What is the big difference between sport and self-defense training?
Most martial arts today in the U.S. practice specifically to compete in sport competitions. This is a very exciting sport and there are a ton of great schools out there that vary in their training. However, The School of Traditional Okinawan Karate-jutsu teaches techniques that were designed for self-defense and the defense of one’s family. The goal in sport fighting is different, and so is the training. In self-defense, no one wants to fight. You could be attacked at any time. Self defense training trains what-if conditions that may happen in real life, which may involve multiple attackers. In self-defense, your attacker will probably be larger than you. In sport, your opponent is aware you are trained. In self-defense, the element of surprise can be very important. Self-defense training is, and should be, completely different from tournament training.
