You go to a self-defence school or club and for years, you train as you are told. So when you see someone else on Facebook or YouTube showing self-defense techniques in a way that is not like you are taught they are automatically wrong!!! I see this time and time again. The bottom line is this…… The vast majority of instructors that teach self-defence are teaching you techniques that will get your ass kicked!! And you might be reading this right now and thinking „Who is he, what does he know?“ Well, I have had 17 years in law enforcement and even longer in boxing, Judo and other martial arts. And yes I truly know what works and doesn’t so I might have an opinion worth considering for a minute.
How To Find The Self Defence Scam Artists
But how do you actually know if your self-defence training is any good? I mean unless you have to use your skills in a real life situation how can you really know? Well here is our guide to spotting the scammers from the real instructors.
1.You Only Learn Open Hand Slaps or Palm Heel Strikes
This is a real issue that I have! Many times I hear people say „I do not teach people to punch with a closed fist because the hands break too easily“, or they say “ a slap is far more efficient than a punch.“ Ok, so let us address this bullshit straight away. Slaps work, I have taught them, and they are great….. to a point. The human fist is in essence, a projectile weapon. It is very solid, and if you have the ability to send that weapon out with speed and power, you have at your disposal an instant method of self-protection. A slap on the other hand is an impact tool. It has a large contact area and again can be used with great power, generally from a circular ‚hooking arc‘. My personal rule is this:
The Slap Should Only Be Used As A Pre-Emptive Strike
Why would I say such a thing? Simple, because if you are taking punches to the face, your slaps will not win! Don’t believe me, take off your big ass padded suits and head gear and one of you be the puncher with MMA gloves and the other use your slaps and see who wins. The only goal of the slap is the KO which is great when you aren’t getting smashed by two boulder-sized fists. In essence, this is a ‚Impact v Damage‘ debate. But ask yourself this, if slapping was so great why don’t you see UFC stars using it? You don’t because it doesn’t do the damage required.
Now, remember I would never exclude slapping from training and a good slap works wonders and can even work in the midst of a self-defense situation. But you still need to be able to punch and if your instructor can’t or simply says punching doesn’t work then they haven’t been in enough fights.
But….. „What about the hands breaking?“ Yes, the hands can break when you throw punches. However, that is better than having your nose, jaw and teeth broken! You can play patty cake all you like in the gym but when the s##t hits the fan in real life, you will need to be able to throw serious punches or hammer fists that are fast, accurate and have power.
A Palm Heel Strike Will Never Replace A Punch