You Can always Run by Guru Liam

Running is the answer many Instructor’s come up with, when it comes to giving advice on how to deal with an attacker, who using a weapon, especially a blade. While this advice is very true, and practical, it’s definitely not a strategy that will work all the time or even the majority of times.

Way to often, styles of the New modern Martial Arts claim the upper hand by saying, we teach all 3 ranges of Combat Striking / Grappling / Ground Fighting and proudly proclaim that’s all you need. These 3 ranges do work together very well, however if you add in the Knife Concept, suddenly the mix doesn’t work so well. The knife (Blade)/Stick (Blunt) concept changes everything. While before, a student may condition them self to take hits, wrestle to submission etc… they can’t condition themselves to take the damage a weapon will inflict. In a split second, you could be facing losing your life. Many of the techniques and concepts which sit very comfortably with the originally 3 range mixed, now can put you in a position where, there actually putting you into true danger, by increasing your chance of getting serious damage, by making stupid mistake / or false conception of how to deal with a blade.

So what is the answer to Knife Defence that is given by these group, well it usually follows the following common responses on social media. 1. You Don’t need Knife Defence, as you won’t get attack with a blade. Well that’s not really true, a lot of young males who get involved, in serious aggression usually may have to face a weapon of some sort. 2. What we do in empty hands, can simply be translated to a weapon response. Yes that’s true if you’re system that you’re learning has come from a weapon system like Silat or Kali. These system specialise in weapon defences. If your training system hasn’t got a proper influence from a weapon system, then what you are using won’t work as effective as the theory, you have work out in your head. 3. No defence is needed, just get the Hell out of there. That is 100% correct, don’t mess around with any silly Martial Arts technique, get the hell out of there, fast and keep running. So what’s the problem with that piece of solid good information? Surely everyone knows that, and will Run or would they?

I regularly teach teenagers during the day at schools, and so when we get to this point of Self Defence training, where we doing Knife defence, when question of what they would do, they usually give the answer of running away. I say “Yes, that correct, but how fast can your Mother Run, or younger sister, or maybe imagine in a few years, your 3 year old child, how fast can they run? Would they be able to out run an attacker? What about if you were in a lift? Or in a close room? Or standing at a urinal? Or putting your shopping into a car? Or maybe you out with your girlfriend/boyfriend and you’re face with this danger, or the both of you going to run at same time? Same directions? When real true fear and shock hits you “Usually by this time, the realities of needing to learn some knife defence skills / concepts might hit home. Thinking you can always run, is simply denial of the true facts, about realities of weapon attacks.

 If you learning a Martial Art for Self Defence you need to find a teacher or a style that understands the concept of a blade or blunt weapon, and how it can truly co- exist with all the other ranges. You need to learn the core essentials of the how to deal with a weapon attack, and try to think how can you not just defend yourself, but also your love ones. If you’re claiming you learning an all rounded, all range Martial Arts and not learning weapon defence, as you don’t believe it’s needed in a modern society, with increase violence is needed. Or if you believe that running is answer to everything, than I truly wish you the best with that thought. Nothing new needs to be re-invented to learn weapon concepts as these concepts already exist in Silat and Kali.  In these arts, all ranges, all possibilities, all situations are thought out and the student is develop to learn through training experience, to best equip him/her for the street.

I hope this article might give you some food for thought. If you like more details on what we do send me a message or e-mail guruliam@hotmail.com