This post is long and I run the risk of not only ruffling some feathers, I might also come across as an arrogant bastard who thinks he’s better than everybody else. I can only tell you that this is not my intent. That said, please read on.

We all have an ego. For some of us it’s bigger than for others but we all have one. That ego is often surprisingly fragile. You’d think that martial artists who spend decades honing their skills, learning to become strong in both mind and body, would feel less easily threatened than others. But I’ve found this is often not the case, perhaps even the opposite. It’s not surprising though, as the dynamics at play are probably not all that difficult to understand.

Here’s how I see it.

Martial arts students and self-defense practitioners are heavily into learning a specific set of skills: how to defeat somebody who attacks you.

They spend an inordinate amount of time training for an event that is (for the most part) avoidable in the average Western society: unless you live in a crime infested area or regularly have to go to one, unless you live a criminal or dangerous lifestyle, chances are actually pretty low that you’re in acute danger. Even if there is a problem, chances are good you can avoid trouble with some common sense and awareness skills. So practicing your punching and kicking techniques religiously is not the skill-set you need the most to be safe. Which means people often train for other reasons than self-defense.

There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s perfectly fine as long as you’re honest about it with yourself and that’s where I think the problems start. My guess is that people who invest so much time in the arts identify themselves with the training. Meaning, their martial arts or self-defense skills are an important piece of what makes up their ego. Questioning that piece means questioning their ego. Which means questioning who you are, scrutinizing core beliefs around which your world revolves, and more.

That’s a tall order…

It’s human nature to refuse to do this and I don’t think there’s a need to blame people when they’d rather stick their head in the sand. I know very few people who willingly and systematically question themselves, their motives or their world view. Hell, I know you should do this but freely admit I fall short all the time in this aspect. Read More→

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