What is self defense?
Self defense is the study of efficient fighting techniques for the sole purpose of defending oneself against aggression. Because of this, the techniques tend to be fairly dirty, nasty things, which can rapidly injure and therefore disable the attacker without relying on a tremendous amount of physical strength and dexterity. Martial arts and self defense are related but they are not the same thing. Martial arts techniques can be extremely useful in self defense situations, however the defender must understand the difference between practice in a dojo and combat in the streets. For instance, to win in martial arts competition, you have to defeat your opponent. You have to execute techniques better than they do. In self defense, all you have to do is make them stop their attack. This does not require you to win. This only requires you to make it difficult enough for them to consider it not worth while. A saying from the oldest book on strategy says that, “To subdue your opponent without
