If You Think Fighting Is Self-Defense, Think Again: Can You Protect Someone Without Fighting?

 

Posted by ADAM CARTER on JUN 26, 2025

If You Think Fighting Is Self-Defense, Think Again: Can You Protect Someone Without Fighting?

(Approx 2 minute 45 second read)

This is a follow-up to my recent article about fighting and self-defense – mainly because, based on the comments, it’s clear many people misunderstood the point. So let’s clear a few things up.

The fear of an attack can make many people want to fight back immediately. But in the real world, the best defense lies not in “fighting it out” but in cultivating other tactics. I write about this a lot.

Physical training is crucial – it’s why most of us practice some form of martial art, right? But our training should also focus on skills that help prevent violence in the first place.

Someone commented: “What you choose to do with what’s taught is the distinguishing factor on whether it’s self defense or fighting.”

Another said: “I thought fighting is self defense.…”

And someone else added: “You need to learn BJJ or MMA for self-defense.”

Let me get this straight, in the simplest terms: if you’re only taught how to fight, it’s not self-defense – no matter how you spin it.

Without awareness, escape, de-escalation, protecting others, and medical or legal context, you’re not preparing people to survive. You’re preparing them to fight. There’s a big difference.

Escape strategies are just as important as any fighting technique. Knowing how to remove yourself – and others – from danger is every bit as essential as honing your strikes, locks, or throws.

In the dojo, it’s easy to feel safe. Training is fun, enjoyable, often low-pressure – but sometimes lacking in realism. That can be dangerous if it leads to false confidence.

It’s also important to understand the wider consequences of getting involved in a physical altercation – medical, legal – there’s always more at stake.

The problem comes when people adopt a fighter’s mentality in a situation that calls for survival, not a scrap. I know instructors who teach fighting first and call it self-defense – no, it isn’t.

True self-defense training should prepare you to manage danger, not just trade punches. The goal is your safety – not “winning” a street fight.

This distinction is often missed. True self-defense and a street fight are not the same. If you’re standing toe-to-toe with your guard up, waiting for it to start – that’s a fight. You don’t want that. It doesn’t matter what the style or method is.

We all learn – and some of us teach – many aspects of how to fight. But you must understand it’s a last resort. It’s not consensual like it is in the dojo – we don’t agree to it. That’s something many don’t fully grasp.

We study kata, analyze bunkai, create applications, and drill with partners – why? Not to fight for the sake of it, but to protect ourselves, escape, and get home safely.

Yes, fighting and sparring are fun in the dojo. And competitive karate has its place – I enjoyed it in my time. Of course, you can train for those reasons alone.

But using karate as it was originally intended – to protect yourself and others – is, to me, far more rewarding.

And the great thing about this way of thinking is that you can apply it every day. Every time you walk outside, get in the car, or visit the mall. If all you know is fighting first, you’re missing so much.

Karate gives us many things. That’s where its true value lies. If you train with the mindset of survival over victory, you’ll begin to see your karate differently. The techniques are still there – but the purpose behind them becomes much clearer.

Self-defense isn’t about beating someone. It’s not about standing toe-to-toe waiting for the first punch. It’s about getting you and your loved ones home safely. Save the fighting to have some fun in the dojo.

If you still think it’s all about fighting, ask yourself – how would you protect someone who couldn’t fight at all?

It’s about time people understood the difference. It really isn’t that difficult.

Written by Adam Carter – Shuri Dojo