Self Defense vs Martial Arts and Combat Sports. What's the difference?
Which martial art is better for self-defense? A question I hear all the time. Online searches will give you confusing messages. Many will swear by BJJ, Judo or MMA. While self defense, martial arts and combat sports share similarities, they also possess distinct characteristics that set them apart. So let’s explore.
Defining Martial Arts and Combat Sports
Martial arts practice traditional movements which prioritise spiritual development and physical fitness based on artistic expressions. When we think of martial arts we often think of Tai Chi or Aikido which teach complex movements, techniques and forms with an emphasis on discipline and respect.
Combat sports are modern fighting practices originating from various cultures around the world. While some such as BJJ, Muay Thai and MMA have practical applications for self-defense they are mostly used in the sense of sportsmanship and the thrill of fair competition. It is about winning or losing a sport game.
Defining Self-Defense Self-defense like Krav Maga, refers to a set of techniques and strategies designed to protect yourself from physical harm in a real-world confrontation. It focuses on awareness, de-escalation, practicality, speed and explosiveness and quick decision-making in high-stress situations. Self-defense training typically involves learning techniques for neutralizing threats, escaping dangerous situations, and minimizing the risk of you getting injured. Training often employs certain martial arts in wrestling or boxing drills to test endurance and movement. But the primary goal of self-defense is survival, with an emphasis on using minimal force to disable an attacker and seek safety.
While self-defense may have components of martial arts and combat sports it’s distinctly different and here is why.
Key Differences:
Self-Defense is not a competitive sport neither a choreography. It’s a group of techniques to use to protect yourself from an imminent danger and escape quickly and as unharmed as possible. And this is why it involves more than what most people think.
No Rules: Martial arts and Combat sports have rules. Even MMA does. Boxing for example, is a sport where you use your arms to hit your opponent. There are limitations as to what you can and cannot do. So you could be a great boxer but are you technically equipped to avoid a kick or a takedown? In real life situations there are no rules an attacker will follow when trying to hit, rape or kill you. And you don’t get to tap either! The more trained you are to survive a fight in all various aspects of training including both standing and ground attacks, the better. As to what rules you have to follow? Some countries may have laws that prohibit the use of excessive force to defend yourself. My view however is that if someone breaks into my house and my child’s life is in clear danger, then I do what I have to do and deal with the law afterwards!
Multiple Attackers: While almost all Martial Arts and Combat Sports are based on a one-to-one fighting, in a self-defense scenario you may encounter multiple attackers. Trying to BJJ your way out of such a situation would not be practical or feasible. Self-defense systems like Krav Maga teaches how to scan your surroundings for multiple attackers, make sure when you are dealing with one attacker, his friends don’t suddenly show up behind you and how to physically put up a fight with more than one person at the same time and still manage to escape.
Weapons: When looking at statistics, a good number of attacks these days involve weapons like sticks, knives and firearms. Self-defence teaches you how to deal with weapons in both a threat and an attack situation.