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I believe that every dojo should have a bouncer -and I don’t mean on the door to stop people getting in. I mean one or more members of the dojo should work as a bouncer. If no one there is a bouncer, then get a job as a bouncer yourself, if only for a few weeks. Why? Let me explain.
If you’re like most martial artists then you spend most of your time dealing in theory and you haven’t pressure tested your martial arts. By that I mean, you learn all these great techniques that work wonderfully well in the dojo with a willing partner under controlled circumstances. But how can you be sure that your techniques will work in the real world, against unwilling protagonists and under unpredictable circumstances?
The answer is you can’t.
How can you stand up and say that a technique will work without actually testing it under pressure, in a real confrontation with someone who cares not a jot for etiquette but only wants to tear your head of and play football with it?
The answer is you can’t.
This is the cold, hard reality that many martial artists have to deal with throughout their many years of training. It is an uncomfortable truth and one which a lot of people would rather not think too much about. In a way, by sidestepping this issue all the time, martial artists are deluding themselves into thinking that they can handle themselves in a fight if it came to it, by virtue of the fact that they have put X amount of years into their training.
Are you experienced?
All the training in the world does not guarantee that you will be able to defend yourself effectively if one or more antagonists decided one night in the bar that you had the perfect face for punching repeatedly until it bled all over the floor and your girlfriends shoes. The fact of the matter is that there are other factors involved besides being able to execute good technique. Many martial artists, either through ignorance or self-delusion, tend to forget about the psychological factors involved in a real violent confrontation, factors which are more important than how good your technique is.
Put it this way. If you asked me who would win in a fight between a martial artist with no actual street experience and a guy who gets in a fight every time he goes out for a drink, then I’ll put my money on the seasoned street fighter every time. Why? Because the street fighter is used to fighting under pressure, he is used to getting hit and getting back up again for more, he is used to the way his body and mind react under such circumstances, therefore he will perform significantly better than a martial artist who has never experienced any of that.
I have heard so many stories over the years, as I’m sure you have, of martial artists -black belts- who got their ass kicked in a fight because they didn’t perform the way they thought they would. And why would they? A dojo is just a playground, a place to pretend, a place to ultimately feel safe and secure in.
And a place that is a million miles away from the brutal and unpredictable pavement arena.
So the next time you expertly throw someone in the dojo or score a point in sparring and you’re feeling pleased with yourself, just take note of the fact you are only play- acting. At the very least be aware of this fact and choose to either ignore it or do something about it.
Ignorance
Just knowing the truth of the matter and being able to reconcile yourself to it is better than not knowing the truth and living under a blanket of ignorance. There are many martial artists out there who choose to train purely for the sake of art, for the sake of mastering something. This is completely fine as long as you are upfront about it, especially when it comes to teaching other people what you know. This fact should be explained to beginners and they should be allowed to act on it in whatever way they please.
There are however, many instructors out there who teach people street self defense even though they themselves have never tested out the techniques they are teaching, which amounts to bad practice, in my opinion. Teaching people things that you only know in theory is setting those same people up for a fall, for they too will come to believe that good self-defence equals good technique. It doesn’t.
Good street self defense equals good technique plus experience of using that technique under extreme pressure.
I am not of course advocating that you immediately run out and start a fight with someone, but I am advocating that you should have some awareness on the issue, especially if you are a teacher. If you just want to train for the sake of learning the art then go ahead. As I said, there is nothing wrong with that (and it’s what most martial artists end up doing anyway).
On the other hand, if you want to learn about real street self defense then I’m afraid you are going to have to move out of your comfort zone. If you want to know how to properly defend yourself in a fight then you are going to have to start putting yourself under a hell of a lot more pressure, and as far as I can see, there is only two ways to do this while still maintaining some sense of control.
The first way is to have an animal day at your club. Geoff Thompson came up with this concept as a way for martial artists to pressure test themselves under controlled conditions. It basically involves two people going up against each other, no holds barred, anything goes ( things like eye gouges are allowed but you obviously don’t follow through on such techniques). In a dojo, this is as close as you are going to get to a real fight and it does create a lot of pressure for the people doing it. More importantly, it’s unpredictable, just like the real thing. Animal days are not for the faint of heart, so expect to get hurt in some way (though not seriously). All participants are also expected to sign a waver as well, just so you know what you’re getting into.
The second way is to get a job as a bouncer in a nightclub. In this sort of environment you will inevitably be given the opportunity to test out your skills and more importantly, get used to the psychological effects of violent confrontation and actually performing under such pressure. I myself did a stint as a bouncer, not for the reasons sited (I needed the money at the time) and I am glad I was able to experience it, to experience what it’s like when you have to confront bigger, harder people than yourself and ask them to leave and then have to deal with them further when they point blank refuse. The only saving grace you have (in most places anyway) is back-up if things get out of hand, but it sure does put your skills and knowledge (as well as your character) to the test. For any martial artist seeking experience in violent confrontation and testing themselves in this way, I recommend doing this job for at least a while.
Test yourself
I f you are serious about testing yourself and your art then you should walk down this path of self-discovery, not just for yourself but for any students you may have or will have in the future. At least when you train you will be able to instantly discount certain techniques as being unworkable in real circumstances; these techniques you will file under art, the rest you will practice with the knowledge that they do work.
The martial arts are all about testing yourself in every respect possible. If you want to truly learn the art of street self-defense it is necessary to step on to the battlefield and baptize yourself in the fire violence and pressure test your martial art.
There is no other way.
Further and Recommended Reading
Animal Day: Pressure Testing the Martial Arts
On the Door: The Continuing Adventures of a Nightclub Bouncer
