If attacked (and for the sake of argument let’s rule out a personal nuclear attack against you), can you defend yourself? How? Karate? Boxing? Mace? A gun? Do you have any sort of training? I never took any sort self-defense classes, but learned how to fight the hard way - by either fighting back or getting my ass kicked. So, I learned how to fight, and won a few but also got my ass kicked a couple times.
Both of my kids are taking Tae Kwon Do, and both are pretty naturally athletic (strong, flexible, fit/lithe). At 6 & 8, they are orange & yellow belts, respectively. They’ll both be black belts before they are teenagers and by the time they are confronted with a situation where they have to defend themselves, I’m confident they will be able to do so very, very well. I consider this education in violence to be a huge gift of incalculable value, as it will increase their self-confidence and self-assuredness exponentially.
I used to think so. But in the one instance where I was attacked, I was overpowered very quickly.
I recently took a rape defense course and it went well, but unless I’m put to the test, I won’t really know.
I carry a pocket knife and a handgun everywhere I go. I’ve had several years of martial arts training and self defense training. I’ve been in multiple hands-on fights (actual fights, not sparring) and have only come out with an injury once; some crazy chick bit me when I hit her with a palm strike in the face. That was unpleasant, but she paid an ugly price for it.
I’m pretty confident in my ability to defend myself, even against someone quite a bit bigger than me. In my line of work, you have to be confident or you get hurt.
time spent on systematic training in TKD is time not spent on systematic training in something else - e.g. in a useful trade or in some preparatory aspects of the trade that will later be learned in college or vocational school.
As far as self-confidence goes, people gain self-confidence and sense of Self-efficacy - Wikipedia from any sustained useful activity in which they are doing well. TKD is one such activity (it is to some extent useful) but it is not the only one, and it is hardly the most useful or anywhere near that position.
So yeah, in general IMHO it’s best to spend time and money on making yourself more able to get useful things done and earn money, all the more so for a kid or teenager. If the kid grows up and wants to do violence, he can always buy a gun or join one of “the few, the proud” type of outfits whose name is legion in every era. Violence, after all, is one of those activities that is carried out most effectively by well-organized and equipped groups rather than by athletic individuals with TKD training.
Me too, but I’ve never needed to. As a teenager, I seemed to be able to project “Slightly off-balance and creepy” at will*, and as an adult I’ve never been in a situation in which I needed to defend myself.
Closest I came was in high school when a Beavis clone held a spade up to my throat and sneered about how easily he could kill me. I smiled and nodded politely, and next class period began by standing in the back of the room and casting a binding incantation on him. He didn’t bother me again, and I enhanced my “slightly creepy and off-balance” reputation nicely :).
. Some people study and believe systematic thinking and cost-benefit analysis, and others study and believe the prevailing myths. Like the “being well-rounded” part. To each his own.
I’m fully prepared to, not sure how effective I’d be though because I haven’t been practicing. My power is I wouldn’t give up until the other son-of-a-bitch quit fighting. Sorta like Cool Hand Luke.
I’m not sure I can defend myself without using disproportionate force. If I were assaulted even trivially, I’m afraid I might kill the person assaulting me or at least hurt them badly. To be specific, I’m thinking about a situation like when Don Zimmer took a swing at Pedro Martinez. Pedro dumped Zimmer on the ground, but came out on the bad side of things in most people’s view because he “didn’t have to be so rough” with such an old man. I can defend myself, but proportionate response is probably beyond my capabilities.
. Some people study and believe systematic thinking and cost-benefit analysis, and others study and believe the prevailing myths. Like the “being well-rounded” part. To each his own.