martial arts are not a very good skill to neutralize the otherwise dangerous behavior of being around poor people.
Or really any dangerous behavior at all.
When it comes to street crime, I believe that nearly everyone would be better served by learning improved posture (so you don’t look like a target), awareness (so that you know what’s going on and people see that you know what’s going on), and if all else fails, foot speed (so you can get out of dangerous areas fast) rather than martial arts.
That said, I practice martial arts. However, if someone comes up to me with a knife and says “give me your wallet,” you can be damn sure I’ll give him my wallet. Whatever money I have with me is a low price to pay to avoid hand-to-hand combat with an armed opponent.
One useful heuristic for finding a good martial arts class might be to look for instructors who realize that martial arts are not practical for self-defense. An actual self-defense class would be interesting to see and would look nothing like a typical martial arts class.
An actual self-defense class would be interesting to see and would look nothing like a typical martial arts class.
Next time you’re in Tampa, drop a line. My instructor (no particular organized school) teaches punching and stuff, but also how to recognize different types of dangerous people and dissuade or circumvent them.
Or really any dangerous behavior at all.
When it comes to street crime, I believe that nearly everyone would be better served by learning improved posture (so you don’t look like a target), awareness (so that you know what’s going on and people see that you know what’s going on), and if all else fails, foot speed (so you can get out of dangerous areas fast) rather than martial arts.
That said, I practice martial arts. However, if someone comes up to me with a knife and says “give me your wallet,” you can be damn sure I’ll give him my wallet. Whatever money I have with me is a low price to pay to avoid hand-to-hand combat with an armed opponent.
One useful heuristic for finding a good martial arts class might be to look for instructors who realize that martial arts are not practical for self-defense. An actual self-defense class would be interesting to see and would look nothing like a typical martial arts class.
Next time you’re in Tampa, drop a line. My instructor (no particular organized school) teaches punching and stuff, but also how to recognize different types of dangerous people and dissuade or circumvent them.
Will do (entirely serious here).