Self Defense
The best self‑defense is always to escape, but when you can’t, you need a simple, practical system you can rely on. FMA teaches real, functional skills - not quick gimmicks so you can respond effectively and responsibly in a real situation.
Self Defense
The best self‑defense is always to escape, but when you can’t, you need a simple, practical system you can rely on. FMA teaches real, functional skills - not quick gimmicks so you can respond effectively and responsibly in a real situation.
The #1 thing you should do in a self defense scenario is run away! Your life is not worth taking a risk. However, sometimes you can’t run. In any self defense scenario, you must know your local laws and evaluate if the force is justified. FMA is an incredibly practical art. A good self defense system is a simple system, something that is easily remembered and called upon in a moment of crisis and something that can be used when it has not been practiced for years. We do not believe that brief ‘self defense’ programs work. In fact, it can get you badly hurt or even killed. This is a great video by Ramsey Dewey that exposes ‘fake’ self defense:
There can be no doubt that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is an effective self defense art when the fight goes to the ground (close range). Familiarity with a firearm is effective at long-range (given the force is justified). FMA complements these methods as it is most effective at mid-range. FMA does not require the practitioner to be stronger or younger than their opponent (and neither does BJJ or a gun, but many techniques such as boxing or kicking do). In FMA, everything is a weapon. A baseball cap, a magazine, a frying pan, a hammer. Understanding how weapons change a fight is a critical step in a complete understanding of self defense. A single hit from a skilled carpenter with a hammer can be more effective than years of training in unarmed combat.
In this classic Mythbusters episode they show how a gun and a knife interact at mid range:
There are also many videos online of BJJ interacting with weapons, most often knifes. For example (deceptive and controversial title):
There are literally hundreds of ‘defenses’ against a knife attack in scripted and controlled environments demonstrated by people who have obviously never trained in a weapons art. We believe that these techniques are irresponsible and will get you killed. Weapons are VERY dangerous. The first step to knowing how to defend against a weapon is knowing how to strike with a weapon. What is shown above is optimistic for the BJJ practitioner. Most of the time as the BJJ practitioner goes for the takedown, the knife wielder can just stab at will. Here is an example of what typically happens:
Warning the following two videos are a bit graphic.
Our objective here is not to put down BJJ. In fact, we feel that most people serious about self defense should get at least a Blue Belt in BJJ. The point here is just that weapons completely change the game, and knives and batons have a place in any complete self defense curriculum. For self defense we recommend a collapsible baton and/or a tactical folding knife. Both can be easily placed in the pocket or purse and a collapsible baton has the flexibility to control and lock, so you have defensive options when lethal force is not called for.
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