Chris Moat IV Degree ITF Taekwondo

When you consider self defence and martial arts, the first thought normally leads to developing physical skills to deal with potential attacks.  Indeed the reasons many people take up a martial art is to improve confidence in dealing with difficult situations whether that relate to bullying; walking home from work on a dark night; or feeling intimidated by people around you. The bad news is that it will often take 4 years for an individual to reach a black belt level in a martial art, and the first dan or degree will often be described as the belt wearer progressing from a novice to a "beginner" in their chosen discipline. The slightly better news is that there are some basic physical skills which can be learnt fairly quickly which will stand you in good stead for a wide variety of situations. The great news is that the best way to build yourself defence skills is to understand how to deal with difficult situations without relying on physical skills.  Granted, all marti

Taekwon-do - an effective form of self defence?           1. Introduction There is as much need to develop confidence in today's younger generations as there has ever been, if not more so. The speed at which the world operates, the speed at which messages, opinions and accusations spread around schools, workplaces, towns, and cities is immense, such is the power of the internet. It's no surprise therefore that the scourge of bullying continues to thrive. This combined with a growing wave of unprovoked attacks in cities, train and tram stations means the need for self defence is greater than ever. Those deciding to take some action to develop self defence skills will be confronted with a range of different options. When my kids were growing up we landed ultimately on Taekwon-do.  However, when reading the internet today you could be forgiven for thinking that most martial arts are generally ineffective in self defence situations. In short the martia