Umbilo martial arts gym shares tips for self-defense

IN the wake of the KZN unrest that saw widespread looting and destruction across the province last month, an Umbilo martial arts gym, Lions Den SA shares tips for self-defense. 

Newly appointed gym manager, Josh Pretorius said the club teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA and boxing.

“Jiu-Jitsu is a form of self-defense based on enabling a smaller person to overthrow a bigger person through time and leverage,” he said.

By focusing on self-defense, Jiu-Jitsu offers a responsible, non-violent response to threats.

“It’s a way to defend yourself without hurting your opponent. You can keep them under control without inflicting any pain on them,” said Pretorius.

This is a key point for CEO of Mixed Martial Arts South Africa and member of Lions Den, Jason Brown, who served as a police officer for 28 years.

Also read: WATCH: Rampant looting across Durban

“So many people do not understand that when you pull a firearm out, you are using deadly force. It’s disheartening for me to see so many men and women pulling out fire arms and sticks, like baseball bats and golf clubs, not knowing the law. Not only do we want to teach self-defense to stop an attacker, but to utilize the law in discussing when you can use a firearm and when you can’t. What takes you a nanosecond to decide with a firearm in your hand, could be put before a court for two years while they dissect the hours before and after that nanosecond amongst learned persons,” said Brown.

“You can’t punch a suspect after you have caught him. You could use your Jiu-Jitsu training to overcome the resistance and then you stop. In a lot of situations, the arrest happens, which you are entitled to in terms of civil defense, but then citizens step over the line,” he added.

Also read: WATCH: Business owners, volunteers clean up scorched remains in Springfield

True self-defense begins by recognising and diffusing a conflict before it unfolds, explained Pretorius,

“The biggest point of self-defense is not to stand your ground, but to avoid confrontation in the first place. You can defend yourself by not getting into a confrontation. You can apologise to someone who is being confrontational. It doesn’t really matter if you are right or wrong when they pull out a gun. You can use your voice to diffuse the situation- that’s a huge part of martial arts that often gets overlooked. Be humble and take it on the chin. Never try to be the main guy in the situation. There were so many on the frontline ready to attack – that doesn’t always help to diffuse the situation. Sometimes it is necessary, but I don’t think your first option should be to stand your ground,” said Pretorius.

Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu is a ground-based fighting style which involves stopping the resistance in a fight. Brown, who lost his arm in a motor bike accident, said he found out about the sport when he started training in kick boxing and martial arts. He says this is a sport anyone can tackle.

“I am the only disabled MMA instructor in Africa,” he added.