Why is it that martial art schools teach a lot of stuff that don work on the street?
There are actually several reasons. First, for many schools, self defense is not the primary focus of their program. Their adult programs are focused on getting in shape, gaining flexibility, good exercise and the actual art form. Second, most martial arts schools are what we call technique based as opposed to situation based. They teach multiple techniques for a particular attack rather then treat similar attacks the same. Most people under the duress of a real street attack aren’t able to remember what to do quick enough to actually use it. Third, many schools teach techniques that require fine motor skills to perform. They don’t consider the effects that adrenaline has on fine motor coordination. Many are teaching fancy wrist manipulations, intricate moves and high kicking which are basically useless in real fighting.
