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RHenriksen wrote:Nice to see so much awareness of the limitations of different forms of martial arts. I've been training in a classical M.A. school for a good 15 years, and I'm realistic about it being mostly for the personal benefits rather than street survival.

QUESTION. Should I (or most of us) consider Martial Arts for effective self-defense?

CONSIDERATIONS
Over 30 (also over 50, 60)
Out of youth
Out of practice
Out of (fightin') shape
Out of speed
Out of agility
Unsure of balance
Limited in endurance
Less muscle strength than at previous ages

ANSWER
Up close and personal, at best I may have the opportunity for one surprise move against an assailant - (e.g. kick to knee or groin, hand to nose). Holds, sweeps, flips, sparring, wrestling, grappling, or whatever are not really an option. Of course, having to make that "surprise move" means that all previous Plans have failed. Give me distance and superior power.

To draw a comparison, while there are many people who look upon skydiving as a "sport", pilots (aka, the real world) see jumping out of an airplane as a last-ditch emergency procedure, with often-serious aftermaths. As I see it, same goes for martial arts.

Methinks that many of us fall prey to a scientificly-established study that has uncovered a substantial problem - M.I.S. - the Mirror Image Syndrome. The syndrome manifests itself in both males and females, but in substantially different ways. Instead of using the medical and statistical jargon, I will try to pass on how it would relate to me:

Each morning, I get up and look in the mirror. And I see 29. Intellectually, I do know that I am a few years (decades) older, but nonetheless, the mirror image shows me as being much younger. Since I see myself as 29, I think that I can still act as if I am that age. I think that I have the speed, agility, and balance of those years. MIS causes me to overlook several factors:
1) I haven't practiced those types of hand-to-hand moves for many years.
2) I have forgotten that practice is merely role-playing - both sides are really on the same team, and one goal is to not hurt the other player.
3) I have not fully accepted that I am not as strong as I used to be, or that my bones may break more easily.
4) I do not realize that my true image may make me appear to be more of a potential victim than I perceive myself to be.
5) I am not nearly as capable as I think I am, and never will be, regarding physicalilty.
6) By repeatedly watching how close-in action is done in the movies, I feel that I still have the tools and capabilities to do the same things, since it is so easy.

So, thinking that I am safer by "knowing" any or all of the multiple disciplines of combat fighting is nothing but a false image that could lead me to improper decision-making. If a situation calls for less-than-lethal response, I would rather depend on pepper spray rather than my long-gone "29 year-old" skills.