In December, I came across this podcast by Iain Abernethy, in which he discusses the differences between martial arts, fighting, and self-protection. He posits that losing the distinction among the three leads martial arts instructors astray.

If you are not able to view this video, click here.

In his description of the podcast, Abernethy states:

The Martial Map discusses martial arts, fighting, self-protection and their relationship to one another. Many martial arts instructors see martial arts, fighting and self-protection as being one and the same with all distinctions between them being completely lost. I find this lack of clarity to be highly problematic and it is arguably the biggest problem in modern training and teaching.

We train most effectively when we clearly define the objective of that training. However, it is my view that most practitioners and instructors are unclear what they are training for. That uncertainty leads to ineffective and unfocused training.

To reiterate, Abernethy’s martial map podcast focuses on three things:

  1. Self Protection;
  2. Martial Arts and
  3. Fighting.

He also delves into the overlapping areas for these three broad topics. His thesis in this video is that we train most effectively when there are clear objectives. For example, if you are an MMA fighter, it would not make sense to engage in self-defense training. Further, he argues that it is a mistake to treat self-protection, fighting, and martial arts as the same.

Speaking for myself, I found it useful to look at the Venn Diagram while listening to this podcast, particularly when he delved into overlapping areas.

If you can spare an hour, I highly recommend listening to this podcast over the weekend. You won’t regret it as it will sharpen your training focus.

Additional Reading