| Are you serious about getting the self-defense | | | | against what he decided to throw at you! |
| training you need to protect yourself and survive | | | | Remember, in an organized sport competition, |
| a real world attack? Then, you must make sure | | | | before the fighters ever step into the ring, there |
| that you're learning the right lessons. | | | | are certain standards and prerequisites that they |
| The fact is that a brutal attack on the street is | | | | have to meet and qualify against. Things like: |
| very different from the controlled, rule-laden | | | | - Size |
| environment of a sport competition. This is true, | | | | - Age |
| regardless of whether we're talking about boxing, | | | | - Gender |
| Olympic wrestling, or a mixed martial arts fight. | | | | - Weight |
| I've heard my fair share of arguments - especially | | | | - Rank |
| in the world of karate and martial arts - that the | | | | - Skill/Experience |
| ring is the perfect place to test your skills. | | | | - Class |
| Regardless of the fact that the "ring" is rife with | | | | - Etc. The "fairness" of a sporting event starts |
| rules and predetermined criteria designed to | | | | WAY before the contenders ever step into the |
| foster fair play, rather than survival! | | | | ring, octagon, or whatever arena that serves as |
| Remember, if you're using a strategy based on | | | | the competition paradigm. |
| rules, and he isn't - you're going to find it very | | | | On the contrary, the victim of a self defense |
| difficult to win in a real-world, street attack. | | | | attack most often finds him or herself matched |
| That being said, there's also another consideration | | | | exactly opposite their attacker. Add to this the |
| to the "fair-play" illusion that you need to consider | | | | possible inclusion of weapons, "third-party" rules, |
| when preparing for self-defense. In fact, if you | | | | policies, and regulations (as is the case of police |
| ignore this very important reality, you will find out | | | | officers, security, and even employees attacked |
| the hard way that you never stood a chance to | | | | in a workplace violence incident), and multiple |
| begin with. | | | | attackers - and you have a situation that lacks all |
| What I'm talking about is the fact that, if you find | | | | sense of "fairness" from the very beginning! |
| that you're the victim of an attack... | | | | So...to believe that you can "fight fair" in a |
| ...your attacker has already set things up in his | | | | self-defense situation when the attacker(s) went |
| favor. Or... | | | | out of their way to insure that it WOULDN'T be |
| ...he chose you because you were weaker, | | | | fair goes beyond all reason. In fact, it borders on |
| smaller, less armed, or somehow the underdog | | | | the ignorant and insane! |