I was recently working with a partner 'performing' some self-defence upon him when i paused to consider some of the things i was actually doing.
In this particular instance my partner had kicked Mae Geri Chudan and i had performed a leading hand Shuto Gedan Barai followed by an Ushiro Geri Chudan, and then a rapid, Ushiro Ashi Barai and then a strike to his now fallen body at the head neck groin etc from a Shigo-Dachi stance.
Technical to apply (slightly)
Dangerous to apply (very)
If this technique works out in aggressor / defender situation, I started to ask myself, is the follow through morally acceptable. After all I would have quite aggressively thrown my opponent to the ground with an Ushiro Ashi Barai. His hitting the ground with his back, or head is very likely, making my follow through not only unnecessary in most cases - (there are no mats in the streets) but actually quite gratuitous.
Its food for thought as we normally train a series of fighting counters in such a manner that we cease to think after we start a fighting series / defensive combination. My point being that without a set of equally important moral set of values, we run the risk of teaching people to only answer to their actions after they have completed them.
We always talk about how Karate instils discipline.
Physically - Yes.
Mentally - Yes
Morally - Questionable.
Lets face facts not all Dojo's are run by saints, and whilst traditional Okinawan, or Japanese techniques are taught in our Dojo, I often ask how often are traditional moral values taught, and are students being taught to understand that their moral compass is in their own hands - to shatter as they will or to follow through with morally acceptable behaviour - even, or especially more so in a fighting situation.
As always Food for thought.
You are absolutely right. Our actions in a self defence situation have to be morally defensible. The purpose of self defence is neither to win or lose - it is to survive and escape. Using 'overkill' in a self-defence situation is not morally acceptable. Some people like to use the quote "better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6" to justify an over response in a fight but I don't agree. A martial artist, of all people, should train to survive a fight whilst causing the minimum damage necessary to their attacker.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with what you are saying and am a bit taken aback by your quote ..."better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6.... some people obviously have got a way to go in fixing their moral compasses
DeleteOver the years, I've broached this question numerous times on both my blog, and in my classes. Inevitably the response is always the same, each individual has their own “moral compass” (based upon whatever standard of “morality” they so believe in). As far as what's taught in a “martial arts class”, the only guideline that we are obligated to abide by, is that of the recognized (local) legal standards.
ReplyDeleteHaving had exposure to numerous “martial arts instructors”, I have to say that they are far from being anyone to be modeled after (much less be telling anyone else how to behave). I know that I wouldn't want my own children to look to (the vast majority of) those individual's as “role models”.
In my own class, I stick to “legal” boundaries for technique execution. The fact that many of my student's are in Law Enforcement allows for questions (by the other students), and is very helpful for those students to learn the answers to questionably “legal” choices. Most of the questionable motions are bound by situational circumstances.
The saying quoted previously (by SueC), is one that especially turns my stomach (commonly used by “knuckle-dragger's” to justify their over-the-top responses).
I like that approach, and have mostly been instructed under the same premise. I would prefer not to solve one problem and start another, legally that is.
DeleteThe point about the standards being taught to children though remains a bit of a sticking point for me. We sometimes let our young get taught things which in truth need the moral guidance of parenting to follow up and either reinforce or erase what has been taught.