Self Defense Training

Self Defense Training

Although many martial arts focus on the virtues of violent restraint during conflict, the commonality of all styles is that they’re systems of self-defense training. In regard to fighting, the bottom line is survival: defeating an opponent by any means. Yet in the wake of 9/11, the general public is more aware of the preparatory effectiveness that martial arts brings to those interested in protecting themselves and their families. 

 

The trend of self-defense training systems moving away from the codified traditions of martial arts as a way of life have led to a view of martial arts techniques as a means of survival. Self-defense training has become about quickly developing skills for personal combat in which the mindsets range from maiming your attacker with brutal, lethal tactics to escape tactics (i.e., get the heck out of there as quickly as possible). Any self-defense system is about identifying your goal and training to meet it.

1. Close Quarters Combat

   Traditionally, close-quarters combat was a military or law-enforcement term used to describe armed or unarmed hand-to-hand combat. However, the importance of martial arts in CQC training has always been of tantamount importance. Before the advent of guns, especially in Asian cultures, military and martial artists developed battle-, ring- and ...
2. Combat Hapkido

   In the words of combat hapkido founder John Pellegrini, “I have merely structured a new self-defense system based on sound scientific principles and modern concepts. For this reason, combat hapkido is also referred to as the ‘Science of Self-Defense.’ Combat hapkido is a new interpretation and application of a selected body of ...
3. Combatives

   Combatives is a term used by the United States Army for its hand-to-hand combat training program. Although the key for military personnel during missions is to never find one’s self in a situation without a rifle, sidearm or knife, sometimes a soldier has to defend himself with his fists. Initialized by Rex Applegate during WWII and presented ...
4. Krav Maga

   Krav maga is a brutal hybrid form of martial arts hand-to-hand combat that was founded by Imi Lichtenfeld (1910-1998). It is based on Imi Lichtenfeld’s street fighting, boxing and wrestling skills that he used to defend the Jewish quarter in the city of Bratislava (the modern capital of Slovakia) against fascist groups in the mid- to ...
5. Law Enforcement Training

   Basic law-enforcement training includes a variety of intense instruction, exams and skill tests for the purpose of an individual becoming a certified law-enforcement official, like a member of a police force. Police officers undergo self-defense training to develop effective skills in close-quarters combat. This expertise offers valuable ...
6. Self Defense for Women

   Historically, it was frowned on for women to practice martial arts in many cultures. However, women warriors have consistently broken down the barriers to prove their mettle to their male counterparts. Examples include Hua Mu-lan, the Yang Women Warriors, Shaolin nun Wu Mei and Okinawan bodyguard Tsuru Yonamine. Other women have developed martial ...
7. Systema

   Literally translated as “the system,” systema is a Russian martial art notable for its hand-to-hand and close-quarters-combat ways. It is the system of choice for many Russian Spetsnaz which is a catchall term for Russian special-forces units. In fact, one of the most prominent practitioners of systema today is Mikhail Ryabko ...