by Chris McKinley on Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:54 pm
John's got it right, IMO. It's about survival. Wu de, sportsmanship, fair play, honor, etc. are for before and after the fight, not during.
Sylkworm,
RE: "For those of us with white-collar jobs, who probably don't expect someone to actually try to kill them, it's a reasonable situation.". I'm going to assume that you're kinda like most folks, maybe, in being uninitiate/unfamiliar with the realities of a real life-threatening violent encounter, so rather than berate you for statements such as this, I'm going to offer some education instead. Feel free to take from it, or not, what you will.
No one save for professionals on the job expects someone to actually try to kill them, randomly, any time 24 hours a day. To suggest that such is either necessary or relevant to whether it happens is just fully naive. Sure, you can play the percentages (it's the best any of us can do) by being "white collar", living in a white collar suburb without all those dangerous poor folk around, and shopping/dining/recreating in only the "safe" parts of town. However, doing so offers no guarantees whatsoever against violent crime.
RE: "Just the same, I don't want to be someone's punching bag either.". It's your right not to be a victim of violent crime if there's anything you can do to stop it. However, you can forget about punching bags, the real concern is not to be someone's gun, knife or club target. Punches are nothing; you can heal up quickly from those.
RE: "However, I see what you mean about an attacker with the intent to kill you, and I can see how that would apply if I were a police, soldier, bouncer, or in some other line of work or lifestyle where I can reasonably expect people to try for my life.". Again, another seemingly reasonable comment, but in actuality, a hopelessly naive sentiment. Cops and soldiers have guns. Bouncers are usually fairly big strong types, always have backup, and have the advantage of knowing in advance that they are in an environment where they are likely to face violent danger. These aren't the folks who need the reality check.
The folks who do are those "white collar" types who think that their lifestyle and "some martial arts training" are going to be sufficient to save their lives if/when they become the victim of violent crime. And while we're at it, nobody's more self-deluded than the typical Tai Chi practitioner if he thinks that his material is going to matter much at all in a real encounter. That's not necessarily a slam at you; it certainly isn't meant that way and besides I don't know you or your practice. That's merely pointing out the obvious about a statistical likelihood based on the combative viability of the average training available.
And speaking of viability, viable self-defense is, more than any other factor, dependent on mindset. Awareness, the next most important factor, stems from a mindset that recognizes that awareness is even necessary, and that in reality, it is necessary at all times. If one's beliefs are that they are in an environment where violent assault is not possible or not really a concern, then their beliefs are going to sabotage their mindset and therefore their awareness. They are then just that much more vulnerable to assault because their outer demeanor will reflect that lack of awareness. Further, should an attack actually occur, they will be that much more taken by surprise, have to play catch-up to the situation just that much more, and have that much less access to their relevant self-defense skills instantly.