Protection from the greatest threat to your life.
People often ask about self defence in terms of being attacked. They don’t always get that Kung Fu is a lifestyle, a process of personal development. If it were just a way of fighting off a violent attack it would be a much simpler thing. Although even only that is more complex than most people initially realise. Learning a few fighting skills within the context of a lesson is one thing. Being able to use those skills within the context of a real life fight is another. That is the first distinction of a good teacher; that they train you in the emotional control necessary for real life application. But a complete Kung Fu teacher (Sifu) is also a life coach. They help you to develop a personal philosophy that enables you to live life to the full and to grow into the person you wish to become. Life’s battles are hard and often the really dangerous conflicts will happen within you. Teaching you to deal with a stranger violently attacking you is actually just the structure for a vastly wider curriculum. For a start, you are much more likely to be attacked by someone you know, a family member or most likely your partner. But the person most likely to try to kill you, by a long way, is YOU. Suicide is a far greater risk to your personal safety than violent crime. Enabling you to grow into the person you wish to be is going to be the theme of the next few blogs. I hope you find them helpful.
