Karate vs Self-Defense

 



I learned a long time ago to stay in my lane.

Self-defense is a legal term in today's society, and I am not an attorney specializing in criminal law.  Even though I am a former police officer who graduated 1st in class from my academy, I do not feel it would be ethical for me to attempt to educate my students on self-defense law.  I might explain it in a way that they misinterpret, or they might just misunderstand on their own, and end up in a worse mess than if I'd said nothing.  There is way too much situational nuance within even one jurisdiction, and too many jurisdictions besides, for me to feel comfortable giving my students an excuse not to look up the laws themselves or get legal advice.  I don't want my students in a holding cell one day saying "but my sensei said...".

So, instead, I teach Karate.

I teach for free, to close friends and family only at this point, in my backyard, the "Mr. Miyagi" way.  I teach the physical techniques, the art's version of "situational awareness", and the ethical and philosophical points that the old Okinawan masters would have felt important to the practice and understanding of Karate.  In a way then, one could say that I teach a historical martial art, an Okinawan version of HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts).  

I'll leave the self-defense classes to those wearing fatigue pants.  I was infantry myself.  Those pants sure are comfy.

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