Self-Defense

An effective martial arts program must have a structured, authentic and practical self-defense curriculum imbedded within the weekly lessons imparted to students.  At SHAKU Family Martial Arts, self-defense training is an integral part of the curriculum from White Belt through to Black Belt.  These important skills and attitudes empower students to live their lives with confidence and certainty.  Properly acquired, self-defense skills can prevent or reduce the risk of a child's abduction, an adolescent's bullying, a young woman's date rape, or an adult's physical assault.  

However, learning self-defense is much more than just learning techniques such as punching and kicking.  Effective self-defense is about awareness, preparation, attitude, knowledge, skills, self-control, and commitment.  SHAKU schools teach self-defense from a principle-based approach.  What this means is that rather than teaching students a "bag of tricks" that amount to random physical techniques and combinations, students are taught the governing principles that need to be understood and developed in order for one to effectively protect oneself in a physical encounter. Some of these principles include:

• Awareness

• Leverage

• Timing

• Distance

• Planes, angles and lines of attack

• Pressure points

• Combative theory

• Defensive tactics

• Psychological response

When these principles are combined with effective physical techniques relevant to a students age, size and ability, the student becomes empowered and skilled at personal protection.  Self-defense is not about learning one style or one way of fighting.  The SHAKU self-defense program is eclectic and utilizes proven theories, principles and techniques from a variety of martial arts.  What's most important is what will be effective for each student based on their physical and mental skills and abilities.

Children and adults are taught to recognize awareness, avoidance and common sense are the three most effective tools to apply in a threatening situations. Physical self-defense can then be compartmentalized into three escalating stages:

1. Pre-confrontation

2. Simple confrontation

3. Serious confrontation

Each stage requires specific implementation of learned principles, strategies and techniques.  

For children, SHAKU's 8 Tips For Street Safety represent an effective non-physical safety tool kit, designed to safeguard children from bullying and the advances of adult predators.  This program is integrated within the SHAKU curriculum as well as taught through intensive seminars during the school year. 

Remember, for any program of self-defense to be effective it must: 

1. Be structured to facilitate learning.

2. Contain practical and proven technical knowledge.

3. Be professionally taught.

4. Be practiced by students regularly.

All our SHAKU™ schools are proud to offer a 30-Day no-risk  trial to enable students, parents and instructors sufficient time to evaluate the suitability of our programs.  If you would like to explore this option for you or your child, just FILL OUT THIS FORM and an instructor will call you to schedule a school orientation meeting.  Please mention that you found us on the web and you will receive a complimentary uniform at no charge!