|
|
|
A Guide to Batting Cages
Batting cages are enclosed or partially enclosed pieces of sporting equipment that act as a “catcher,” in effect, for batters practicing hitting baseballs or softballs. Batting cages help to keep balls in a contained space so that the batter can...
Baseball in Shanghai? Another American Sport Exported to China
As an athlete (or at least having been an athlete in the past) and a sports fan, one of the difficult things about finding myself on an extended stay in Shanghai, China (setting up sporting goods manufacturing and other business contacts) is the...
Creating a Baseball Fantasy League
The last decade has seen many changes, one of them being the amazing involvement of individuals in baseball fantasy leagues as well as other fantasy sports. There are no specific rules for baseball fantasy involvement; however an unspoken rule for...
Fitness and Exercise For Children
Fitness and exercise are important. We all know that, and had
that lesson drummed into our heads in school. But, how much
attention do we pay to our children when it comes to fitness and
exercise? In our modern day, too many children spend...
The Great American Pastime; Watching
The great American pastime is watching sports. Someone once described a football game as 30,000 people in desperate need of exercise watching 22 people in desperate need of rest.
No matter the sporting event, Americans love...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Martial Arts and Self-Defense - Emotional Response and Reaction
The media has fuelled the perception that ordinary people on the
street are in constant danger from violent attack, and
self-defense classes promise to counter this fear.
To attract students, most martial arts schools in the U.S. teach
self-defense methods. They make many claims about the usefulness
of martial arts techniques in defending oneself against attack.
Such situations of attack are rare, however, and can be avoided
by not putting oneself in danger (for example, not walking
around bad neighborhoods after dark, not buying or selling
illegal drugs, not hanging around bars, not getting involved
with gangs, and so on). Being alert and aware of one's
surroundings and recognizing the types of events that are likely
to occur in certain locations are the individual's first line of
self-defense.
The media has fuelled the perception that ordinary people on the
street are in constant danger from violent attack, and
self-defense classes promise to counter this fear. In truth,
this perception is largely false, as more people are injured in
incidents of domestic violence than on the street by strangers.
To be effective, self-defense classes only need to reduce the
feeling of fear.
When a person is actually attacked on the street by a stranger,
the main problem in self-defense is generally not a lack of
physical ability to counter the attack, but an emotional
reaction, such as panic or anger, that can turn a bad situation
worse. Panic can
be paralyzing and invite attack, while anger
can provoke harm as well by frightening or angering an attacker
to further violence.
Serious training in the martial arts takes the emotional
reaction out of violent confrontations. After many hours of
practice, a punch or a kick becomes merely a physical force, a
fist or a foot is easily handled, and an encounter is not even
experienced as a personal attack. Students learn good
coordination and self-confidence, characteristics which can
discourage potential aggressors from becoming aggressive in the
first place. In the martial arts, the simple act itself of
practicing over a long period of time may be the most important
element in effective self-defense than any specific technique
learned.
Focusing on self-defense in today's world has changed the
techniques being taught in the martial arts. In the modern
world, no one is likely to be attacked by a sword-wielding
samurai. Instead, an attacker may be unarmed or have a baseball
bat, knife, or gun. Battlefield combat techniques would not be
very useful in these situations. The emphasis on such techniques
has declined in most martial arts styles and has been replaced
with techniques that are relevant to our times.
About the author:
Steven Gregoire has been training in the martial arts since
1986. Currently he operates Tigerstrike.com A martial art equipment and
supply store.
|
|
|
|
|
|
