Does your Style/System cover everything? Don’t panic – it can’t.

Does your Style/System cover everything? Don’t panic – it can’t.

There is a misconception out there that a style/system/instructor can cover every aspect of self defence and violence.

Whether this came about thorough egotism, arrogance, capitalism or cultism I don’t know, but it is wrong.

It is also wrong for students to put this expectation on their teachers. It is wrong for students to think their teachers can know everything about violence and self defence and cover all things.

No one can know everything about everything and that is the depth and breadth of knowledge that would be needed.

Violence is a vast broad subject. It takes a tremendous amount of study or experience to know even slices of it.

My training has always been enhanced by the collaboration with or study under others. Sharing information and exploration of topics is what makes us or a system better because we can’t cover everything.

Students, practitioners and instructors have to let go of the perceived need for a style, system or teacher to be the “All Knowing One.”

Students – STOP EXPECTING YOUR TEACHER TO KNOW EVERYTHING.

Also, those selling their products have to stop bashing those who don’t cover your subject. It is okay to say if your school doesn’t cover (fill in the blank) then enhance your training by looking at (fill in the blank.)

Violence has components and those components have branches.

There is:

Pre-encounter
Possible de-escalation period
Physical assault
Post assault or avoidance

Each of these (and I am not saying I covered everything in this list) sections could have a book written on them and books on branches of each of these.

Take the aftermath or post assault (or avoidance), there is:

Immediate health and well-being – do you know how to self check for injuries?
Do you know whether to stay or leave?
Do you know whether, or when to speak to the authorities?
Do you know your rights as to when and if you must give a statement?
Do you know (have) a threat model you used to evaluate and act on?
Do you know how to articulate why you acted as you did (and have you practiced)?
Do you have self defence insurance?
Do you know a lawyer who knows the plea of self defence?
Do you know what the plea of self defence entails?
Do you know how to get help to defend yourself in criminal court?
Do you know how to get help to defend yourself in civil court?
Do you know the difference between criminal and civil courts?
Do you know how to get emotional or psychological help?
Do you know how to deal with friends or family who may treat you differently after defending yourself?
Do you know what to expect and how to deal with actually walking away from a confrontation?

You get the point and I haven’t listed everything about the aftermath of a incident.

The physical side is the part we focus on and that too is vast and broad:

If you are not a woman and teaching women’s self defence have you studied the subject and are you aware of the difference? If you think you only need to prepare them for the rapist in the parkaid – go do the research.
Are you covering domestic violence, and do you know anything about it?
What are the parameters of the physical you will be covering and to who?
Military personnel have different self defence than civilians.
Law enforcement have different self defence than civilians.
Security have different self defence than civilians.
Personal protection has different self defence than civilians.
Doormen (bouncers) have different self defence than civilians.
And civilians can be replaced by any of the others.
Women and men are different.
Ground, standing, weapons, multiple aggressors…..

The above once again only touches on the vast areas of self defence so by now we should all be able to see no one style, system or person can know and cover it all.

No one lives long enough to full study each of these areas completely, and we need to stop expecting them to.

It should be okay for your style, system or instructor to say I don’t know.

It should be okay then for people to look beyond your style, system or instructor for those answers.

We need to look around for people who have done the work in the areas we cannot cover and tap into their efforts.

It is okay to look, read, watch, train and share.

It is okay not to know but we still need to go looking if we need to know.

Final note: if you are told any system, style or person does cover everything, well read the above again and come to your own conclusion.

Just some thoughts.