Is martial arts really that useful?
Is martial arts really that useful?
I've been thinking about martial arts and how really it is useful these days since a lot of places will have criminals hiding firearms or in the U.S. some states have conceal carry.
Whilst it contains discipline and it is enjoyable to train in a club for, say Karate, I just think it might not be that useful in places where firearms are commonly held, all it really takes is for someone to take safety off, aim, pew pew and that's it.
I suppose I probably get this thinking from kung fu where it's seen more of an art form then actually being a serious bone breaking form of combat
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I begun judo a few weeks ago. The teacher was clear: it may not be useful in actual fight, but we don't fight often in the real life. But it's great for your body, spirit and it will teach you how to fall without hurting yourself. And these things are way more useful than self defense.
I got up to judo brown belt as a teen and it has saved my ass countless times. Not in fights, but in silly ass falls. Having good instincts when falling is a lifesaver.
I had a few bike crashes: 2 times breaking the same collarbone + some head trauma. All of it could have been avoided by knowing how to fall, head first is bad, elbow first is bad and also chin first is bad. After learning how to fall I should also learn how to use a bike maybe 😅
All of it could have been avoided by knowing how to fall
That is so damn true.
I'm a downhill biker but I learned a bunch of combatives in the army so I know how to fall really well. My friends are always surprised when I walk away from a crash that should have broken something and all I have is a scratch on my shoulder.
My secret is just go limp. Tensing up is when you hurt yourself in a fall.
I just had a big fall on my electric bike this spring.
There was a brick sticking out of the brick bike path and I flipped over the handlebars into the street. It was the one day I forgot to grab my helmet leaving for work.
My hands got a bit cut up and my shoulder was slightly bruised, but I was completely fine! I only got a yellow belt in judo years ago so falling and basic throws are all I learned, but that probably saved my ass from getting a hurt elbow, wrist, or hitting my head.
Gods yes. Just the falls I've taken since becoming disabled that I prevented injury because I know how to fall safely would make the time spent training worth it.
The best physical training I ever had were: judo and working in the dish room of my college dining hall where the floor was always wet and slimy with food. Between the two of them, I never slipped again. When I saw an ice covered stairway or slope, I could go shooting down it with confidence I’d stay on my feet. Between the slippery floor while carrying breakables and knowing how to fall, falling was just not an issue.
Of course now I want me some of that “youth” back