The true purpose of martial arts is self-defense. People who wanted to protect themselves in threatening situations designed the martial arts brilliantly. In circumstances of this kind there will be a call for some type of action.

There are many different ways to respond in a situation that requires self-defense. By traveling in a large group you can prevent aggression before it rears its ugly head. Carrying yourself with confidence will also keep away would-be attackers. A forceful yell might also scare your attacker away in a bad situation.

A different kind of action is that of resistance. A conflict may be so dire that it requires the use of force. You may not have time to think, only to react. That is when the ability to defend yourself from your martial arts training comes into play. It’s preferable to avoid confrontation, but sometimes you must resist by blocking.

Another type of resistance is blocking and escaping. If attacked, you can use your martial arts skills to block the strike, and then quickly find a way to safety.

Finally, resistance can mean counterattacking, or doing damage to temporarily disable the attacker, so he cannot cause you any further harm.

The action of absorbing is very difficult. It’s best summed up with the idea of turning the other cheek. It is the opposite of resisting because it is a willingness to accept, rather than oppose, what confronts you.

This quality is evident in someone with high principles who is unwilling to participate in aggression. To act as one willing to absorb is to be a person of high moral character and understanding.

Another action that is useful in handling bad situations is redirection. The idea here is to allow the aggressor to beat himself or herself up. A physically aggressive attack can be turned back against the attacker so that his own force hurts him. To be able to redirect is a very skillful method of self-defense.

With such a range of possible actions in a self-defense situation, it is important to practice your skills whenever you have a chance. Think about our self-defense curriculum and categorize the techniques according to whether they are resistance, absorption, or redirection. When your instructor makes time in class to practice self-defense techniques, give it your focused attention so that you will be ready if a real confrontation arises.