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By far the most important martial arts skill is the ability to function effectively after receiving a powerful blow to the face, solar plexus, etc. The only way

By far the most important martial arts skill is the ability to function effectively after receiving a powerful blow to the face, solar plexus, etc. The only way to develop this skill is by practicing it; very few people do, for obvious reasons. If your martial arts training does not include this, it may have many benefits, but is severely lacking as training for actual fighting.

vasco 5y ago
My teacher used to say the most important martial arts skill for real life is predicting a fight and turning around and running away.
- leephillips 5y ago
  Absolutely. And functioning effectively includes retaining the ability to run away, rather than falling to the ground in a heap, which will be followed by your opponent kicking you in the head.
- Engineering-MD 5y ago
  I always thought this, but only works if you are alone, or the person you want to protect can run too. Fighting is most useful to defend someone else who can’t run or fight.
  - legends2k 5y ago
    I think the advice is more meta than actually about fighting. It’s about being aware of one’s circumstances/environment and choosing your battles.
- sph 5y ago
  Check out Krav Maga. It's a self defense "martial art" with the only goal of quickly incapacitating an enemy to be able to flee. Very practical. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krav_Maga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krav_Maga
theonething 5y ago
"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." -Mike Tyson
exikyut 5y ago
I guess the two questions that come to mind after I read this are 1. How can I OW objectively OW tell oww the difference ow where being seriously jarred (ow) ends and being significantly injured begins? 2. As a person ages, is it possible to train in this way without ending up seriously banged up with long-term ramifications? Or is this more of a "don't use a skateboard" type of thing with no leeway?
- leephillips 5y ago
  2.: I desisted after about age 45.
- mikelevins 5y ago
  1. Practice getting hit. (Preferably with a partner who has enough knowledge and skill to avoid injuring you.) 2. You can practice at low risk of being seriously injured. Again, you need a partner who is sufficiently knowledgeable and skilled to help you without hurting you. Grappling arts that emphasize groundfighting give you more practical experience of fighting usefully with lower risk of injury. Because you more often start out on the ground, you're much less likely to be injured in a fall. Because you strike less, you're less likely to injure yourself either by striking something or by being struck. If you want to get past the non-useful reactions to being struck, though, then you probably also want to do some striking artor sport with contact--boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, et. al. Just be sure to use safety equipment and work with someone who has both skill and empathy.
  - leephillips 5y ago
    All good points.

vasco 5y ago

My teacher used to say the most important martial arts skill for real life is predicting a fight and turning around and running away.

leephillips 5y ago
Absolutely. And functioning effectively includes retaining the ability to run away, rather than falling to the ground in a heap, which will be followed by your opponent kicking you in the head.
Engineering-MD 5y ago
I always thought this, but only works if you are alone, or the person you want to protect can run too. Fighting is most useful to defend someone else who can’t run or fight.
- legends2k 5y ago
  I think the advice is more meta than actually about fighting. It’s about being aware of one’s circumstances/environment and choosing your battles.
sph 5y ago
Check out Krav Maga. It's a self defense "martial art" with the only goal of quickly incapacitating an enemy to be able to flee. Very practical. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krav_Maga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krav_Maga

theonething 5y ago

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." -Mike Tyson

exikyut 5y ago

I guess the two questions that come to mind after I read this are 1. How can I OW objectively OW tell oww the difference ow where being seriously jarred (ow) ends and being significantly injured begins? 2. As a person ages, is it possible to train in this way without ending up seriously banged up with long-term ramifications? Or is this more of a "don't use a skateboard" type of thing with no leeway?

leephillips 5y ago
2.: I desisted after about age 45.
mikelevins 5y ago
1. Practice getting hit. (Preferably with a partner who has enough knowledge and skill to avoid injuring you.) 2. You can practice at low risk of being seriously injured. Again, you need a partner who is sufficiently knowledgeable and skilled to help you without hurting you. Grappling arts that emphasize groundfighting give you more practical experience of fighting usefully with lower risk of injury. Because you more often start out on the ground, you're much less likely to be injured in a fall. Because you strike less, you're less likely to injure yourself either by striking something or by being struck. If you want to get past the non-useful reactions to being struck, though, then you probably also want to do some striking artor sport with contact--boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, et. al. Just be sure to use safety equipment and work with someone who has both skill and empathy.
- leephillips 5y ago
  All good points.