Sports fighting has a long history in our culture. From British boxing matches to Ultimate Fighting Championship matches and MMA tournaments, there are many different kinds of sports matches that continue to fascinate audiences. Granted, there is some overlap between the techniques used in these kinds of fights and those used in self-defense situations. However, sports fighting is very different from self-defense fighting. If sports fighters and those who watch them do not grasp the crucial differences between what happens in the ring and what can happen on the street, they could easily be seriously injured or even killed.

The rules of engagement in a tournament are very different from those in a self-defense situation. To put it simply, street attackers don’t follow rules. Professional tournament fighters do not use guns, knives or bats in a ring or a cage. However, your attacker just might use a weapon. Furthermore, there may be more than one attacker. In a sports fight, attackers square off one-to-one, but in a self-defense situation, you might be attacked by a whole group of people some of which might not step into view right away.

The goals of self-defense fighting and sports fighting are also entirely different. In a tournament situation, the goal is to win the match. Competitors step into a ring with the set intention of fighting each other. This works very well for entertainment, but it is terrible for self-defense. On the street, where protecting yourself is the goal, directly challenging someone to a fight is the opposite of what you want to do. The person you are fighting might have a knife or a gun. Instead, people who are practicing self-defense do their best to stay out of fights. This might mean talking your way out of a fight and calming someone else down. It could be as simple as walking or maybe running away from bad situations, or staying alert and avoiding bad situations to begin with. And lastly, when an attack cannot be avoided by any other means, the goal of self-defense is to end any attacks as quickly as possible using whatever means are necessary.

The situation surrounding a sports fight can be very different from that of a street attack. In an tournament situation, both fighters know who they are going to be up against well in advance. They know exactly when the fight will take place. They are even matched by weight. The entire situation is set up so that neither participant has an unfair advantage. Self-defense occurs in a situation where the opposite principle applies. An attacker will do whatever he can to gain an unfair advantage. Attackers will pick victims who are weaker than they are. They will not pick someone substantially lighter and weaker than they are. They will pick someone who looks psychologically weak as well. You don’t get advance notice of the day someone will attack you on the street. If you’re out of shape, and tired or having a bad day, you still have to deal with the situation.

Sports fighting offers good entertainment. It inspires its participants to keep in shape and to learn some techniques which might be used in self-defense. However, sports fighting and self-defense are very different. The context surrounding a tournament fight bears little resemblance to that of real self-defense. The rules, goals, and situations in which fights take place are entirely different. Furthermore, the tactics involved are extremely different as well. Read about it in the next article in this series: Sports Fighting Versus Self Defense Fighting Part II: The Tactics.

Author Bio: Learn more about self defense and martial arts in Maryville, TN

Category: Advice
Keywords: self defense, maryville martial arts