| I remember seeing a video about "self defense | | | | they had not lost and they know that the only chance |
| masters" where one karate expert said: "For me, the | | | | they would have had to win would have been hurting |
| difference between karate and a street fight is | | | | their attackers first. |
| philosophy. If I take a garbage can and hit someone | | | | Philosophy is a great thing, but it unfortunately won't |
| with it, there's no philosophy. It's just a way to hurt | | | | help a single bit when your back is to the wall and |
| someone." | | | | you're being stabbed by some degenerate with a knife |
| Well, I'm not a karate expert by any means, so I'm not | | | | that you felt before you saw it! |
| going to even discuss the truth in that statement, but I | | | | That's why instructors of practical self defense tend to |
| am an expert in self defense, which is why I feel | | | | teach effective target areas first. Like I'm always |
| qualified to protest that comment being broadcast in a | | | | saying to my students, if you're attacked in a |
| self defense video in the same way that a cancer | | | | restaurant bar while sitting in a booth and if all you can |
| foundation would protest an action hero smoking in his | | | | do is take a salt shaker and slam it into the bridge of |
| movies. Both the action star and the karate master | | | | the attacker's nose, just be happy that you were able |
| are role models and, just like its not acceptable to | | | | to take him out before some innocent person got hurt! |
| teach kids that smoking is "cool," its not acceptable for | | | | Ok, maybe you couldn't assume a proper stance or |
| a role model in a self defense documentary to rate | | | | use a picture-perfect striking technique, but you were |
| anything as being more important than hurting an | | | | able to save yourself and your wife from a lengthly |
| attacker in a self defense situation. | | | | hospital stay or even a one-way trip to the morgue. |
| I've been in and seen real fights and attacks as a | | | | Where's the philosophy in surviving an assault by just |
| disco doorman (yeah, a bouncer) in Europe and have | | | | concentrating on hurting the man trying to hurt or kill |
| seen what kinds of damage the looser of a street | | | | you? I don't know, maybe just "better you than me." |
| fight must endure. Some were rushed to the hospital, | | | | I don't care about philosophy, I just care about teaching |
| some just patched up and sent home, but all victims of | | | | you to survive. |
| real violence have two things in common--they all wish | | | | |