The second part of my four-part article that was originally published in 2006 in a mainstream martial arts magazine. As before, this series was written for adults (parents and martial arts/self protection instructors) in mind and is not taken from the book this blog is promoting. It is posted to demonstrate the approach I have developed in teaching children realistic self protection/self defence principles. Previously I discussed the social barriers that often stand in the way of teaching children realistic self-protection. In this article we look at what I believe we should be teaching children in the context of realistic self-protection, but first let us look at how these barriers, if we let them, severely impede our honest intentions. It should be noted that these barriers are often reinforced by sound arguments and therefore should be seriously considered before anyone approaches realistic self-protection training for children and teenagers.
