Is Your Style Realistic

Friday Knight News

“I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend” J.R.R. Tolkien

Is your style or your training realistic for self-defense, or is it better suited as a mind body art, historical study, intellectual analysis, or as a martial sport? One of the first steps to finding a modern self-defense system that will work for you is to consider both the type of assaults you may encounter and your personal limitations. Your physical, mental, and emotional abilities have as much to do with your defensive as any technique. Meaning physical fitness, mental preparedness, and emotional content can be an equally important component of any self-defense situation or verbal confrontation.

Selecting a martial art fitted to your mind, body, and personality should take into consideration things such as speed, strength, flexibility, endurance and if you have any injuries or disabilities. For example if you need a cane to walk it might be impractical to consider a style that utilizes jump spinning kicks to the head as a effective self-defense system for you. Likewise if your style requires the ability to withstand attrition as part of its combat strategy this might not be the best method to rely on if you have to defend against multiple attackers utilizing weapons.

“A bullet from a gun does not make a distinction between practice and combat. You are training to be one and the same way in your life” Musashi Miyamoto

Generally speaking moralistically and legally your response to self-defensive situations should be dictated by how desperate the situation is becoming. If your method of self-defense rely solely on the utilization of a tool (weapon), then you might be defenseless if the aggressor is able to control you before you can access it. There also might be a problem if you are in the area where access to your mode of defense is restricted. However, if you are not mentally prepared to utilize a knife or gun in a defensive situation having one does you no good. Having these types of devices in your possession only serves as a means for the attacker to become better equipped. Likewise utilizing such techniques as eye gouges and other gruesome combat tactics are useless without the development of a warrior mindset.

Some people are only comfortable with utilizing empty-handed combat skills, but this is quite frankly unrealistic even if you are in peak physical condition. The odds are against you for surviving an armed encounter with a determined criminal. People that rely solely on their weapon for self-defense are slightly less delusional than the individuals that seek only to train against unarmed aggressors. Unarmed martial art training, in any style, has many benefits no matter what range the style focuses on primarily. Some styles seem to be geared for certain ranges. Is yours style a predominantly striking art, grappling, or weapons art? You can develop both mental and physical attributes necessary to developing a warrior mindset by this study. But you have to realize that in all likelihood if weapons are not involved you train in a martial sport or a mind body connection type of art.

My suggestion is to find a system that utilizes a combination of grappling, striking and at least some hand-to-hand weapon techniques in its syllabus. If you can find a system that also utilizes, or can integrate shooting arts, all the better. My primary style is a system of jujutsu that was influenced by several schools and most of the members of our school were LEO's at one time or another. Plus sensei had developed and taught armed and unarmed tactics for the state, (for various branches and departments). The techniques were geared for blade conflict in mind, but also include blunt weapon, hand-to-hand combat and gun retention. Sensei had also qualified us on the shooting range. Still it is important to test our training as not only our lives are on the line but also the lives and safety of others. We used marker knives (to show where the cut would be), and real guns firing explosive pom pom rounds with safety gear. With grappling we trained both cooperative to introduce the skill and with resistance to test it. As to striking, we trained hitting targets instead of striking only air. It is important to rate the success of your training to make an accurate evaluation on your skill level. Like Mushashi indicated our training should be on par with reality.

If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy my kindle book: The Path


Thank you all that have helped me get the word out on my new business venture, (writing full time), ever since I closed my dojo. I do appreciate all of the book reviews that have been posted on Amazon Kindle. This is especially so on my fictional adventure series. If you have kindle please give it a try. Below are links to some of my Kindle version books from the "Dream Walker" series. My stories are about martial arts adventures that are intertwined with paranormal or supernatural events. The following links are to the Kindle version books from the "Dream Walker” series. Our adventurers find themselves on a quest where they are confronted with both conspiracy and mystery. Their challenge is to unite their mind and body skills together utilizing what they have learned in the martial arts with the transcendental power of dream mediation. They attempt to do this while they are trying to make a life for themselves and elude those that seek to use and control them.

Conversations with a Sage (Book 1 of the Dream-Walker)

Conversations with a Sage: This explores Xander Davidson's early encounters with the mysterious fog like Dream Walking martial art sages. He ponders if they are real or if they are only remnants of his dreams. He mainly keeps this secret world to himself as he tries to copes with abuse, growing up without support or guidance and the mystery of his family's past. 

Xander and the Assassins Gift (Book 2 of the Dream-Walker)

The Assassins Gift: Xander Davidson struggles with the conspiracy of his family and the group that is actively trying to manipulate him to join them or die. The young Dream Walkers learns an early lesson to be careful about whom they let into their circle.


Warriors of Perception (Book 3 of the Dream-Walker)

Warriors of Perception: Xander Davidson and his band of friends embark on a mission to free themselves from their oppressors. They bravely face the challenge all the while vying for the right moment to turn the tables.

Jace Lee The Shift (Book 4 of the Dream-Walker)

Jace Lee The Shift: We find a new apprentice, Adam, that is fighting for his life. He is struggling to understand the amazing skills of his mentor, Jace Lee; a younger man that has trained under Xander Davidson. All the while his mentor attempts to reconcile the fact that his skills do not match up with the other Dream Walkers.


Jace Lee No Agenda (Dream Walker Book 5)

Jace Lee No Agenda: Jace Lee attempts to find himself on a self-imposed vision quest of sorts. Instead he finds himself being stalked by the same group that had previously sought after his teacher, (Xander Davidson). Instead of mastering his odd Dream Walking skills he finds love and the potential loss of his powers.

Jace Lee and the Tutelage of Ming Wu: Dream Walker 6 

Jace Lee The Tutelage of Ming Wu: Jace Lee rejoins his teacher Xander Davidson as they cope with a possible combined threat (the mysterious), Ming Wu and the Council that has continuously monitored the Dream Walkers.