Self-defense options abound today to more than ever – weekend seminars, gym add-ons, YouTube how-to tutorials, certificates for short courses, and full martial arts academies. It is not a benefit to anyone with a serious interest in learning to protect himself. It is a problem.
Most self-defense classes are not about to make you safer. They’re meant to make you feel better, and not at all the same thing, and much more dangerous. The wrong program wastes time, money and most importantly confidence in techniques that won’t come in handy when they are needed most.
Although Portland is filled with self-defense course offerings, don’t register for any of these classes without first asking the following seven questions:
Question 1: Is the Training Reality-Based or Sport-Based?
This is definitely the most crucial inquiry to ask and also the one most schools wish you do not inquire about.
Sport martial arts are structured, have weight divisions and are conducted in a controlled environment such as tournaments, Karate, Taekwondo and MMA. They train quality players, but not necessarily quality self-defenders as there is no referee, no tap out, and no equal weight match in real play.
Reality-based self-defense training is based on real-life situations: wrist grab in a parking lot, choke from behind, someone taller than you. Techniques are not chosen to score points in a game, but because they work against an unpredictable, adrenaline run opponent.
If considering any program, directly ask: “Are your techniques self defense or competition?” A believable teacher will provide you with a clear and specific response. Avoid that vague enthusiasm or an effort to evade the subject.
Instinct Defense Academy, Portland’s curriculum is based around Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, a centuries-old survival technique that has no sporting applications. All techniques are tested under real-life conditions.
Question 2: How Long Has the Instructor Been Teaching – and What Is Their Background?
Martial Arts Certificates can be easily duplicated and difficult to prove. A black belt bought online, a course that takes place over a weekend or a belt after years of training in an unrecognized school can all appear the same online.
It is not as much the rank on the wall that will matter, but the level of actual teaching experience and the quality of the training lineage. What is the duration of your teaching experience in this art? Who trained you? Have you been a pupil of a recognised master? What a 5-year-old teacher knows to do is entirely different from what a 35-year-old teacher knows to do; breaking technique for the nervous beginner, catching subtle mistakes, adjusting to different bodies comes with time.
Master Peter Kramer of Instinct Defense Academy is a 15th Dan ranking Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu master, the highest rank in the art, and has taught in Portland since 1991. He receives his training directly from grandmaster Soke Masaaki Hatsumi, and regularly takes trips to Japan to train. That is a special, provable and few occurrences.
Question 3: Does the Program Teach Awareness and Prevention – or Only Physical Techniques?
There is such a thing as an incomplete self-defense class, and that’s one that begins and ends with the use of the body.
Research has made it abundantly clear that most violent interactions are either preventable or can be defused or deflected before they occur. Situational awareness: reading body language, recognizing pre-attack cues, identifying lures and social engineering tactics, takes away the threat before the threat becomes an attack.
Verbal assertiveness, and setting boundaries, is also important – many conflicts turn sour if the person being targeted doesn’t know how to respond assertively during pressure situations. A good self-defense course covers everything: awareness is first, verbal skills are second; physical skills are last. Say outright: “How much of your curriculum is dedicated to situational awareness and verbal de-escalation?” The answer is the true philosophy of a program.
Question 4: Are the Techniques Effective for Your Body – Not Just for the Average Student?
Most people who want self defense training are not the average type of person the technique was designed for. They could be physically constrained, female, older or smaller. There are no simple rules that can be applied that would make a standard technique for a 180 lb. peak male automatically transferable.
Techniques that are effective in good self defense skills are those that utilize leverage, joint mechanics and targeting, rather than strength or athletic ability, whether for women, children or the adult beginner. If it’s not a technique the instructor can explain to a person who is much smaller than the attacker then it’s not a technique to learn.
This is why Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu at Instinct Defense Academy is so well suited to women’s self-defense – it was developed for weaklings, and relies heavily on the principles of biomechanics that work no matter how large or small. Compare any program by observing a class or requesting a demo with an inappropriate size match up.
Question 5: Is There a Trial Class or Free First Session?
Every self defense school that provides training will offer a trial class, a free first class, or an open training night. This is not a sales ploy, it is a belief in the product.
A trial class will provide you with an insight into the actual culture in the school, the way the teacher deals with the novices, how you feel about the training floor and whether you would be comfortable training in the student culture.
Avoid signing up for a multi-month program without taking a class first. Listen for the content … listen for the delivery. This is because a school that makes you feel less than or “less capable” than the newer students, or where you can’t understand what you’re being taught, or where you feel that everyone is looking down on you – will actually hinder you from developing, no matter how good the curriculum is.
Instinct Defense Academy provides beginner classes for adults, women and children to give potential students a glimpse of a training experience before taking the plunge. The school’s culture has been established in more than 30 years around mutual respect, patience, and a true investment in the development of every student.
Question 6: Does the School Offer Programs Specific to Your Situation?
The people’s self-defense course is one that is often most appropriate for no particular target.
Self-defense classes for women need to be taught differently from martial arts classes for adults in general. These are the most typical situations that women face, the psychology involved in them, the methods that are effective for small women to use when dealing with the big guys – all of these topics need special programming, and not just variations on a theme.
Likewise, children’s martial arts courses should be taught in a manner appropriate to children, involve character development and be geared to the type of threat a child may face (bullying, stranger approach, peer pressure) and not be “baby” versions of adult martial arts techniques.
For assessing a school, check out specific women’s courses (rather than just women welcome, but no woman-specific courses), age-specific children’s courses, courses that are designed for beginners (no previous experience needed), and courses designed for intermediate and advanced players (for those who wish to dig deeper).
Instinct Defense Academy provides structured martial arts classes for kids, adult beginner, and an Empower Her (dedicated women’s martial arts class) as well as a Black Belt Master Class and private martial arts classes, with curriculum specifically developed for each one.
Question 7: How Quickly Will You Develop Usable Skills?
This question distinguishes between the honest schools and the ones that are more of a long expensive trip.
The program should be useful within a few years, not years. A real-world self-defense course should teach you skills that you can utilize in real-life situations within weeks to months, not at the time of your black belt test. Ask the teacher: “What can I expect to be able to do if I train regularly for 3 months? When it is clear, specific, the answer indicates a structured curriculum and honest expectations. Rhetorical references to lifelong journeys indicate that this is not a program that is focused on skill acquisition.
The value of a depth that can only be acquired through long term training is real and not something that can be achieved at a basic level. However, it doesn’t have to compromise your safety. It should start to form in the first weeks of training. It should begin to be seen in the first week of training sessions.
How Instinct Defense Academy Answers All 7 Questions
Instinct Defense Academy in Bethany, Portland will answer each question for you, rather than leaving you to make your own discovery:
Reality-based? Yes – Bujinkan is a survival skill (Jojojitsu) that is two millennia old, and has no sport use.
Instructor credentials? Master Peter Kramer, 15th Dan, teaching in Portland since 1991 from direct lineage in Japan under Grandmaster Hatsumi.
Full-spectrum curriculum? Yes – situational awareness, verbal assertiveness, and physical techniques as they are taught together.
Works for all body types? Yes, Bujinkan is a leverage and mechanics based system, not strength based.
Trial class? Yes – introductory sessions are offered for all programs.
Audience-specific programs? Yes – Women, structured kids classes, adult beginners, advanced, and private classes.
Quick skill development? Yes – usable skills within weeks, not years.
Final Word
Picking a self-defense class isn’t something that’s taken lightly. You’re putting time, money and trust into a program that says it will cover you when you need it most – that’s something you should question.
Check 7 questions. Come first and don’t buy until you are sure. Find a school that has a curriculum, educators, and culture that match what true self-defense education should be.
If you are in Portland, Instinct Defense Academy in Bethany has been delivering exactly that since 1991.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the difference between a self-defense class and a martial arts class?
Not all martial arts classes offer self defence training. A martial art can be taught as a sport competition class, a belt ranking class, or a traditional class with little application in the real world. A real self-defense course centers on real scenarios of threat and techniques that will be effective when under stress with a resisting attacker. The best programmes are those that integrate both – a structured martial arts training programme based on reality-based principles. At Instinct Defense Academy, Budo Taijutsu Bujinkan is that.
Q: How do I know if a self-defense instructor is qualified?
Questions to ask are: What is their training lineage, how many years have they taught for, and are they a recognized member of a teaching organization. Good teachers provide answers to these questions. Longevity is important – an instructor who has been active in the community for 10 years or more has experience that a new instructor has just come on the scene doesn’t. It’s practically worthless to have a rank that isn’t backed up by lineage and teaching history.
Q: Are women's self-defense classes different from general self-defense classes?
They should be. The threat scenarios women are most likely to experience, the physical dynamics of the threat, and the kind of training environment they need are different than a general adult class. Programs that teach women self-defense, such as Empower Her at Instinct Defense Academy, are designed around these realities, rather than around a general curriculum. Having women in the regular adult class and referring to it as a women’s program isn’t a women’s program.
Q: How long does it take to get good at self-defense?
Skills that can be used can be learned within the first few months of regular training in a quality school, as opposed to mastery, which takes years to build. Most students are not trying to master the skill, they are trying to be able to respond effectively to real world threats with some regularity. A program that is well organized achieves that goal in a swift manner. Students always experience significant growth in confidence and hands-on skills after just a few months of training at Instinct Defense Academy.
Q: Is self-defense training worth it if I am not very athletic or fit?
Absolutely. Good self defense training should work for non-athletes, as most people that are attacked are non-athletes and attackers pick on people they think they can overpower. With Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, one has to use mechanics and leverage, not strength or speed. Pupils of every age and fitness level acquire genuine ability. None of the programs at Instinct Defense Academy in Portland require any athletic prerequisite.
Q: What should I bring to my first self-defense class?
Wear loose, comfortable clothing that you can move around in easily, such as athletic or casual clothing. No piece of equipment required for a Grade 1. Jewelry should be left at home and arrive a few minutes early to introduce yourself to the instructor. A good school will introduce you before you enter the floor, and won’t assume that you know anything. This is the norm at Instinct Defense Academy.