Today’s society is more divided than ever about the role and place of violence.

On one extreme, we see a segment of society who proclaim violence is evil and has absolutely no place in a civilised society whatsoever.

On the other extreme, we see a segment of society who explicitly support the use of violence as a way to resolve most arguments.

Combine this with the fact that we, as a society, are grossly misinformed and underinformed about the realities of violence. This creates unhealthy and often inaccurate polarised opinions about what violence is and where it can and should be used, if at all.

So where is the place for violence in society?

What do you think is the most important element of self-defence classes?

Giving the student real self defence skills, in all their facets, is the obvious answer, but is it the first one and the only one?
Usually the argument will then go to discussion about technique, or scenarios, or the level of contact or how long it takes to get a black belt. These are all valid discussions, but often miss one important point.
Read more to find out what that point is!

A fight is about to start. You know it. You tried to avoid and you tried to de-escalate with no success. The person is pointing at you, shouting that he is going to punch your teeth down your throat. He is closing the distance quickly and starting to angle his body, so you know a right haymaker is coming next.

You are not worried. You’ve practiced your moves in the dojo thousands of times and you know what to do.

As he closes the distance, you shift your weight and for a front kick to push him back, like you’ve done a million times in training…
… but you lose your balance and fall on your butt. He is right on top of you, and about to try and curb stomp you into oblivion.

Where did you go wrong? Read more to find out.