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Ah yes, the question that always crosses the mind of every Karate-ka...will I be able to hold my own in a real fight?
Well, it depends...
...my wife who doesn't practice Karate, would probably do pretty well in a fight.
She's one of those people who just seems to know what to do once things get physical.
On the other hand, I myself have never been in a fight, so what happens next, would depend on the circumstances.
My sensei says, in a real fight forget about taking a Karate stance and making a bunch of noises like Bruce Lee...let your back fist be your first weapon of choice.
He also says that when faced by someone holding a knife, grab the closest movable object and clobber the guy with everything, I mean everything you've got.
How well I do in a fight, depends on a couple of important points, the first one being "fear".
The second one is how well I can control the adrenaline rush flushing through my body.
I believe if I can overcome those 2 self induced obstacles initially, I might have a fair chance of holding my own when the fists start flying.
When it comes to Kata practice, it's always a good idea to train as if you were really fighting someone, rather than just going through the motions.
Also, if you've worked on training your spirit as well as your body, it may well just be the spirit that settles things down before the fight even gets started...
What do I mean by that?
You see, my Sensei has a stare, a stare that is as cold and as feeling-less as the moon...it's like a Mike Tyson, I'm going to tear your f*%#ing head off kind of stare...
...get the idea.
I don't have that kind of stare, it's the kind of stare you don't want to run into...
...unless your crazy and looking for that macho chip on your shoulder kind of stuff...
...because if you are, there's all kinds of those people out there waiting for you.
My Sensei says that in a fight with a real street fighter I wouldn't stand much of a chance...
...I might put up a good fight but that's about it.
In the end the deciding factor may very well be compassion for human life, or most likely, the lack there of...
In a fight for your families or your own life, compassion is something that you will have to forego...
...because you won't be shown any by your opponent.
No, Kata is not like being in a real fight, but I would rather have had those hours of training under my belt than not...
RJF
