Common Self-Defence Myths Debunked
lets debunk some of the myths surrounding self defence
Introduction
In our opinion everyone should learn basic self defence skills, however, there is a lot of misinformation about what self defence is and when and how it should be used. Let’s explore some of the most common myths found in the self defence world!
“If I learn martial arts, I’ll automatically be good at self defence”
Unfortunately, this is not the case. There is cross over between martial arts and self defence, a good punch is a good punch and basic martial arts skills are taught in any self defence class, but there are many skills that you need to learn that have no place in any martial art. These include skills such as: using verbal skills to deescalate people, setting boundaries, using body language to show you are not interested in violence, using strikes to be able to create space to escape (imagine a kickboxer hitting their opponent and running out of the ring) and doing all of this while staying on the right side of UK law!
As you can see, just learning a martial art does not make you automatically good a defending yourself outside of the dojo or ring.
“Carrying a weapon makes me safer”
In the UK carrying weapons for any reason is illegal, this makes any claims of self defence mute as UK law will no longer consider your actions instinctive and instead view them as premeditated.
That said; using environmental weapons is perfectly legal as long as you use reasonable force under UK law.
Read the below article to get more information about self defence and UK law:
REASONABLE FOR IN SELF DEFENCE
“If I get attacked, I’ll freeze and won’t be able to do anything”
We have three responses to any high stress situation, flight, fight or freeze. These are completely normal reactions and have helped us survive as a species.
Unpredictable reactions can be an issue, which is why training is important. By practicing responses in various self defence drills, we prepare ourselves to react appropriately in real situations instead of freezing.
You can read more about how we react to stress and fear here:
UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRESS AND FEAR
Final thoughts
It is important to question myths around self defence as believing in them can lead to a false sense of security and potentially change your behaviour putting you at higher risk of encountering a self defence situation. It is much more important to get a realistic sense of what self defence is and how the skills can help you in your day to day life.
Fortunately at Brixton Self Defence we teach realistic self defence and teach the skills of self defence in the context of UK law and give you the tools to feel more confident.