some people complain about it for no real reason-the only reason I get is if you're replying to someone who is no longer on the site. But as most of the original posters are still here, and you weren't asking any of them anything directly, it really doesn't matter.

 

[Rich Parsons]

we have discussed many times how effective ma may or may not be in a,self defence situation. With the,considered situation getting more and more extreme
and accepting that lots of people do ma for many reasons not connected with self defence .

Not trying to be difficult just breaking apart for discussion and to keep your complete post, and not take something out of context.


Assumptions:
1) I am relatively healthy at the time
2) I am not taken out with sniper precision from a distance, and or in close combat.

how confident are you, that your skills will stand up, if you were to find yourself attacked by someone,

From Past Experiences I am fairly confident I could survive. which is the first step in standing up.

untrained in ma,

Untrained in the MA, and no training at all are different.
Some used to say HS and collegiate wrestling were not considered a MA.
There are those that have trained for the one really good sucker punch, and follow up one on their heels or down.
Does this count as no training or untrained?

If 0% training in anything then yes I am confident. Even with the size discussion below.
If some non-Traditional or Modern MA then I still feel confident.

alone

Alone, allows for posturing and dancing and moving around. Assuming their is intent on both sides it is almost a duel.
That being said, I have never had a duel. There was always the risk of multiple and or there were multiple opponents.

and unarmed who fitter/ stronger/ bigger than yourself, say by a factor of 25% in each.with is probably a reasonable expectation of what might occur,

I was younger, 6'3" and about 260 and not the greatest 260 shape. I faced guys 6'8" and taller and over 300 lbs. By myself, in groups, on one side or both.

if not 25% what advantage could you cope with?

Today, at 53, most people will be younger, who will want to have a confrontation with me. Not always,
I am overweight from my motorcycle hitting a woman who ran the red light and then never stopped.
It has been three years and the pain is the best it has been, and I did have some weight off, but one of the meds put on 45 lbs in 30 days on a starvation diet.
Stopped the med, and still working on loosing the weight yet again.

Do I think I could still take an NBA player? Yes I do.
Now before, people get upset, stop and consider the following. Every fighter who is about to step into the ring believes they are going to win. Or they would not
step into the ring. This can be considered confidence , and sometimes over confidence. Yet, without either, you need to make sure you are never near the ring.

I've been thinking about this In my own context, and I'm really not sure that my skills are good enough to cope, but I'm a novice compared to many on here who are experts.

in that i also consider people in my group, who are much more skilled than i, who i am pretty sure ( through sparing)i can knock into next week with out breaking a,sweat, based just on my physical advantages as above

so, what say you?

You mention your skills are not good enough.
What are your goals?
To be the top athlete in your weight class in combat?
Or to go home every night?

If it is to go home, then your skills may need to change, in what you practice every day.
1) Awareness - be aware of your surroundings.
2) Treat your gas tank like it is half the size it is. When you get near half, assume it is empty, and fil it up. This allows you to drive through bad parts of town or go to the next exit while travelling and worried about the environment.
3) Avoid areas where confrontation occurs. Stay out of bars while drunk. If you go with friends or family, be the sober one and pay attention.
Stay out of "THAT GAS STATION" we all know about that has those one guys that like to start trouble.
4) Smile and verbal insults, and keep going.

Note: I am not perfect and still work on these simple and other tasks. So no criticism meant to you or anyone else.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Generally speaking, folks don't reply to old threads, as the folks they reply to (and others involved in that thread) may no longer be around. Instead, it's usually better to start a new thread.

That said, this is far from the oldest thread to be necro'd on this site.

My Apologies. I came into this thread at the first post, and had not read the post by the staff.
I did not mean any disrespect.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

My Apologies. I came into this thread at the first post, and had not read the post by the staff.
I did not mean any disrespect.

Not an issue. Especially since both the OP and most of the people who replied are still active on the site.

Necro-ing a thread isn’t against the rules, it’s just kind of pointless when someone asks “which of these two schools should I send my kid to?” and someone comes in with a reply 10 years later.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Since this happens on an unfortunately far too often basis, I'm quite confident.

 

[donald1]

It feels weird saying I've been in karate over 10 years. I know there's tons of people who've practiced martial arts way longer than that, but I can still hardly believe ive been in it this long. I've never been in a actual self defense situation. I should be confident, and to a degree I am. However one thing stopping me from saying that I'm completely confident in my abilities is my lack of proof. I've never actually defended myself In a real life scenario. I think I'll be fine, but part of me is skeptical.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

My Apologies. I came into this thread at the first post, and had not read the post by the staff.
I did not mean any disrespect.

No worries. As I said, this is far from the oldest thread to be necro'd. It's usually more an issue for the poster, who is hoping to get replies from folks who are no longer active.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

It feels weird saying I've been in karate over 10 years. I know there's tons of people who've practiced martial arts way longer than that, but I can still hardly believe ive been in it this long. I've never been in a actual self defense situation. I should be confident, and to a degree I am. However one thing stopping me from saying that I'm completely confident in my abilities is my lack of proof. I've never actually defended myself In a real life scenario. I think I'll be fine, but part of me is skeptical.

That's a healthy doubt. If you want to gather some information, get around some willing folks and try each other under various rules. Competitions are an easy way to do this, though you'll generally be testing yourself against folks who specialize in the specific circumstances of the competition (testing your ground defense against ground grapplers, which may not be the standard you're working to).

 

[jobo]

Not trying to be difficult just breaking apart for discussion and to keep your complete post, and not take something out of context.


Assumptions:
1) I am relatively healthy at the time
2) I am not taken out with sniper precision from a distance, and or in close combat.


From Past Experiences I am fairly confident I could survive. which is the first step in standing up.



Untrained in the MA, and no training at all are different.
Some used to say HS and collegiate wrestling were not considered a MA.
There are those that have trained for the one really good sucker punch, and follow up one on their heels or down.
Does this count as no training or untrained?

If 0% training in anything then yes I am confident. Even with the size discussion below.
If some non-Traditional or Modern MA then I still feel confident.




Alone, allows for posturing and dancing and moving around. Assuming their is intent on both sides it is almost a duel.
That being said, I have never had a duel. There was always the risk of multiple and or there were multiple opponents.



I was younger, 6'3" and about 260 and not the greatest 260 shape. I faced guys 6'8" and taller and over 300 lbs. By myself, in groups, on one side or both.



Today, at 53, most people will be younger, who will want to have a confrontation with me. Not always,
I am overweight from my motorcycle hitting a woman who ran the red light and then never stopped.
It has been three years and the pain is the best it has been, and I did have some weight off, but one of the meds put on 45 lbs in 30 days on a starvation diet.
Stopped the med, and still working on loosing the weight yet again.

Do I think I could still take an NBA player? Yes I do.
Now before, people get upset, stop and consider the following. Every fighter who is about to step into the ring believes they are going to win. Or they would not
step into the ring. This can be considered confidence , and sometimes over confidence. Yet, without either, you need to make sure you are never near the ring.




You mention your skills are not good enough.
What are your goals?
To be the top athlete in your weight class in combat?
Or to go home every night?

If it is to go home, then your skills may need to change, in what you practice every day.
1) Awareness - be aware of your surroundings.
2) Treat your gas tank like it is half the size it is. When you get near half, assume it is empty, and fil it up. This allows you to drive through bad parts of town or go to the next exit while travelling and worried about the environment.
3) Avoid areas where confrontation occurs. Stay out of bars while drunk. If you go with friends or family, be the sober one and pay attention.
Stay out of "THAT GAS STATION" we all know about that has those one guys that like to start trouble.
4) Smile and verbal insults, and keep going.

Note: I am not perfect and still work on these simple and other tasks. So no criticism meant to you or anyone else.

i didnt say my skills wernt good enough, i said they were less than my contemporaries, certainly on a theoretic, text book ir aesthetic basis.


however in praxtice with them, if i cant throw them in the designated manner, through lack of skill, i pick them up and smash them into the mat, which is general more effective than the result of doibg it properly

many years ago i severely annoyed my jujutsu instuctor by doing just that, whilst he was demonstraighting how poor my throwing tecnuque was, by saying " thats rubish,go on then try and throw me"

i was 25 then , im 61now, but the same seems to hold true, if i have a significant physical advantage, in either, height, weight, reach or strengh or not uncomnonly all 4, i win.

now clearly the people this happens with are not elite ma, where the outcome would be very different, but they are much i sugest reprsebtaive of most hobby ma, coz thats what they are

 

[dvcochran]

It feels weird saying I've been in karate over 10 years. I know there's tons of people who've practiced martial arts way longer than that, but I can still hardly believe ive been in it this long. I've never been in a actual self defense situation. I should be confident, and to a degree I am. However one thing stopping me from saying that I'm completely confident in my abilities is my lack of proof. I've never actually defended myself In a real life scenario. I think I'll be fine, but part of me is skeptical.

That is a very heads up, conscious perspective. It spurs the never ending debate about what is enough resistance in regular training to constitute 'enough' to be proficient.
@gpseymour and possibly others mentioned competition. I feel this is the best and easiest place to start to answer the question. I also feel it is totally different for each person. How much and to what degree this question is answered may not be at all important so some and imminently important to others.
It is a rabbit trail that can run a very long way for some.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

However one thing stopping me from saying that I'm completely confident in my abilities is my lack of proof. I've never actually defended myself In a real life scenario. I think I'll be fine, but part of me is skeptical.

Agree with you 100% there. If you have never knocked down anybody in your life, you truly don't know that your punch can knock anybody down. This is the weakness of the striking art.

In throwing art, if you have used single leg to take down 100 guys in your life, you know that the chance that you can take down the 101 guy by single leg will be high.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Agree with you 100% there. If you have never knocked down anybody in your life, you truly don't know that your punch can knock anybody down. This is the weakness of the striking art.

In throwing art, if you have used single leg to take down 100 guys in your life, you know that the chance that you can take down the 101 guy by single leg will be high.

Agreed, assuming they're actually trying to stop you. I can teach someone to do a throw well enough to actually throw someone in about 5 minutes. Give them a few hours with partners, and they'll easily throw others 100 times. Of course, for most people that's only true if the other guys are allowing the throw. This is where a resisting partner or opponent comes in. And most throws are safer to try against resistance (and to the point of actually throwing) than punches that can knock someone to the floor.

At the same time, punches are easier to learn to that point for a lot of folks, and less finicky under stress than some throws.

 

[Ivan]

we have discussed many times how effective ma may or may not be in a,self defence situation. With the,considered situation getting more and more extreme
and accepting that lots of people do ma for many reasons not connected with self defence .

how confident are you, that your skills will stand up, if you were to find yourself attacked by someone, untrained in ma, alone and unarmed who fitter/ stronger/ bigger than yourself, say by a factor of 25% in each.with is probably a reasonable expectation of what might occur, if not 25% what advantage could you cope with?

I've been thinking about this In my own context, and I'm really not sure that my skills are good enough to cope, but I'm a novice compared to many on here who are experts.

in that i also consider people in my group, who are much more skilled than i, who i am pretty sure ( through sparing)i can knock into next week with out breaking a,sweat, based just on my physical advantages as above

so, what say you?

As someone who has trained in many martial arts over a relatively short amount of time, I feel like a better question would be "how confident are you in your fighting ability?". For me, it depends on my self-esteem and mood. It varies from time to time, as I am sure everyone's does. It also depends on whether I have recently had my ego checked or humbled by a sparring partner

My point is, that someone can be really comfortable using competitive WTF Taekwondo in a competition-type situation, but they might also realize that their style isn't the most optimal for self-defense and they might not feel confident in a dangerous, real-life scenario.

 

[Ivan]

It feels weird saying I've been in karate over 10 years. I know there's tons of people who've practiced martial arts way longer than that, but I can still hardly believe ive been in it this long. I've never been in a actual self defense situation. I should be confident, and to a degree I am. However one thing stopping me from saying that I'm completely confident in my abilities is my lack of proof. I've never actually defended myself In a real life scenario. I think I'll be fine, but part of me is skeptical.

The doubt doesn't go away even after a couple of fights under your belt. I have been in plenty of situations in school and college that required me to use my knowledge, but even after handling myself, the doubt remains. Perhaps this is more a confidence or self-esteem issue, but I am not certain. Or perhaps stuff in school/college doesn't count.

 

[dvcochran]

As someone who has trained in many martial arts over a relatively short amount of time, I feel like a better question would be "how confident are you in your fighting ability?". For me, it depends on my self-esteem and mood. It varies from time to time, as I am sure everyone's does. It also depends on whether I have recently had my ego checked or humbled by a sparring partner

My point is, that someone can be really comfortable using competitive WTF Taekwondo in a competition-type situation, but they might also realize that their style isn't the most optimal for self-defense and they might not feel confident in a dangerous, real-life scenario.

Your point is very valid. Everyone needs to intimately understand there is a difference in sparring (of any style) and fighting, even though the terms are often used interchangeably.

I think I understand what you mean by mood. When I was in the circuit I was known for being a slow starter. Too often I did not 'wake up' and start fighting until I received pressure or a good lick. I am not an angry person by nature and sometimes I need something to turn on the 'switch'.
When I played football in college it took me a while to figure out I would get too 'up' at the beginning of a game and run out of adrenalin and energy sometimes. I got better at controlling the peaks and being able to maintain a high level without burnout but really did not get a handle on in until I started MA's.

 

[drop bear]

As someone who has trained in many martial arts over a relatively short amount of time, I feel like a better question would be "how confident are you in your fighting ability?". For me, it depends on my self-esteem and mood. It varies from time to time, as I am sure everyone's does. It also depends on whether I have recently had my ego checked or humbled by a sparring partner

My point is, that someone can be really comfortable using competitive WTF Taekwondo in a competition-type situation, but they might also realize that their style isn't the most optimal for self-defense and they might not feel confident in a dangerous, real-life scenario.

 

[jobo]

The doubt doesn't go away even after a couple of fights under your belt. I have been in plenty of situations in school and college that required me to use my knowledge, but even after handling myself, the doubt remains. Perhaps this is more a confidence or self-esteem issue, but I am not certain. Or perhaps stuff in school/college doesn't count.

it sorts of counts, it establishes were tou are in the pecking order of your contemporary, you can make a judgement on if you can take can of yourself physicaly and you have toughness to do so, you cant and never can ptedict the out come of the next fight, but can have a stab that the number of people who can walk right through you are less than the ones that you can do like wise, if you pay particular attention to your ma skills and physical conditioning you can reasonably make a judgement, that one has decreased and the other increased, by admittly an unspecified but no less significant degree,