What is Your Self Defense Commitment?

I often get email letters asking me if what I teach is better than (shoot-fighting, shaolin kung fu, Brazilian Jujutsu, etc, etc.) The question I always ask myself is I wonder what level this person is willing to commit to their self defense training.

What I mean by this is do they want a quick fix? Something that will give them the best chance possible in most situations without spending a lifetime of self defense study.

Some are ready and willing to commit two or three days a week for several hours at a time. They are willing to be physically banged around, stressing their bodies to the max. They are willing to do this for five, eight, ten years or more.

Additionally they want to study striking, grappling, throwing and pressure point fighting. Closing the gap, distance fighting, mid range and close range. Fighting from the ground with a standing opponent. Defending against an array of weapons from knives, sticks, clubs, bats, guns both from the standing position as well as the ground. Grappling on the ground as well as standing.

So the question is my style of self defense going to work against someone with this kind of training and years of hard work and experience? It depends.

Probably not if the highly trained person was willing and able to stay involved long enough to master all of these arts and techniques. But what are the chances of coming up against someone with this type of all encompassing martial arts training? More than likely someone with this type of commitment, self discipline and character would not be the street thug, looking for a free lunch!

Too often the person looking to be all things ends up being the perverbial jack of all trades and master of none. When under the duress of a real attack, often they freeze up because their head is full of so many techniques and options they have difficulty pulling the trigger at all.

Most of my students, especially the video based students, want to learn something that will give them a good chance of survival on the street without them having to invest a good part of their life learning and studying as I have.

Shihan Michael Pace