Self-defence, understandably, forms an important part of what we offer our students in each class.
It’s one of the main reasons why people choose learning a martial art, over joining a gym. No point having big muscles if you don’t have the skills to use them – there’s also no need for big muscles to be able to effectively defend yourself.
You may have heard the phrase; muscles don’t win fights. Of course, they can help, but the skills are far more important.
It’s for this reason, that we include a specific element of self-defence in every class.
From our Tiny Tigers, Young Dragons, and Leadership classes, through to the Basic Combat and Jeet Kune Do classes in our adult program.
The types of techniques we teach range from kicking and striking, to take-downs and grappling. Each skill is tailored to the students – depending on age and experience.
What we teach
Whilst the goal is to equip our student to defend themselves, with confidence and skill, this isn’t the primary goal.
Verbal de-escalation skills and far more important initially – being able to stop a situation happening before it starts. This starts with confidence – and we find that as the skill levels of our students develop, their confidence grows along with it, helping them deal with this first, important step.
The 2nd goal, should de-escalation fail, is to do what is necessary with the least amount of effort to enable you to ‘get out of there’. Running away is no shame, particularly these days with concealed weapons.
Lastly, if all else fails, we teach the skills necessary to end the confrontation using force.
Given the variety of techniques, we can’t teach it all in one go. For each class, we pick a technique and practise it until it feels comfortable and effective, before moving onto the next one.
This gives our students plenty of time to learn and master it.
All our students feel more comfortable in being able to defend themselves using the skills they acquire in class. And we now have a few spaces for some new students!
If you’re considering starting a new thing in 2024, why not try martial arts?
Why not come and find out how martial arts can help you on your fitness journey. You’re never too old or too young to start, so claim your free trial now.