Surviving, But Not Fighting

Most people have an unrealistic impression of what self defence is, and what happens in a physical confrontation. This is a consequence of violence as entertainment in movies and TV. In reality, usually, by the time you realise you have been attacked it is all over. People are fragile and those who are not trained fighters are unfamiliar with struggling to function while in shock and pain.

In the movies, the hero is often repeatedly knocked down, perhaps even kicked on the ground by several people, and, somehow, he or she, gets up to fight, win and survive. Such a recovery rarely happens. This is unfortunately seen as suspenseful entertainment and a film may be boring and short without such deviations from reality.

On the other hand, real violence is shocking. It can be physically and emotionally damaging, often with long-term effects. Civilised people find it hard to imagine that others could be so antisocial as to touch them, never mind cause them harm. We do not have to live in fear of others, and we can still live normal lives if we are trained to work, shop and socialise whilst retaining a modicum of protective awareness. Once learned it become automatic and it is no effort.

In this photo, using Wing Chun, a young boy effectively defends himself against a grown man. He does this by standing firmly in place, deflecting an incoming punch and destabilising a much bigger person. Unbalanced like this, his attacker is incapable of further action and will likely end up on the ground, allowing the boy to run away to safety.

This is the essence of Wing Chun. Rather than jumping around, we stand strong and stop the initial attack by deflecting, then pulling, pushing or turning an attacker, to unbalance them. Meanwhile, if necessary, we punch them in a vulnerable area, or apply a controlling lock. The law requires a minimum of force and damage in a self-defence situation and we comply with that necessity.

In the background the boy’s mother smiles at her training partner who is just about to attack her.