Originally posted by Basicman
What gets me about reading this thread is how people appear to make there Martial Art the solution to everything ... Especially in the United States, violent crime is not a daily common occurance for most people. Most people in major metro areas know how to take care of themselves by using observance and advoidance. I am not saying to give up Martial Arts, because they are fun to do. But let's realize that doing a set self defense technique over and over again does not guarantee a successful outcome. Actually the more complex the mpvement, the more likely you are to fail. The nervous system gets saturated and can not handle the overload. So basic gross movements will probably only be succesful in some one who does not spar on a regular basis. In my experience, people who have not experinced being hit hard, freeze up. I think people need to learn just plain basics for anything to be useful and they also need to spar.
--John
I gotta disagree. If you look at the statistics in the United States, a Sexual Assault is occuring about once every 3 minutes, and a rape every 10. I work in a criminal justice field and see the violence that happens all the time, not crime, actual violence. It must be a pretty world where most people don't have to worry about assaults. Those are the people WE call victims.
Forewarned is forearmed.
But everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, and opinions. I used to go to cocktail parties in a medium sized city. Most of the people did not know how many violent crimes occured in thier own city. As we talked, the ER docs at the party joined in. It is facinating what is not reported in the papers, what never makes it on the news, and how people can live in a world naive to the dangers around them. And YES, awareness, and preparation, statistically, reduce the chances of you being a victim. Then again, there was the guy who broke in my back door at 2:00 in the morning, with an empty backpack and a big butcher knife. Bad for him, I met him with a .40 cal Sig Saur, and he was not happy at all.
-Michael