My teacher is fond of saying that there is no technique that works all the time. One of the most important lessons that training in martial arts can bring to life is the recognition of limitless human imagination and creativity. We have all had those moments of brilliance when failure forced us to create something and we reached through our own limits to discover something new and powerful.
Beginning students often ask why we practice something that is not guaranteed to work all the time. I like the analogy of a toolbox – some tasks require a screwdriver and others need a hammer. It is silly to become angry because a hammer will not turn a screw. The hammer was not designed for that purpose – it has other important uses. In this same way, a specific strike or throw cannot be applied to every attack or defense. They are not less valuable because of this, they simply must be applied at the right time and in the correct way.
It is also very important to recognize when it is not the right time to use force to achieve the desired outcome. If someone behaves in a threatening way, the capacity to diffuse a situation using words and distance are the most important skills we can teach for a first level of defense. After a situation has moved past your ability to control it in other ways, it is then that the physical skills of self-defense are properly implemented. Knowing that you can protect yourself and those around you gives you the confidence to employ those skills when the time is right.
