Self-Defense?

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

It occurrs to me that there is a difference between learning "self-defense" and training to fight competitively.. In the vast majority of instances the competitive fighter is, out of necessity, aggressive/offensive.. of course, there is the old wisdom, "the best defense is a good offence", but.. in general, most students train for self-defense, not aggressive behavior characteristics..

Considering that most people indicate a desire for peaceful coexistence as opposed to conflict or domination, do you think there should be instruction focused on the psychology of conflict, defensive and offensive? Can we coach our students as to the mind-set of their particular inclinations, i.e.: self-defense vs. competition combat...

Just a thought, Be well.....

[viper]

I have to agree with the fact that there is a sound dif i train for both and the dif is def in stratergy. But also seems to me that with the teaching of the self defense there is lil emphasis on the mental aspect of dealing with the situation of defense and adrenlin etc excuse the spelling its late here.

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

LOL, viper.. when i first started fighting, the adrenaline dump would make my legs feel like they were in quicksand.. all the explaining can't teach adrenaline compensation.. that is only learned through experience.. Even the self-defense afficianados need to defend in a classroom environment just to feel the adrenaline effect.. so when it happens in the street they are not shocked by its "dumbing" effect..

Be well..

[qiphlow]

agreed--self defense in the street is different than sport fighting. in a sport fight, there are rules, and both parties agree to the rules. in the street, no rules! and, you've got a very real chance of getting killed in the street. adrenaline can be useful, and also harmful in a self defense situation. i think the meditative aspect of taiji would help here, keep one more relaxed in a self defense situation, and thus be able to think more clearly.
application drills in class, push hands, sparring--these are great tools for self defense. for me, these things helped me to get comfortable with someone "in my space" as it were...

[imperialtaichi]

Greetings..

It occurrs to me that there is a difference between learning "self-defense" and training to fight competitively..

Exactly!!

Three personal experiences:
1. I was in Russia over Christmas, and these couple of guy approach me on the street trying to sell me some maps. It was very crowded and there were some pushing and shoving. Of course, the "push hands" came out naturally and I was preventing them from getting too close to my body without being too obvious about it. Suddenly the two of them stopped and just walked away without saying anything. Then I realise they weren't trying to sell me the maps, but just trying to distract me and pick my pocket/backpack.

2. We saw this girl fell on the ground on a dark alley in Beijing. Two of my training brother's student went to help her up. But while they were helping her up gently, they were naturally controlling her elbows... of course, I think that the girl did fell genuinely. But what if she was just faking and trying to pick their pockets? or to pull out a knife and threaten them? The fact that they were controlling her elbows meant she could not do anything even if she wanted to, while they were being helpful and gentle. I was most impressed with them.

3. Saw this argument between an average guy and a big aggressive guy in a Car park in Sydney. The big guy was about to grab the average guy. So I walked over and told them to cool it. And because I am confident enough for the big guy to sense it he just backed off and walked away.

And what's this got to do with Tai Chi and self-defense? in all three instances conflicts were resolved/prevented WITHOUT aggression and violence. If the 3 situations were dealt with aggression everything would have been esculated to fights. People will get hurt, and I'll be writing this in a Russian/Beijing/Sydney prison ( ) instead. I put this down to the Tai Chi training.

Cheers,
John

[svenfeynord]

I think if you wait for the attack the self defense is all you need. Karate that I have studied is about in and out attacks. Tai Chi and Bagua are about studying the other persons attack.

[SPJ]

Self defense means you fight because you are "attacked".

So we do not fight without provocations or reasons to believe that our lives are in intermediate danger.

Run away and avoidance are always wise.

there are no rules on the street. You fight dirty only to survive.

On the other hand, the competition comes with rules. no elbowing, no breaking limbs, no groin hitting etc etc.

how to score points, hitting, throws or restrains etc etc.

If you think sports fighting is the same as street fightings, this may not be true. a general statement.

[imperialtaichi]

Run away and avoidance are always wise.

there are no rules on the street. You fight dirty only to survive.

True. If anyone thinks that street fights are like scenes in a Jackie Chan movie, or you can throw people around without getting a scratch, he/she is basically living in a fantasy world and had never been in a real fight. I bet you some of the people knocking Tai Chi on this site (I think we all know who we're talking about ) had been watching too much movies and WWF and had not even had any bones broken from fights before.

A person would not pick fights with you UNLESS he/she is confident and prepared. A total loser who can't kick or punch would not be picking fights. If you do get in a fight, be prepare to receive some injuries even if you are to win the fight. Broken teeth, broken noses, busted knuckles, damaged eyes just to name a few. Not to mention risks of infections if you do get the opponent's blood on your wounds or your eyes.

Self defense is about self preservation. Of course we cannot always walk away from fights (what if you are cornered, or your friend/family at risk?). Minimization is the best tactic.

Cheers,
John

[GeneChing]

This isn't the best place to post this odd news item but I'm in a rush today so I didn't search too deeply. I hope the 60-year-old man is okay.

60-year-old stabbed after tai chi class in Cambridge
Police said they have identified a suspect, but no arrests had been made as of Thursday morning.
By Caroline Anders August 22, 2019

A 60-year-old man was taken to a hospital Wednesday night after he was reportedly stabbed with a jackknife following a tai chi class in Cambridge.

Cambridge police spokesman Jeremy Warnick said the incident happened just after 6:30 p.m. and left the man with a minor puncture wound to his upper back. A tweet from the department said the stabbing followed an “altercation.”

Cambridge Police👮🏽
✔
@CambridgePolice
Officers are in the Temple St. area after a male victim sustained a minor injury to their neck as a result of a male suspect known to them reportedly stabbing/slashing the victim with what was believed to be a jack knife following an altercation after a fitness class. #CambMA

7
4:18 PM - Aug 21, 2019 · Boston, MA

Warnick said the 60-year-old was allegedly stabbed by a man that he knew, possibly from the class, which was held at the YWCA on Temple Street. The YWCA’s website says the facility provides shelter for single women and people experiencing homelessness.

The YWCA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Police said they have identified a suspect, but no arrests had been made as of Thursday morning.

“It’s a matter of timing,” Warnick said.

[GeneChing]

Henry Tomaszewski? Does that name ring a bell with anyone?

Ex-actor arrested for stabbing tai chi instructor in class: cops
By Joshua Rhett Miller August 30, 2019 | 6:21pm | Updated


YMCA Cambridge

A former actor suspected of stabbing one of his instructors in tai chi class in Massachusetts has been arrested, police said.

Henry Tomaszewski, 62, of Malden was busted late Wednesday while sitting on a porch in Cambridge, authorities said. His arrest comes one week after a 60-year-old martial-arts instructor told police he was stabbed in the back of the neck by the onetime actor with a jackknife, police said.

Cambridge police spokesman Jeremy Warnick said the attack happened after an altercation at the city’s YWCA on Temple Street on Aug. 21.

Police said it’s unclear what motivated the attack, but the victim told investigators that Tomaszewski came up behind him as they did non-contact warm-ups and stabbed him in the back, according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Post.

The instructor told investigators that he only knew Tomaszewski – who appeared in 1979’s “Billy in the Lowlands” and three other 1980s flicks, according to his IMDb profile – by his first name and said he was the class “charity case,” included only to be kept off the streets, the complaint continued.

Tomaszewksi had been circling the class in an unsettling manner just prior to the unprovoked stabbing, the lead tai chi instructor told police. After the stabbing, he appeared to be confused and put the knife down before picking it back up and running off, according to the complaint.

The victim was taken to a hospital and treated for minor injuries, Warnick said.

Tomaszewski was arraigned Thursday in Cambridge District Court on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over the age of 60, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office told The Post.

A judge set his bail at $500 cash and ordered him to stay away from the victim and the YMCA, as well as to not possess any weapons. Tomaszewski was also ordered to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet. He was released and is expected to return to court Sept. 13, spokeswoman Liz Vlock said. The suspect could not be reached for comment.