Self-Defense Information

What Really is Self-Defense Today?

The need for self-defense is very real and undeniable in our growing world of virtual connectivity, fast paced lifestyles and working at home. Everyone from the ages of 4 to 94 should be exposed in self-defense training and families must remain at the forefront to help guide themselves, their children and older members of the family as a team to ensure a better lifestyle. 

Shihan Chris Crocker has developed a method of martial arts self-defense training that reaches far into the intricacies of self-defense for every student. It has its roots of development dating far back to ancient times and has been formulated to fulfill the need of today’s world. From the thesis: Self-Defense Training in the Home by Christopher P Crocker. “Martial Arts have changed over the generations. Beginning in its earliest forms as Buddhism, therapy or Kinesiology, martial arts were becoming a way of living one’s life, and possibly reaching a state of nirvana. For these select few, for those that surrounded them, they would look for the answers to better themselves and instruct the way. Throughout the ages martial arts would change drastically and become utilized as a war stricken means of defending one’s honor and protecting a village or area, inclusive of hand-held bladed weapons and firearms. In more recent history, we have seen Martial Arts become a desire to promote both well-being of self, and that of one’s family. We are seeing a cyclical trend of Martial arts training, adopting its earliest beginnings, however, seeing a decline in the war-like necessity. The warlike and militaristic approach of martial arts is now finding itself adapting and providing families not just individuals with these means. There has become a need for martial arts to become self-defense. The self-defense meaning has adapted into not just a physical means of striking, blocking, and avoiding. Self-defense is becoming more defined by building self-confidence, self-empowerment, increasing mental capabilities, building structure and increasing physical abilities. All of these characteristics rolled into being able to have the capability of defending against another.” - (Crocker 4) Historically many monks in ancient Chinese monasteries became lethargic due to their daily lives. An isolated group (similar to a family/team unit) found themselves to feel protected and without the need for self-defense. Unable to physically care for their own being their diminished confidence, decreased awareness, and lack of honesty allowed them to become targets for bandits. It is said that until a Buddhist priest named Bodhidharma made a pilgrimage from India and developed a system to engage and build those monks in the monasteries they were incapable of protecting themselves. It took years of training to stand their ground to be more physically and mentally capable and they were no longer taken advantage of. These ways would be broadcast through trade routes and other gatherings and grow into a system of self-defense within these families of monasteries, and clans, warrior groups, etc.

Personal martial arts self-defense begins with changing your state of mind. Confidence, honesty and awareness all play a pivotal role in your success to defend yourself. Confidence comes with time and action of performing your skills you learn over and over again. Although it might not happen immediately, it is important to recognize and begin with a noticeable starting point, a marker in your training. Within martial arts self-defense we provide that starting point with a white belt around the waist. It becomes a defined beginning to start your journey in self-defense and increases your self-confidence. By involving your family your ability levels can boost this confidence even more by training together and challenging each other’s mental capabilities of memorizing techniques at home. Performing your skills at home just a few minutes a day will translate to you and your family members propelling forward in the dojo and promoting confidence within each individual and the family team. Taking notes during or directly after class time can increase memorization as well. Along the way you must be honest with yourself. You must seek your inner character and ask yourself the following: Am I ready to redefine, refocus and reshape my mental state to improve myself? You will hit snags along the way and training is not easy in any respect, so are you able to be honest with yourself to work through the hard phases to enjoy the process? Everyone’s ability level is different and therefore self-defense techniques may not work for everyone. Do you have the confidence to modify your techniques and remain humble enough to ask for help and guidance when you hit a wall in your development? Being honest may seem easy, however, with too much confidence it may become clouded. Balance of these principles is so important along with awareness which can come in many forms. Awareness of self and your own development, awareness of your surroundings and also the awareness of the evolution of situations you may be involved in. Awareness has changed over the course of time and now a days many people find themselves with their head buried in a phone or other digital device. Many people are working from home and a commute is a thing of the past, along with interacting with others in various social capabilities on public transportation at shops. Going to the gym for many has lost its lure with the idea that we may have a piece of equipment in our home that we will utilize for its intended use. Well, maybe it’s more of a clothing rack with good intentions. Our social dynamic has changed even in the last couple of years, therefore our awareness changes to what we perceive to be important.

Today, while improving our mental state whether it is memorization or confidence building, honesty of oneself, or awareness is important. Just as the family groups of monks, clans, and worrier groups did, it is also important to train our bodies. Training physically should happen through rigorous repetition to build muscle memory, flexibility, and stability in our bodies. This too promotes better self-confidence in ability level and one’s physique. Our self-defense method incorporates these enjoyable and highly beneficial physical workouts along with self-defense techniques for various scenarios. Self-defense is not just the use of force using punching, kicking and blocking against an attacker to stop an assault. Self-defense is managing situations and being aware of oneself to make more confident decisions and as a last resort during unavoidable confrontation to use physical means to stop someone from trying to hurt you. This is the last piece of the puzzle, but again, balance of the physical and mental in self-defense is paramount to a person’s growth and ability to defend oneself. The use of force to stop an altercation can be overwhelming. Many factors such as increased heart rate, sweating, changes in breathing all contribute to your ability to defend yourself. This is where the mental side of training becomes so important in order to understand and settle your body for the physical side of self-defense to be beneficial.

The last piece of the self- defense method is the physical side. Our self-defense method we provide incorporates maneuvers for single punches and multiple punch attacks, kicking attacks, and assaults from multiple individuals. Our Strategic Innovative Tactics (SIT) techniques are comprised of Kempo and Jujitsu / Judo movements and takedowns and traditional martial arts core values for and overall balance. More specifically these SIT techniques incorporate defenses against an attacker with a knife, blunt weapon, bat, taser, or even situational techniques of grabbing and striking in various scenarios. The thorough spectrum of techniques allows for a student to increase their knowledge and ability level mentally and physically. Self-defense today is a mental and physical approach, and training similar to that of ancient times with a different setting, producing different circumstances as we move forward. Without the mental fortification of self-defense training the physical side will have no structure to be supported and vice versa. True self-defense today is about balance of the mind and body. Many instructors in a martial arts self-defense setting rely heavily on the physical side of memorization because the belt becomes the focus more than the individual or family's growth to improve their lifestyle. I will leave you with some questions regarding your own self-defense to begin your mental training. So let’s begin on the finer points of self-defense awareness, building your confidence, and honesty.

1. Do you keep the same schedule each day such as a run or walk on the same route at the same time where a person or group can make assumptions on where you will be?

2. At home are there large shrubs, inlets, or dark spaces where you may leave early in the morning or return each night?

3. Have you shared your trips you take or are currently taking on social media?

4. In a crowded venue, parking lot, ATM, even at work do you have your eyes focused on a screen?

5. Speaking to cashiers, baristas, local friends do you notice anyone else around listening in on conversations?

6. Can your current activity level carry you for 20-30 seconds of an intense altercation or have you spent more time at a desk or screen?

7. Have you or your family been involved is a curriculum of martial arts self-defense and discussed ways to improve your overall self-defense ability?