Self-Defense for Martial Artists

from the May, 2015 issue of Kiai!

By Tabitha Balakumar
Advanced Brown Belt

Tabitha gets up her fighting energy during the combinations that begin the self-defense physical skills class.

Self-defense. That can mean different things to different people. Most will conjure an image of learning how to hit an attacker effectively so they can get away from a fight. Thousand Waves’s Violence Prevention program goes further and teaches verbal skills that can prevent a fight from breaking out in the first place. It’s meant for anyone: the physically fit and the coordination-challenged. When you walk out of that class, you will have a good set of tools for keeping yourself safe in multiple ways, particularly in keeping a situation from becoming physical.

But, what if, despite our best efforts, it becomes physical? Our Violence Prevention program’s self-defense courses and workshops teach a set of skills that will inflict enough damage so that you can get away. These skills can be taught to anyone. As martial artists, though, we have an advantage because we are more familiar with these kinds of techniques.

Sei Shihan Nancy has been teaching a self-defense physical skills class specifically for martial artists and advanced self-defense students that utilizes self-defense techniques in a martial way. The techniques she teaches begin where de-escalation is no longer possible and you will have to fight. She takes the skills we learn in our karate classes and turns them into self-defense moves.

Obviously, the longer you have been training in karate, the more natural those techniques will be. But that doesn’t mean that a newer student can’t learn them as well. In fact, a novice might have an advantage because he/she will be able to incorporate everything from the beginning rather than have to figure out how to adjust and add to an existing repertoire. The only thing a newer student might have difficulty with is the discomfort surrounding practical self-defense.

Dynamic practice of self-defense physical skills is enabled by a variety of lively partnerships.

I've never been a huge fan of the practical self-defense drills we do in class because of that discomfort. So, when I found out about a new class that was going to be entirely self-defense, I found the whole idea intimidating and wasn’t sure I wanted to try it. After a few deep breaths, though, I showed up just to see what it was going to be like. Boy, am I glad I did.

Sei Shihan Nancy demonstrates defense against a knife attack.

For me, this class is practical self-defense at its most interesting. We learn how to keep our balance while unbalancing the attacker, how to deal with being grabbed, how to fight someone off from the ground, what to do if your attacker has a weapon, and many other incredibly practical (and fun) techniques.

The self-defense physical skills class is open to
newer students too.

The things we practice are taken from scenarios where someone could really be trying to hurt me or someone close to me. If that ever happens (which I hope it doesn't), then I want to know how to make the assailant go away, or to make sure I can get away safely without pursuit. Sei Shihan's class is the best arena for this kind of practice. If you haven't tried it out yet, you should. It’s on Wednesdays at 5:45 pm, and is open to all white through black belts, plus graduates of the Thousand Waves 12-hour intensive self-defense class.