The debate between sport martial arts and street applicability is one of the oldest arguments in the martial arts world and also one of the least productive. Both sides overstate their case. Sport martial artists sometimes dismiss concerns about real-world…
Pressure points occupy a peculiar space in martial arts: they are simultaneously a legitimate subject of anatomical study and a refuge for instructors who teach techniques that can’t be tested. Understanding what is real about pressure point work — and…
Women train in martial arts for different reasons than men — often, but not always. Self-defense is a more prominent consideration. Physical size and strength differences are a genuine factor. And the training environment matters in ways that a male…
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the most developed ground fighting system available to civilian practitioners. A serious BJJ student who trains consistently for three to four years develops genuine ground fighting capability that transfers well to self-defense contexts. This is not in…
Most striking arts are taught as if fights happen at a fixed distance. The students practice punching and kicking combinations against a stationary heavy bag or a cooperative partner who holds pads and stays in the correct place. The techniques…
Geoff Thompson, the British self-defense instructor and author, developed and popularized what he called “the fence” — a pre-contact positioning concept that addresses the gap between formal martial arts training and real-world defensive encounters. The concept is simple, practically powerful,…
Most martial arts systems include some form of knife defense in their curriculum. Most of it is inadequate for real encounters with an edged weapon. This is not an indictment of traditional training — it reflects an honest assessment of…
