Does MMA Have Self-Defence Limitations?
Wing Chun Illustrated|Issue No. 47, 2019

Developing effective self-defence reflexes and positions are different than sports-based training.

Adam Williss
Does MMA Have Self-Defence Limitations?

AS MMA BECOMES more and more ingrained into our culture, it’s shaping how people think about fighting as a whole. But no matter how many MMA fans there are, it will always be a sport. And because of that, it will always have huge self-defence limitations.

This is what many of those who think a combat sport is the answer for self-defence either can’t understand or simply refuse to acknowledge. Too many people simply don’t understand how different combat sports and self-defence are from one another.

Let’s take a look at the many differences between self-defence training and competition-based training.

The Mindset of Self-Defence Training

Instead of looking to participate in a fight with someone, the self-defence practitioner looks for ways to not participate. That means finding ways to not put yourself in compromising places and situations. It also means learning how not to fight, how to control your temper, and how to be non-confrontational. Sometimes it means de-escalation and escaping the situation. Good self-defence training prioritises this. Competition-based training never touches it. Very rarely does “raising up” or pitting aggression against aggression ever diffuse situations. In sports, participants agree to the idea of hurting the other person. Some even enjoy it. They know full well that that’s what they will be doing if the fight goes the way they want it. Developing this goal lends much more into a mindset that promotes participating in fights than it does to try to get out of them.

The Muscle Memory, which Self-Defence Techniques Require

This story is from the Issue No. 47, 2019 edition of Wing Chun Illustrated.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the Issue No. 47, 2019 edition of Wing Chun Illustrated.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.