Hmmm, I'm not sure I agree that locks/pressure points are more
effective, and a throw would be best done in such a way as to stay in
contact with the throwee, just in case they get back up. The problem
with relying on locks and pressure points is that they rely on pain
for effectiveness. Get a meth-head hopped up on everything from
under the sink and pain isn't an effective deterrent. A properly
applied lock affects the structure and physically prevents movement,
but only if the thug isn't willing to sacrifice a body part to get you.
Now at a high enough level of mastery, you will prevail even against
the unwilling with a lock. I'm skeptical of pressure points; I can
endure a lot of the ones that are supposed to put someone down; pain
is just pain. If you're talking about things like Dim Mak (sp) that
are supposed to short-circuit qi flow, that's beyond my experience
and I can't comment.
Finally, I urge people to study full martial arts rather than
strictly self-defense, because you get a broader context for what you
are doing, and learn principles that can be applied when the
situation goes pear-shaped and leaves the training scenario
behind. (Insert audio clip of John Clees instructing students to
attack him with a banana here.) Self-defense courses are usually
short and scenario-based, which is all well and good if you encounter
the exact scenario, but the gods help you if you get taken outside of
scenario parameters.
And as for strange environments, there are ways to minimize that
problem, which you point out quite correctly. There are ways to move
your feet so as to account for rough terrain, changes in level etc
while remaining on balance. This is one of the first things we
learned in Daito Ryu. It might sound odd, but I spent two months
learning how to walk again at the age of thirty-five.
Christopher Bartlett
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