Last week one of our regular and very committed students, Tamer, got into a situation of violence where he had to defend himself. Here is his testimony (also posted to our testimonials page):

“I had an experience not to be forgotten last week when I was with some friends out in town, like any other week we met up and went for a meal and it was time to go home. I was with a friend at the time and nearly approaching my car when 2 youths approached us asking for my car keys or they will stab us. For a split second I remembered the words of my Sensei Cailey Barker that the best form of defence is offence and before the youth finish the sentence my friend and I launched at the 2 youths and neutralised the situation. 

Immediately after about 15 youths started running towards us with belts and baseball bats and started wildly swinging the belts at us, I remembered from our Bushin training when fighting multiple opponents to keep constantly moving so your opponent does not surround you and that’s what I did and I tried to stay calm and keeping my guard at all time.

Thankfully I managed to come out of the situation safe and unharmed and this is testimony to the Bushin training and considering I have only been training in martial arts for 7 months is shows how effective Bushin is.”

I can only offer my humble praise for Tamer. These situations are usually horrible and a far cry from the stuff you see in movies. The reality is not about being able to bring your attacker down with a flick of the wrist like Bruce Lee, but having the awareness and preparation to know what to do when put into a situation of potential violence. The basics of self defence involve preparation, awareness of surroundings, coupled with some simple decisions, such as knowing when to fight or flight.90% of self defence is how you react, what you say, how you position yourself and how you act. The actual physical part is usually a small portion of the battle and over before you know it.

The fact that Tamer was able to survive the situation relatively unharmed is without doubt a true example of pure self defence. Coming from someone with only 7 months training in Bushin and no previous martial arts experience, this is a great feat. I believe it is testament to 3 things: Tamer’s skill and ability, the effectiveness of Bushin training and a degree of luck. Winning a fight is not putting your opponent on their back. It’s about walking away in one piece. I’ve been in a number of fights and I’ve never lost.

Bushin is a system of self defence. Training is extremely practical, incorporating highly effective techniques and a large emphasis on sparring. This is not for competition purposes but designed to defend your life. You should bear this in mind when practising. Don’t go through the motions, throwing your arms and legs around the room with little thought or effort. Each movement should be performed as though your life depends on it. Fast, strong, focused and with the martial spirit. This is true Bushin.

Note: we run a couple of basic self defence courses during the year in our normal training programme. We are also able to accommodate bespoke self defence courses for corporate, schools, communities etc. Please contact us if you are interested.