Yabu:

THE ETHICS OF SELF

DEFENSE
Ethics definition: Moral
principles that govern a person
or group. Moral correctness of
specified conduct.
To define what ethics ARE is
simple. To define what IS ethical
in any given situation is
altogether much more
problematic, as it essentially
defines who we are as
individuals. Much of an
individual’s ethical behavior is
influenced by how that person
was raised, what was instilled in
them at an early age, and
depending on the situation –
what a person genuinely believes
is the right course of action.
The Ethics of Self Defense are
equally as precarious to
discuss.
The ethics of self defense have
been fiercely debated all over the
world over the last few days in
light of the George
Zimmerman trial ended which
ended on July 14th. Given that
the Krav Maga Institute
NYC teaches self defense to
adults in New York City, what
constitutes self defense could not
be more relevant to us. One of
our primary goals during training
is teaching students to defend
themselves and others effectively
and having a proportionate
response to an attack.
This post is not about the
Zimmerman trial, the legal
arguments, facts or
circumstances surrounding the
case. This is a wider discussion
of the ethics of modern self
defense. It does not deal
specifically with armed attacks or
relate to the Zimmerman trial.
The assumption in this piece is
that your life is in danger, a fight
is in progress and there are no
guns involved.
Growing up, many of us believed
that you
needed to act honorably in a
fight. When the conflict arose, an
unspoken set of rules were in
place ensuring the fight is fair.
Certain areas, like the groin,
were off-limits because in a ‘fair’
fight and in an ideal world, the
better man always prevails. This
is a wonderful idea but the reality
of a fight on the street is not like
the movies, boxing, MMA or
other competitive sports. Street
fights and attacks are an entirely
different matter. There are no
weigh-ins, rules, referees or rings
– and they are never ever ‘fair’.
A fight between two people of
equal size, skill and ability, where
neither are armed and it comes
down to a battle of wills, rarely –
if ever – happen. The reality is
very different. Attackers often
pick vulnerable victims that are
unable to defend themselves.
So, for instance, it is quite
possible that an attacker would
time their
attack so the victim is vulnerable
at the time or attack them from
behind in the dark, when they are
alone. An attacker on the street
would not bat an eye-lid before
striking vulnerable points on the
victim or using a weapon. This is
far from a fair fight.
So, how do we deal with this
attacker who doesn’t believe in
an honorable fight?
Change your personal definition
of a fight.
Firstly, change your personal
definition of a fight to a promise:
“My promise to myself, my
friends and family is that I will do
everything necessary to make it
home safely.”
Secondly, your attacker is not an
opponent. Opponents play by
rules and attackers do not. We
all have a right to defend
ourselves, so we have a right to
respond to an attack in a manner
befitting the attack and do what
is necessary to get away,
without engaging in anything
that’s unnecessary or grossly
disproportionate. We do not
encourage reckless and
disproportionate responses to
threats and attacks. The laws
that govern self defense in the
state of New York do not protect
those that react
disproportionately to an attack.
Remember, in the heat of the
moment, it isn’t the role or
responsibility of the victim acting
in self defense to punish an
attacker and once you are safe,
re-engaging with an attacker
without reason once you are safe
is no longer considered self
defense. This is why we
encourage students to get away
as soon as they can.
Thirdly, you can’t be nice when it
comes down to defending
yourself.Punching, slapping,
scratching, gouging, kicking in
the groin and biting are your
weapons in battle and you
should use them if that is what it
takes to get away safely.
Striking soft tissue on the
attackers body (eyes, nose,
throat, groin) and attacking
knees should be your target. End
the fight as soon as possible,
search for additional threats,
then get away. This isn’t always
easy. A person’s judgment is
impaired in the heat of the
moment but with the right
training, you get better at
decision making under stress. An
attack against someone out of
the blue, when they weren’t
expecting it is difficult to respond
to quickly and effectively.
If an attacker attempts to choke
you into unconsciousness,
striking them in the throat or
nose and kicking them in the
groin to so you can get away is a
justified and proportionate
response because your life is in
danger and you have to act
quickly. Striking an attacker in a
vulnerable spot may be against
the rules at school or
in a boxing ring but it is
necessary on the street
sometimes. How else would
someone who is smaller and
weaker than their attacker and
attacked from behind at night
when on phone call defend
themselves effectively? Doing
what is necessary is the reality of
modern self defense. The
attacker initiated the attack so
you must respond effectively and
do everything necessary for you
to make it home safely.
A student of ours recently noted:
“If you find yourself in a fair fight,
you’re using the wrong tactics”.
But consider this: there is not
such thing as a fair fight, they are
whimsical ideas best left to the
movies. Fight without
apprehension, there is no need
to be nice about it. When the day
ends, choose to be the person
who goes home safe.
THE VALUE OF SELF-
DEFENSE TRAINING

Master Sun Hwan Ching has

said the following on many
occasions, “If you only need to
use your self-defense training to
save your life one time, it is worth
the time spent training.”
Learning self-defense techniques
can give you confidence and
power – the power to be in
control during a life-threatening
situation. Self-defense training
should improve concentration,
focus, self-control, awareness
and perception. In addition,
physical fitness should be a by-
product of training. Self-defense
training should train the mind,
body and spirit, all of which are
vital for surviving a life-
threatening situation.
For most people, self-defense
situations never occur.
Nevertheless, modern-day
society is full of all types of peril.
Muggings, theft, rape, murder
and accidents are examples of
the ever present threats to our
safety. For some people, like
those in violent neighborhoods,
these threats to safety are
omnipresent and the
environment dictates alertness.
However, for the majority of
Americans life has some degree
of safety and security. Most
people feel safe in their own
home. (If you don’t, move out!)
Going out to dinner, a movie or
shopping is usually not life
threatening. The police give
some people a feeling of security
as do friends and family.
Because most people choose to
live freely and feel safe, many
are not prepared to handle
threats or attacks. They have
either never thought about the
possibility, or they have
dismissed the importance. Other
people are extremely afraid of
going out in
public for fear of being attacked.
It makes sense, no matter who
you are, to realize that danger is
as much a part of life as is safety.
Take precautions to maximize
safety and minimize danger. Self-
defense is such a precaution. It
can prove to be very useful.