The Art of Self Defence

For centuries, man has constantly been faced with danger. There is an enemy in every corner which is waiting to jump on anyone in its path. Since the beginning man has had the need to fend off his foes in order to survive. Sabre-toothed tigers could shred the Australopithecus to pieces which is why he needs to learn to kill it; Spartacus needed to annihilate the gladiators he faced in the arena before they could cut his head off; the cowboys of the Wild West needed to draw their gun faster than their opponents in a duel; the martial arts masters in the Far East needed to constantly hone their skills lest they be caught off guard. The old days has this mantra: kill or be killed. Man simply needed to learn the art of self defence. The world we live in today does not exactly use kill or be killed anymore. Nevertheless, self defence is still very handy. To put it simply, self defence, otherwise known as private defence, is a measure that counters an opponents actions as a means to protect himself from harm. In the international scene, self defence, subject to varied interpretations, is actually an acceptable legal justification to use force as a way to defend ones self when harm is imminent. The Roman Law principle of dominium is the basis of modern laws about self defence. Self defence, as stated by intellectual Thomas Hobbes, is mans highest necessity. In his work entitled Leviathan, Hobbes argues that although some may be stronger or more intelligent than others in their natural state, none are so strong as to be beyond a fear of violent death, for which defending ones self is justified as the highest necessity. In situations where attackers are larger, carry arms and have other accomplices, self defence can prevent potential harm. Verbal Judo is usually the form of self defence that is used for de-escalation, where the point it to prevent the escalation of an attempted assault. Personal alarms can also be used to discourage attackers because the alarms emit loud, high pitched noises that draw the attention of surrounding people. Physical force is often needed in many forms of self defence. One can employ the use of arms, be it a firearm, a knife, or any object that could be used as a weapon. On the other hand, one can go unarmed in defending himself. Today, self defence is one of the main reasons martial arts are being taught. Martial arts that have been refined for self defence come in the form of Judo, Taekwondo, Kendo, Jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, Capoeira, Krav Maga, Jeet Kun Do, and Wing Chun, among others. There are many institutions now that teach self defence to individuals. The more famous martial arts these days is Wing Chun, which has been popularized by the legendary master of martial arts, Ip Man. Self defence is taught in institutions such as the Australian Wingtsun Network to budding martial artists. It is never too late to learn self defence; one must always be prepared for the visible and the unseen enemy.