sometimes a little knowledge is worse then none

[kengar]

swan104, I agree with you on this. Something I tell people learning self defense is, "You don't have to be a black belt to defend yourself, and having a 2nd degree black belt doesn't gaurrantee you can". You can learn good practical techiques in 6 weeks, though it would behoove you train as much as possible and then some. Everything you learn should be questioned on how it will work, at least if defense in the street is your goal. On the other hand, training in itself will help give you some advantage.

[Lil' Piggy]

what i think

ok, before i write anything, i'm going to ask you guys to forgive my english if i make a mistake because it's not my first language... i disagree with the fact that a 2nd dan black belt can't defend him/herself... i don't know about ur thoughts, but for real, if u are a 'real' black belt, in any martial art, then u should be able to defend yourself properly. I'm not saying that you can defend yourself against everything or everyone, but there are some dojos that mess-up big time and basically give all their students black belts anyhow just because they've been learning for long. U can get a black belt in 6 months, or 5 years, that's not what matters, what matters is your ability to learn and apply and know what you're doing. Real knowledge is self knowledge. i would say the best tool for self defense is a clear mind. because usually, when u get into a fight, you get serious adrenaline rushes and you lose control, in most part, of your body. to fight properly and be able to apply any of the techniques learnt, you have to have a clear mind, no stress, so you can think. (i mean no offense to anyone in anything i wrote; i just hope nothing here offends anyone...)

[swan104]

Re: what i think

Originally posted by Lil' Piggy
ok, before i write anything, i'm going to ask you guys to forgive my english if i make a mistake because it's not my first language... i disagree with the fact that a 2nd dan black belt can't defend him/herself... i don't know about ur thoughts, but for real, if u are a 'real' black belt, in any martial art, then u should be able to defend yourself properly. I'm not saying that you can defend yourself against everything or everyone, but there are some dojos that mess-up big time and basically give all their students black belts anyhow just because they've been learning for long. U can get a black belt in 6 months, or 5 years, that's not what matters, what matters is your ability to learn and apply and know what you're doing. Real knowledge is self knowledge. i would say the best tool for self defense is a clear mind. because usually, when u get into a fight, you get serious adrenaline rushes and you lose control, in most part, of your body. to fight properly and be able to apply any of the techniques learnt, you have to have a clear mind, no stress, so you can think. (i mean no offense to anyone in anything i wrote; i just hope nothing here offends anyone...)

Your English is very good! You've raised some interesting points. The ability to "defend" yourself properly will depend on an large number of factors. You could be "ambushed" on the street, the person may have a knife, screwdriver, environmental considerations (eg. in a small enclosed area, such as a flight of stairs, or muddy, uneven terrain) etc etc. I still think (in terms of probability and the chaos that is involved in a fight), that no matter how good you are, you can still get knocked down and out. As martial artists, we train to minimise this, but the chance is still there.

I think the belt itself is meaningless. I think what you are trying to say is a "true master" of the martial arts (if that can be defined), will be clear in mind. I think it depends on what your definition of a "true" black belt is. The problem is that it seems like black belts are awarded too easily. On that point, I agree with you that some schools have really f*cked up.

Also, take for example a 2nd degree black belt. What makes him/her different to a 1st or 3rd degree black belt when it comes to fighting?

Steven

[kengar]

Lil' Piggy, what you are saying is correct.
What I'm saying is having a 2nd degree black belt, a firearm in your house, a big dog, wearing a seat belt, having a fire alarm, etc... is no gaurrantee. I do not make that comment because I believe the vast majority of black belts can't defend themselves, I make it to put light on the fact that you never know what may happen. Excelling in martial arts will definitely prepare you if you had to defend yourself, and also other things in life. But if you go walking around thinking you can't be touched, your going to drop your guard and some one will bring you down to reality.

So what is your native language? 1 good thing about this site is I haven't seen any grammer police, bugs the hell out of me to read those posts. And don't worry about hurting my feelings, if you make me cry I'll let you know.

Have a good day.

Ken