Greg Hall just wrote the best post I have ever read on Facebook;
'The trouble with a lot of self defence is its experiential. Can't be learned in training. All you can do is training is get with someone who has actually been there and can tell you how its going to be and train you accordingly. As close to real as possible without getting to hurt. Your training must include training through. Fear, pain, disorientation, fatigue all the stressors during combat. What you practise must be simple and repped to make the moves you use second nature. It's good to have triggers to subconsciously throw your blows. Give yourself permission to run off at anytime. Real world balls to the wall self defense is a terrifying experience not to be trifled with. Alertness during suspicious circumstances is a big key ingredient. So you can use surprise. Work impact development to the nines. Analyse the opponent in terms of target areas from head to foot. Analyse yourself from tip to toe for personal weapons. Develop a never give up attitude through hard training. Fitness fuels the fire. And just hope it never happens to you.'
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Modern Antagonistics replied thus;
'...I know you've 'been there' plenty of times, and I have too (I'm actually more sad than 'boastful' about this, as I've seen and done some horrible things). My only aim now is to help other people that have lived 'nicer', more stable lives continue to do so, and avoid or at least SURVIVE the threat of a merciless criminal assault.....'
'What do you think to this, Greg- I just said to my missus, that if people want to learn gymnastics or violin (or pretty much anything else), they go to someone who has real experience of performing their chosen art..........yet WHEN THEY WANT TO LEARN TO DEFEND THEMSELF AGAINST A RUTHLESS CRIMINAL.................they go to someone WHO HAS NEVER HAD A FIGHT IN THEIR LIFE!!! That is an absolutely incredible (and dangerous..) situation. Can you really risk your own safety (and maybe your life) and that of your family, learning from someone with no more experience than you? (And I don't mean 'dojo experience'). If you learn to skydive from someone who's only THOUGHT about skydiving, and PRACTICED what they THINK it would be like, WITHOUT EVER LEAVING THE GROUND- would you then trust your ability to go away and jump safely from a moving aeroplane?!'


 Greg Hall answered- ' The best is to avoid trouble if you can't get away if you can't try to blag your way out. I believe violence is not the answer but many people don't agree with me. Make sure innocents don't think violence is glamorous and they get hurt.'

 I ('Derek Crankshaft'/ Kemlyn) replied- 'I do everything I can to even avoid an ARGUMENT- let alone a fight-nowadays. I think personal security measures are much more important than 'learning how to fight'. Real violence, the serious kind, is shocking and sickening. Human beings have a great capacity for cruelty and hate, and it's better to be aware of that and structure your life in such a way as to minimise your contact with that level of (in)humanity. Violence cannot always be avoided, however- and it's better to learn through realistic training what you ARE and AREN'T really capable of, and use that information to make your decisions. A great concern of mine is that people who know no better are taught that they can 'easily' and efficiently stop an attack, without any hard training, fitness and aggression. Lots od people go away thinking they can deal with things they really can't. Geoff Thompson wrote something like this; 'A woman said to me, that since she had gone on a self defence course, she now felt much safer taking a short-cut home, across the deserted park at night. I said to her, 'If the course had been any good, they would have taught you NOT TO WALK ACROSS THE PARK AT ALL!'