Matt Stait from Modern Samurai discusses martial arts and self defence

The myth of the martial arts expert. We all know one. You can’t open your front door anymore without falling over a 12yr old 4 th dan black belt. Or even worse, the instructor that claims to know how to disarm a knife wielding attacker when the nearest they have ever come to real danger is waving a shock knife around in a sports hall. The unspoken truth is that a lot of black belts can’t fight. I mean that they can perform well in a stylised, sanitised version of combat, but in the outside world they would come unstuck very quickly. I know this will offend some people, but I think it is a fair statement. The absurdity of the situation is beyond ludicrous. Imagine taking your child to swimming lessons where the instructor has never been in a swimming pool, but once a wise man described swimming to him and now he is convinced he is the best swimmer ever and loudly decries anyone who thinks you can swim in a different way. Welcome to the world of the martial art expert. Now I am n...

Can you remember that line in the Monty Python film where they ask, “what have the Romans ever done for us?” and then list off a long line of things. For me, martial arts is like this. I often get asked what are the benefits of training? The list of benefits goes far beyond what you learn in the class, for me the martial arts has impacted on every aspect of life. Being on the mats has taught me so much more than just fighting. It has allowed me to see past the class system. Years ago, I was a decorator and I worked all week on building sites painting homes I could never afford to buy. But in the evening I would be mixing with doctors, lawyers, businessmen and bricklayers alike. When we walked through those big red doors at the entrance to our Dojo we stripped away the outside world. As we took off our shoes we also took off our egos. We trained and sweated alongside each other becoming firm friends which allowed us to see into each other’s lives. Growing up on a council estate ...

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