Women's boxing

Times are changing - what great news!

I read on the news this morning that the London Olympic Games in 2012 will include women's boxing. Apparently, instead of having 11 men's events, there will be 10 men's and 3 women's events.

This will help a lot in getting more interest, more competitors, more sponsors and more events for women who want to compete in boxing.

YES!!

attacking

Today, I came across this clip with JJ Machado:




NICE :-)

And what good timing for such goodies. Since getting over my recent slump, I'm attacking again and the difference in my mental approach to rolling is very noticeable. I'm actually getting submissions instead of spending all my time defending from the bottom.

Teaching - a learning experience

I've taught skills before, such as machinery operation, running a small office and using computer programs, all in an occupational/job scenario. To this end, I actually did a course many years ago, for which I have a pretty certificate to hang on my wall.

Primarily though, I've taught people how to handle and ride horses. I have a lot of experience to back me up and to help people, as I've been around horses since my teens. It's a subject area I enjoy very much. I find teaching fairly easy, mainly for those reasons. Casting a self-critical eye over my teaching skills, I have to admit that often I've been somewhat impatient. I guess I fell into the trap of making the assumption that things which are easy and/or obvious to me, are so perceived by my students. I didn't understand just how difficult the learning of a new task can be, as it had been some time since I learned a totally new set of skills. (I think that was learning to scuba-dive just over 10 years ago.)

I knew I was in for a lot of learning when I stepped on the Dojo floor for the first time in March 2008. I wasn't wrong.

I was asking my body to do things which it had never done before. I watched my teachers perform movements with effortless ease. When I tried the same (basic) movements, it looked like a parody performed by a wooden toy with inbuilt wobble-effect. Well, it felt bad enough, most of the time I was too embarrassed to look in the mirror. I was determined to get better and I did. But still, there were and are times when it seemed near impossible to string together three simple movements. And when the frustration set in (doesn't take long with me), it becomes even harder.

Then I started BJJ and learned yet another completely different set of skills, using (and abusing ;-) ) my body in ways it hadn't experienced before.

Haha, now I knew how my riding students felt!

Well, as a result I'm more patient with them and I break things down further. I have more realistic expectations of training outcomes, too. So learning one art has made me a better teacher of another art.

Now I've come full circle. I was asked to teach basic grappling skills to a class. I felt honoured to be asked but a bit apprehensive, too. After all, I have only been grappling for some 10 months, and - pardon the pun - I'm still grappling with the subject matter ;-) . There is so much of it. Sure I know some basic drills, basic positions and a number of attacks, sweeps, reversals. But I know that I only have a basic understanding. The fact that BJJ black belts still improve on their basic stuff is a bit humbling, after all, most of them have been grappling for 10 years or more. I am getting to the point where I am seeing underlying principles and beginning to string techniques together. I'm feeling for points of balance and I can see a point of attack. But I am humbled every time I roll! What I'm trying to say is that I know how little I know and how much more there is yet to learn. Even though I know a lot more than those I'm teaching, I'm acutely aware of the gaping holes in my game, but I will teach them to the best of my ability.

I took one class tonight and I feel it went quite well. It wasn't a big class, and I know all the guys. Basics is what they need and that's what we worked on. For example proper back control with hooks in and a correct RNC.

But teaching sure is harder than learning. When you learn, you only have to worry about yourself. When you teach, you have to worry about everyone in the class :-) But more importantly, different persons see different things and as a result ask different questions than the ones you asked when you learned the same thing. Other people have different body types, and what works for you may or may not work for them. To be able to teach something, your level of understanding of the subject matter has to be much higher, so that you can deal with the differences and the questions arising. However, this goes both ways. Watching and interacting with people you teach also helps you reach a higher level of understanding. When students are truly passionate about learning something, they will really apply themselves and they will ask holes into your head as well as freely share their observations.

So I view the teaching part of it as part of my learning experience. It will make me a better martial artist, and the skills I teach will help others to become better as well.

And after the first session, I'm not so nervous about it any more. I enjoy grappling too much :-)

Grappling for older folks..

Being in the "over the hill and halfway up the next" age group, I always read with interest any wisdom imparted by others who are involved in the martial arts as they get older. I'm particularly interested in their opinions when it comes to wrestling.

Now, I'm not bitching, but my personal challenge (I'm not allowing myself to see it as a problem) is compounded by the fact that I'm a woman and that I started martial arts less than two years ago. What I have in my favour is the fact that I've always been very active, due to a work and life on a farm and around horses. Also I'm not too squeamish and have a reasonable level of pain tolerance.

... With other words I thought I was tough and in shape until I started grappling ;-) Well, that was my first mistake.

I've had my fair share of bumps and bruises and more serious stuff. But at the height of my competition 'career' with the horses I was several years younger and all the injuries I sustained and all the sore bits I had I got over pretty quickly. I never managed broken bones, but I ended up in the casualty ward with things like a kick to the abdomen, a broken nose and concussion and a near busted ankle. I injured my knee, nearly dislocated my jaw, was knocked out on a couple of occasions and my toes were bruised and battered. Yes, I was a wild child.

I had some years off from competition and that whole scene is behind me now. Instead, I discovered the martial arts. Only now, my body takes longer to get used to new things, takes longer to get over exertions and especially takes longer to get over injuries. That's something which frustrates me but with old age comes not only a more decrepit body, but a more mature mind (well...). So I know I have to deal with it and I guess I'm coming to terms with it.

Having recently come through a bit of a slump which I'm sure was mainly due to overtraining and post-flu fatigue, I've learned a few new lessons. The hard way. I need to listen to my body. I need to back off sometimes and miss a few sessions. Hard to do when BJJ is a bit of a burning passion, but if I still want to do this stuff in 10 years, I need to look after the body I was issued with. There are no warranty claims, no parts exchanges, no upgrades. What you see is what I've got. And like any ageing mechanism, it needs regular maintenance and a bit of TLC.

So tomorrow, I'm having a massage. Not because I'm hurting all over, I'm actually back to my usual training levels and holding up well. I'm having a massage because it will make me feel good and because it will loosen things I don't even notice are tight, and hopefully make me perform better. I'm sure I'll have down times again, but by investing in a bit of TLC for my old bones, I hope that I will feel better for longer or ward off another low spot.

Am I regretting getting started in BJJ? No way. Yes, it can be tough. Yes, I need to pace myself a little. Yes, I need to tap often and early. And yes, I enjoy it tremendously, even if it hurts at times. And I don't care that I'm old, a girl and a latecomer. The odd one out in most classes. I'm alive, and I'm so much more alive and in the moment when we're rolling, so it's all worth it.

And just to prove that I'm not the only one who's grappling on the downhill side of things, here are a few posts from Stephan Kesting's site, Grapplearts. Some of his Grappling Tips Newsletters deal with the older grappler. So if this subject is dear to your heart, read and enjoy :-)

Fuji gi

I don't like to tumble dry my gis and as as I do several BJJ classes per week, winter is a difficult time to get them dry after washing. My house mates are now used to the sight of gis hanging about the house on coathangers for drying purposes :-) Anyway, I needed another one, so after a bit of research, I ordered a Fuji gi from Grapplingstore.com. Their service was great, I ordered on Tuesday and it was in the mail on Wednesday.

I tried out my new Fuji gi in class today after giving it a quick wash at 30 degrees to see if it would shrink. Yes, there was a little shrinkage and I expect a little more in subsequent washes, but the fit is excellent for my size and shape. Having pretty long arms and legs, I ordered an A3. With shrinkage, sleeves and pant legs are perfect. It certainly felt good during class and seems much softer than my Atama gi. I like the collar and the seamless back design. And there is plenty of reinforcement on the pant legs.

There is a logo on the back and on one of the sleeves. I haven't decided yet if I'll sew on any or all of the patches that came with it. One the one hand, patches can look cool, but some gis look like advertising billboards.

Anyway, my first impressions of the gi are excellent.

Trying harder

As much as I'd like to think of myself as superwoman (only kidding), the reality is that like everyone else, I have my comfort zones. In terms of training, it's the drills I know well and like, the number of pushups I know I can do, the positions in rolling which I'm better at. These are just examples.

I admit, I'm not the greatest self-motivator. When nobody is around, I work during my workouts, but I rarely push the boat out, or when I do, not long enough. I know it, I just seem to have trouble doing better. I will try some goal setting so I have something to work towards.

Now if I'm in class or at a grading, it's a different story altogether. I'm not sure if it's my competitive nature or if someone's expectations are motivation enough for me, but I sure push myself then. Suddenly, my comfort zone boundaries stretch substantially. I don't care how difficult or tiring it is, while there is any gas left in the tank, I keep pushing. Knowing that this works, I have used it. For example, stayed for sparring classes straight after full on Karate lessons, so that I would need to dig deep. And I don't think it's an ego thing, I just want to get used to fighting in a fatigued state, and have the opportunity to push myself.

During BJJ classes, I have come up against my limits quite often. I think I automatically step outside my comfort zone every time I step on the mat :-) But that's ok and in a way it's part of the overall challenge of BJJ. Especially when I first started, I'd inevitably end up on the bottom during a roll. Most of the guys are heavier than I, so I was squished and squashed and submitted every which way. There were times I couldn't breathe, couldn't move, was in pain and all those sorts of things which is why people love submission wrestling ;-) And there were many times when the gas tank was empty. Nothing more to give, arms like jelly, vision narrowing, breathing hard. But not once, even if at that instant some big guy sits on my chest, trying to rip my arm out, will I moan about how hard it is. Let me have a breather, a sip of water and let me at it again.

But there is no way that I would be able to replicate that kind of energy output while I'm working out solo.

Well, I'm not unique in this respect. I stumbled across a post on The Psychology of Success blog which talks about the same thing. It's called: To improve performance, you may want to get an audience or compete.

Also interesting are Roy Dean's comments regarding how to set a goal and then have a special occasion when you demonstrate to yourself and your teachers and peers that you have reached that goal. Have a look at Jimmy DaSilva: BJJ Brown Belt on Roy Dean's Blog. Awesome.

Starting late and excuses...

I sometimes wonder about starting late in life in something new. But I'm convinced that you are as young as you feel and medical problems aside, you should never say "I can't" or "I'm too old".

Of course it's great to discover a new passion when in your prime, like in your early twenties or even before that. But it's never too late until they nail the lid down. And why shouldn't you be passionate and give it your all, just because your fourtieth (alternatively, insert ANY age) birthday came and went?

There's a great post and comments on Steve's BJJ Blog, titled Don't let ____ be your excuse.

So if you are out there wondering if you would like to try BJJ, Karate or whatever. Stop wondering and give it a try. Do it now.

Christiane

Books, video and dvd listing (my library)

I've put together a listing of the material in my library. It can be found here. That page also contains links to sites I've found useful, including suppiers I've used.

As time goes by, I will try to add reviews or at least comments about books and videos, and I will update the list as I go.

Up and blogging!

Today is the day where I finally start this blog properly.

I've been keeping a progress page elsewhere . Now I'm moving all the old entries to this blog and I'll be adding new bits and bobs as I go, together with various ah-ha (or sometimes duh!) moments from my training diary.

The old page will just contain a link to this blog and maybe some photos when I can get some more together. Photos are a problem. My friends and family don't understand my addiction, and it's pretty hard to convince anyone to come along to classes and watch and take photos. When I started Karate, my friends were worried about me. Why would anyone want to get hot and sweaty and hit and kick people? I wisely didn't mentioned the stuff we learn in PFS.. But when they found out about BJJ, they knew I'm totally off the planet. Wrestle??? Like as in: roll on the floor with sweaty men? You cannot be serious!

Needless to say the sight of my bruises and my occasional complaints about being tired and sore are just met with a shake of the head. Evidently, no person in their right mind would have a hobby that makes them look like a domestic abuse victim. Hell, no person of sane mind would willingly roll with blokes and get sweaty, particularly not a woman.

Well, I'm obviously abnormal :-) . So what's new?

On a positive note, on the rare occasions that I've been able to drag a less than willing partner or friend to a class, the comments at least hinted at admiration (such as: 'wow, that's much harder than what I thought', 'I wouldn't even last through the warmup, let alone the rest' etc.). And I have promises to watch at future gradings and at the comp I've entered.

John Will seminar

John Will came and held a seminar at The Ballarat Dojo.

We learned entries for the single and double leg takedown, particularly from roundhouse kicks. We saw how foot placement and correct distance is of utmost important to set up the takedown. Depending on whether the kick is with the rear or front leg and whether we step forward after the kick, we are set up ideally for either the single or the double.

Then we worked on building the open guard from foot placement and getting the correct grips. John had some interesting comments about the importance of open guard. We then learned sweeps from the open guard.

As usual, the two hours passed way too quickly. John not only teaches methodically and in an easy to understand way, he breaks up the instructions and drills with stories and anecdotes.

the letter is in the mail....

Today I posted my entry for the Will-Machado Asia Pacific BJJ Championships on 12 September 2009.

That will be my first MA competition and I'm certainly looking forward to it :-)

Visit to Black Belt Studios

Going to Geelong with Sempai Trent from The Ballarat Dojo (one of my instuctors there), I had the opportunity to particpate in a BJJ class at Black Belt Studios.

It was terrific to be so warmly welcomed. I learned heaps and all the guys were very helpful. I had my first chance to roll with a black belt, the instructor Craig Robinson. What an eye opener! I rolled with a lot of the other guys as well, getting something out of all of it. Thanks, guys for all the help. After all, it was an intermediate class, so I really appreciated the opportunity. I hope I'll be able to take up Craig on his offer to come back again.

I also watched a class full of blue belts and above, which gave me a lot of food for thought :-)

BJJ grading

We had another BJJ grading. I'm the proud owner of two blue stripes on the white belt now.

I had to work for this one, we all did :-) . Sensei Glenn is a hard taskmaster.

Those of us who went for their second stripe had to again demonstrate the correct first stripe drills. Then we went through basic, hooking, front and back sweeps as well as chokes. We were assessed on the cross lapel choke from mount and guard, rear naked choke, front choke from guard and half nelson choke from sidemount. The grading wasn't finished until we had wrestled for a bit, attempting positional changes and submissions in a live situation. That, of course was the best part of the grading!

My thanks to my partners on the day, and congratulations to the others who graded the same day.

Padilla & Sons gi

I received my Padilla & Sons gold weave kimono last week. What a nice piece of gear! And what nice and prompt service from Joe.

I decided on this gi after reading several lengthy reviews about the product. All agreed that these are excellent.

My only disappointment is that after a couple of washes, it has shrunk in the sleeves and pant legs. As I'm fairly tall and slight with long arms, I now realise that I should have ordered an A3 instead of an A2. I guess after my first Judo gi, which is huge, I wanted to be sure I had something better fitting, and I went too far the other way.

It's ok to wear, but it certainly isn't competition legal, which is a shame. But it's nice to wear, I love the material. Down the track I'll replace it with an A3.

Is buying a gi always such a hit and miss affair?

Karate grading

Zenshin Karate - Graded to maroon belt (which is 5th kyu).

Really enjoyed the grading. It was great to see how much effort everyone put into their training and especially on the day of the grading. Good to see the support from everyone for those who grade as well. It makes us all feel like a worthy part of the dojo and it makes the day even more enjoyable.

Book - The Pyjama Game

Finished reading "The Pyjama Game - a journey into judo" by Mark Law.

I was interested in Judo as the mother art of BJJ and because the guy who wrote it started at the youthful age of 50. I greatly enjoyed the book, aside from history and general background about Judo, there are so many little anecdotes about famous judo players (and their ideosyncracies). But what I most enjoyed were the author's descriptions about his own encounters on the tatami mats, many were a hoot and I had tears in my eyes from laughing at times. I could certainly identify with the author at times. I loved the book.

Reflecting on my journey so far

Just over a year has passed since I took my first Karate lesson and started on this journey. I guess that led me to reflect a little.

I've never regretted taking that first step and I continue to thoroughly enjoy my involvement with all three of my chosen disciplines. Why three, and such very different ones, that's a lot of classes? My sister agrees that a gene runs in our family that if we do anything, we do it full on :-).

The answer to why I chose the ones I do is a bit longer. I had a brief taste of Karate when I was in High School in Germany. We had a chance to choose the sport we liked in year 12. Karate appeared on the menu for the first time so I put my name down for it. I enjoyed it very much until, not long after, we emigrated to Australia. A combination of (relatively remote) places where I lived and my pig-headed obsession with all matters related to horses meant that I didn't follow up on any of the martial arts.

Since our last move, we are withing striking distance of Ballarat with all the opportunities offered by a decent sized town. I went through deep disappointments and disillusionment relating to my horse/riding/breeding involvement and I needed something new to focus on. Of course, there was no question that it would be Karate I would want to return to, so I did. I value all the things involved in practicing a traditional martial art, and the more I learn the more I enjoy it.

Coming from a background of physical activity (and don't believe people who tell you that having horses means you just get to sit on them and be carried around the countryside!), I had a reasonable level of fitness. But it still was a bit of a shock for my 40+ year old body :-). Well, the body is in much better shape now and I can do things I couldn't do when I was 20. Oh yeah, it's cost me a lot of sweat and then some, but it's well worth the effort.

True to my genetic heritage, I figured that where one martial art is good, two are better. As the Ballarat Martial Arts Centre offers PFS classes as well as Karate, I gave that a go. While initially my joining the PFS classes was a result of opportunity, I've long since come to see the uses of that type of training and with a year of learning, reading and researching, I think I'm reaping the benefits of this incredibly useful system. Weapons & disarms, boxing/striking, kicking, footwork, trapping, grappling and more :-). We are a small group only (I often wonder if the rest of the Dojo think we are mad), but we have an excellent instructor who keeps it interesting and challenging. It is totally unlike Karate in just about every way and I think it complements it very nicely. And I love the Kali sticks!

The grappling sessions in our PFS classes introduced me to takedowns and groundfighting. To my surprise, I liked it. Considering I'd always been worried about falling over, viewing the ground as dangerous territory (probably comes from all my years around horses) and liking a lot of interpersonal space, I took to it well. My takedowns are still inelegant, but once we're down, the ground is my ally now :-). Our grappling sessions are all no-gi and sometime we incorporate striking, giving it a very MMA-like feel. Through our PFS instructors I found out about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at The Ballarat Dojo. To satisfy my curiosity I just had to try it out. Needless to say I liked it, and have been going to classes for about 5 months now. Things are different when you wear a heavy gi while grappling but it opens up a whole lot of new possibilities! Chokes r us ;-)

I feel that the grappling complements the kicking & striking art I am learning. So all in all I think I've really struck it lucky in finding these three very different arts. They will keep me challenged and amused for a very long time. So much to learn!!!

I will admit to the occasional frustration about times when things don't progress at the rate I wish. But then I'm impatient in general, and I like the feeling when something works well. So, when I feel particularly flat footed or unbalanced, when the brain doesn't seem to drive the body or the body says "you cannot be serious!", when those combinations we practice simply don't flow, then I get mad with myself. But that seems to be the only real downside to coming to training.

The upside is that I enjoy the learning itself and trying new stuff. I've learned a lot, and the more I learn the more I learn that there is so much more to learn yet! There is the realisation that some of it is now feeling good, here and there things are coming together, as not only the brain, but the body remember. I'm now looking at refinement in some areas, I'm working on accuracy and speed. I'm no longer bedazzled by trying to remember a new technique. Sure, there are loads more techniques to learn, and as I'm trying my hand (and the rest!) at three different martial arts, there is an endless stream of new techniques. But many build on other ones already learned. With that comes a better understanding of the hows and whys of techniques and what logically follows what. There are marked improvements in making the feet (=delivery system) work together with the hands (=weapons system) during the stand up stuff. And the groundfighting is no longer quite so exhausting because I'm learning not to waste my energy in futile matches of strength. Instead I'm getting my head around which technique is appropriate when, how to use is, and when to abandon and go for another attack, it if it's not working. And then occasionally, it all comes together, and everything just happens just how it should. Be it a combination during sparring in a Karate class or practising sumbrada or sinking a near perfect RNC after a good roll.

I'm having a ball of a time. I have been fortunate to find several excellent teachers and so many fellow students who are great partners during drills and sparring. My sincere thanks to all of them.

There have been many funny moments (no, I'm not going to mention names :-) ). Like someone watching me try for a takedown (very early in my training), and commenting to the instructor that they're turning me into a monster. Thankfully that didn't seem to stick as a nickname. Then there was the class when we all heard a ripping sound when doing squats during warmup. Someone left hurriedly shortly afterwards to get a new pair of gi pants. Here is one that I laugh about every time (albeit sometimes painfully..): practicing chokes on one another, eliciting frantic tapping and choking sounds, while congratulating one another saying "that was great!" Cough!! "it was really bad!". Oh, and once I stupidly asked my partner if I had applied an armlock correctly. As I was sitting on his head at the time, the muffled "I can't see" was fair comment. I guess you had to be there...

I'm thinking of writing a paper about the coloration and maturing rate of bruises on humans :-). I sometimes look like a victim of abuse, with multicoloured bruises from one end of the body to the other. Bruises in places where nice girls don't have bruises! Add to that occasional blisters on the feet, skinned knuckles, bent fingers and a shoulder which has had a bit of a rough time recently, and you get the picture. And I thought I led a rough life handling and riding a bunch of horses!

But swap all this good fun for nights in front of the TV? No way! As a friend of mine used to say: more fun than a bucket of grubs!

John Will seminar

BJJ seminar with John Will at The Ballarat Dojo.

Well, what an eye-opener that was :-). We all enjoyed two full hours, learning escapes and armbar variation. We were also treated to some excellent advice and some general pearls of wisdom. Plenty to go home with and think about and work on. I highly recommend going to one of his seminars to any martial artist.

And we've been practising the sidecontrol escapes and the armbars!

BJJ grading

BJJ grading - I earned my first blue stripe!

We had to demonstrate the four basic drills (lap drill, pass the guard drill, keep the mount drill and circuit drill) and do some free wrestling, showing the application of basic moves. It was a pretty hot evening and hard work for all of us, but it was also fun. My thanks to Sensei Glenn and my training partners.

PFS - my take on knife defence

Among other drills, we were going through knife defense and learned one to defend against a downward stabbing attack. My initial feeling was that it put my left arm at great risk to a cut, so I mentally categorised this defense as 'dangerous' and best avoided. I raised this point with Conan whose comments (as usual) made a lot of sense. If attacked by someone with a knife (assuming that running away isn't possible), you will get cut anyway if you do nothing. A defensive move, counterattack and disarm must be made with total commitment. You may still get cut, but probably much less so, and most importantly, it gives you a good chance to stop the attacker from harming you further.

So my thinking about defense against any weapon, particularly a knife goes along these lines...

I hope to be always aware enough of my surroundings to avoid a 'situation'. If despite that, I'm fronted by an armed assailant, my best option would be to get away. If I can't get away, I will try to diffuse the situation if at all possible, but I will immediately look for any suitable object within my reach that could become a defensive weapon in my hand. I will arm myself with any useful object as soon as possible (excepting in the unlikely case that I can talk the attacker out of his plans and have him hand over his weapon).

Having come to this point, I'm committed to taking action, fast and with determination, as the only alternative is to be a guaranteed victim. If I have been able to arm myself, I first of all use my weapon to disable the attacker's weapons hand (The Kali concept of defanging the snake) while staying out of the reach of his weapon. If I can't locate a defensive weapon, I will be even more concerned with staying out of his reach, but I may need to block/parry a strike, while going for a simultaneous counterattack. So whether I have disabled his weapons hand with my weapon or whether I've blocked and grabbed his hand, I need follow up immediately, or better simultaneously. The goal of my follow up is to disarm the attacker and to ensure that he is unable to continue his attack, be it with weapon, with strikes or kicks.

No defense is without risk, and in the sudden attack any practiced response will be less than perfect, but as long as it's done with that total commitment, it will lead to a better outcome than doing nothing or making a half-hearted move. A cut to the outside of my forearm and a disarmed and disabled attacker is infinitely preferable to a deep stab wound to the body followed by further cuts/stabs delivered by the attacker.

I am sure that in the sudden confusion of a real attack, things won't be so clear, and choices limited. After all, an attacker doesn't want a fight, no, he wants to hurt me to gain advantage, so he will only attack if circumstances are in his favour. With the added advantage of surprise, the odds will be in his favour.

All my training does is to even the odds a bit. Learning to use a stick and a knife effectively means I'm better prepared to use a weapon to defend myself. Learning moves to defend against a knife attack and knowing which parts of me are most vulnerable is as important. Sure, in the heat and trauma of a sudden attack, I won't have time to go down a long decision tree to work out the correct response. But drills are about positioning, minimising exposure and setting up a counter attack as much as they are about specific grips. So in the muddle of things when things go bad, the part of the brain that deals with threats will likely remember a move from the drills which will vastly increase my chances of survival. Moves can create distance or close distance. Other drills and sparring practice have increased my reaction speed, my ability to function under pressure and to read the attacker's body language. Finally, training ensures that I know how to disable an opponent, be it on the ground or standing up.

Nothing guarantees my survival in a sudden armed attack. Training improves my chances. Realistic training improves them further. But in the end, my ability to react appropriately and efficiently and my will to survive will be what most strongly determines the outcome.