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Review Of My Six Month Course "Realistic Self-Defense (RSD), March 1997"
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ix months ago a friend of mine told me that she was interested in looking into a womens self defense course and invited me to come along.
I too, was interested and had been for years, in finding this type of class or martial art to join.
I had always been interested in karate, partly because my brother took it up and partly because it seems exciting.
The movies have always shown the "karate guy" taking victory over the bad guy with the knives or guns.
However, in demonstrations and/or competitions I have seen (live & on TV) the more I have wondered why martial artists always choose another martial artist to demonstrate the effectiveness of the moves they teach instead of an experienced street fighter.
All of this has made me question the purpose of karate more and more as to whether it could be defined as a self defense or a sport.
Clearly, by now I have noticed a few flaws or misgivings and have decided that it isnt an infallible medium by which to defend oneself in a street situation.
Over the years Ive had the experience of wrestling and play fighting with brothers and boyfriends and this has discourage me somewhat into believing that as a woman I would not have much hope in a real situation if something dangerous was to happen.
First of all, men have always had the physical advantage over women even if they are of a smaller height and weight.
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With this much experience and physical advantage it seems nearly impossible for a woman to be able to challenge a man. I have also seen people, either in person or on TV, demonstrate little techniques which are supposed to stop or control another persons actions.
What did leave a lasting impression on me was the first introductory session to Wing Tsun Kung Fu six months ago. It was shown how other styles and techniques were ineffective to the average attacker but also how different Wing Tsun is from any of them. In the beginning, when I signed up for the class, my expectation were modest.
One of the reasons which prevented me from signing up for karate years ago was the cost of the lessons. I hoped that during the 6 months I would gain more knowledge of Wing Tsun, apply the principles, and use these to hopefully dissipate some old fears and to develop greater self confidence and courage. I have never been attacked by a stranger and gratefully so because I had felt I wouldnt have much of a chance in that type of situation. Physically, I hoped to develop more strength, flexibility and speed.
My main goal was to complete the course and set more goals at the end of 6 months.
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At the beginning I was not sure if teaching would be a possibility for me.
Now that the six months has come to a close, I have come to a few realizations.
In most other types of self defense or martial arts, the main idea is to keep distance between yourself and your attacker so as not to get hurt. In Wing Tsun, the four principles are to
Obviously, these principles are completely opposite to anything I have ever seen or heard of and so they are a bit difficult to get used to. However, they make perfect sense and this is why I wish to continue on and learn as much as I can. Wing Tsun is something that requires a lot of patience, self discipline and motivation. More than that, it requires faith that the system will work for you when and if you ever need it. On my own, I would not feel qualified to teach this to other students without a great deal more practice and knowledge. However, I do see this as a possibility in the future when I am a little more confident in my abilities. Until then, I will train and practice harder until this becomes a reality. |
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