We all spend a lot of time talking about self-defence and martial arts, that is why you are here. However how many of you ‘reverse engineer’ your training?
By this I mean take the training from its conclusion and work backwards. I do not mean the small victory that happens when you survive a self-defence situation. I refer to standing in a court of law and justifying your actions.
How many of you spend a few minutes each week talking about the legal justification for the very techniques you are teaching?
Well most martial arts instructors don’t.
The reason behind this is that they either do not know the law of the country they reside in or just do not understand how important this knowledge is. So let me relay a quick story.
The Loneliness of the Witness Box
I have given evidence in magistrates, coroners and Crown Court and even though I have done it hundreds of times it can be one of the most uncomfortable places on earth. Here you are, behind a small wooden box and you have a room full of people, press and highly educated and experienced legal professionals analysing what you say and how you look. Yes, this is a serious business because it all has the potential to end in a custodial sentence for someone!
Now I have heard people that say ” the court doesn’t bother me” well those people are usually either lying or haven’t had a significant evidential role in any case, going to court should be the moment you have your “s**t” together. This is the one moment that what you say matters and if you make a mistake, it can have grave consequences for you or someone else.
The first time I went to magistrates court I didn’t sleep for days before I went on the witness stand, and I was scrutinised by a solicitor for 30 minutes. His job was to make me look unprofessional, to get me to admit to making mistakes and paint his client in a better light. Do you know what got me through this? Knowledge!
Having knowledge of a subject is essential and I am not talking about reciting a law book, that is not the same, this knowledge only comes from hard work, experience or a great teacher, often a combination of them all. If you have expert knowledge, then you can answer questions confidently and this is the key.
It amazes me that people say they teach self-defence or martial arts yet have little or no understanding of the law around self-defence. Is this a professional level of instruction? Well, the answer is, of course, no.
If you are in the business of teaching any martial art and you claim that it offers self-defence benefits then actually you are teaching or indeed stating you are teaching self-defence. And not being able to provide some law input is a bit like selling a washing machine but giving no instructions on how it works.
There is this belief that self-defence instructors can simplify things by learning a few acts of law. Yes, learning the law is one thing but you need to be able to understand the context. Your aim is to become a professional self-defence or martial arts instructor, one who could justify their use of force in court if they had to.
Ask yourself this: If you were in court as a witness or a defendant, could you appear calm, confident and justify your actions. But before you answer you need to realise that the opponent is going to be a solicitor. A legal expert paid a lot of money who does not care how great you are at martial arts. This person is paid to make you look incorrect about everything you say, to make to appear to be a liar. They have years of training behind them and they know the law inside and out.
Now answer the question. Are you sure you could justify your actions?
Most people cannot, most people have never been bothered to read a law book or go on a course. Are you one of these types?
So what should you do next? The answer is simple.
Instead of watching that film on TV tonight perhaps you should spend a few hours studying the law of your country. Maybe you can sign up for a course, perhaps even find one online.
Either way the onus is on you to learn.
Hold on but what if you are a student and not the instructor. Well, then it is even more important that you learn if you are not being taught in class.
There are lots of reasons why an instructor cannot teach the legal element in class, lack of knowledge is one, but perhaps lack of time is another.
So here is my suggestion: Why not ask your instructor for some private training or even a legal workshop. Speak to a local law firm and ask a solicitor to give you 4 hours training.
Every bit helps.
The moral of this story is that above all else, realise your weaker knowledge areas and get training to make them strong!