The Confusion between
Martial Arts and Self Defence

A lot of martial arts students have misconceptions about self defence and the relationship with martial arts. Here we will try to explain it.

First, self defence is your ability to defend yourself when attacked by one or multiple attackers in a real life situation. This could mean a drunken person in a bar or being robbed at knifepoint.

Too many people believe that a martial art is all about self defence. They think they'll do a bit of training and suddenly they'll be untouchable in any situation. They may even reach their black belt and get cocky about how "bad ass" they are.

The truth is, a black belt can still get knocked out. A black belt can still get stabbed. And the cockier you are, the harder you will learn this lesson when the time comes.

On the other side of the argument, you will find people that believe if you're not practicing drag down, full contact, no holds barred sparring then your martial art is "useless." They will tell you that most fights go to the ground and you need to train in grappling and takedowns, which is partially true.

But until they start practicing on the real street and hit the concrete for the first time or the attacker's friend come up behind them with a bottle… when does it become "real" self defence?

If you watch the Ultimate Fighting Champion guys fighting on TV, you'll also notice they have padded mats, fight one-on-one, and still can't kick to the groin or eye gouge. So it may look impressive on TV, but that doesn't mean it's the way a fight will go in real life.

In Nam Pai Chuan, you will learn traditional Shaolin forms and how they apply to attack and defence, kicking and punching techniques, ground fighting, grappling, joint locks, chin na, and practice sparring.

When beginning, you will practice "point" sparring that is light contact and doesn't involve punching to the face. These rules are not used for realism. They're used to teach you how to move, attack, and defend against an opponent. As you progress through the system, sparring will include punching to the head and takedowns, when your body and mind are better prepared to handle it.

We will also teach you the most important aspect of self defence, avoidance. Most fights start because the person is unable to suppress their ego and simply walk away. A martial arts practitioner has nothing to prove to themselves or the drunken person trying to provoke them.

In summary, true self defence doesn't come from a weekend course where you learn a few techniques either. It comes from mastery of those techniques from repetition and practice. As Bruce Lee said, "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times."

Our martial art is extremely broad and it will give you the tools to better defend yourself in dangerous situations. But a martial art is so much broader than its self defence applications.

It has tradition, it strengthens your will as well as your body, it has positive benefits on all aspects of your life, and it's a lot of fun.