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Martial Arts, Krav Maga, and Self Defence Questions - Answered!


You Are Your First Line Of Defense!

In Order To Be A Competent Well-Rounded Human Being, Knowing How to Protect Yourself and Your Family Is Not Just A Useful Life-Skill - It Is Your Duty And Responsibility.

This page will give you answers about martial arts, Krav Maga, and self defense to help you make an informed decision to empower yourself!



Self Defense and Martial Arts Frequently Asked Questions

KELOWNA MARTIAL ARTS SELF DEFENSE TRAINING, CONSULTING, AND COACHING


Martial Arts and Self Defense FAQ
Martial Arts Kelowna
1. What martial arts do you teach in Kelowna for self defense?
The word martial means 'war or war-like'. In original context, martial arts meant 'war arts'.

Krav Maga is a modern-day martial art that, translated from Hebrew into English, means 'contact combat' or 'close quarters combat'.

Krav Maga is a close-quarters combatives and self defense system developed during the World War II era to help Jews protect and defend themselves from persecution during the Holocaust.

Krav Maga is primarily known for its focus on real-world self defense situations and its extreme efficiency and aggressiveness to IMMEDIATELY stop an attacker.

Krav Maga became Israel's military and security forces hand-to-hand martial arts / combatives system and continues to be used to this day.

Coach Andy Fanslau is a certified Krav Maga Instructor. Much of the Pure Self Defense close quarters combatives (CQC) curriculum is based on the practical principles of Krav Maga.

Krav Maga's close-quarters combatives are meant ONLY for those rare times when everything else has failed and your only reasonable option is to use the tool violence (aka 'martial arts') to stop the threat as quickly and efficiently as possible to get yourself and your loved ones to safety.

As Tim Larkin has said many times, "Violence is rarely the answer. But when it IS the answer it's the ONLY answer."

2. I want to learn martial arts in Kelowna - what is the best martial art for self defence?
The delineation between 'martial arts' and 'self defense' is context. In most martial arts, you are trained to fight one-on-one where there is consent, preparation, awareness, and a rule set. You and the other person are willing participants and the delivery system is PHYSICAL.

In the context of self defense (i.e. self protection), the delivery system is BEHAVIORAL. The bad-guys choose the time, place, and method of attack, stacking the odds in their own favor by using deception, distraction, ambush, weapons, multiple attackers, size and strength, etc. In a real self defence situation you are an unwilling participant who has not provoked the escalation.

Self defense begins when your gut tells you that something feels 'off' or you notice something suspicious. It is primarily pre-emptive and pro-active, usually beginning before physical violence is deployed.

Krav Maga is technically a martial art, but it is only one aspect of Pure Self Defense. As a client, you will learn a hybrid mix of effective close-quarters combatives tools, including those found in the real-world martial art of Krav Maga. However, you will learn to recognize and avoid danger so that you can avoid having to use physical violence to protect yourself except for in an extreme situation where there is no reasonable escape or opportunity to verbally de-escalate or negotiate. 99.9% of the social aggression that people face every day is avoidable if you are willing to learn how to manage yourself.

3. What is 'Self Defence'?
Self-defense is your God-given right to be able to protect yourself from physical harm.

This means that you do not necessarily have to wait until you're actually physically attacked to act in self-defense.

If a reasonable person would truly believe that they are about to be physically attacked, they have the right to attack first and prevent the attack from happening. The level of force used to stop the threat (i.e. the amount of injury caused) must parallel the level of threat or danger but not go beyond it.
4. In a self defence situation, do I have to wait until the other person attacks me first before I can use force to defend myself?
NOTE: Nothing here is legal advice - for legal advice, consult a lawyer.

Statistically, the person that lands the first significant strike(s) is most likely to walk away with the least amount of damage or injury to themselves.

As much as unhinged toxic "wokeism" would try to have us believe, words are not violence.

VIOLENCE IS VIOLENCE.

No one gets to use threats and violence because someone hurt your delicate snowflake feelings. To succeed in this life it's important that you develop character, thick skin, the ability to manage your ego, and learn to be self-disciplined and powerful enough to CHOOSE to not take offense to things - even things that the other person intends to be offensive or 'personal'. It's not your job to go around teaching a**holes to not be a**holes.

That is an exercise in futility.

Context is everything. Ask yourself this:

A. Is the threat Immediate, Actionable, and Unavoidable?

B. Is using the tool of violence REASONABLE and NECESSARY?

If the answer to all of these questions is "YES", then you may be justified in using an appropriate level of force against the other person pre-emptively (i.e. before they use physical violence against you) in order to PREVENT an assault or attack against you. Outside of an ambush, there is usually a moment during the conversation / interview / escalation phase that, if you know what to look for (i.e. red flags, pre-contact indicators, and action triggers), will tell you that a physical assault is likely or imminent. You just have to know what those indicators are, believe them when you see them, and ask yourself, "how much more information do I ACTUALLY need?". Because it's often less than you think.

Just remember that the purpose of using the tool of violence is not to punish the other person or teach them a lesson - it is ONLY to stop the attack and get yourself and your loved ones to safety. Once the attacker is no longer a threat, you must disengage - otherwise you may be seen as the bad-guy. It is important that you don't become the very thing that you are training to stop or to prevent.

The level of force that you use must match the level of danger you face, which can often be hard to know. If the other person's threat against you is to take your life or cause grievous bodily harm, then you can generally match that amount of force in kind UNTIL the other person is no longer a threat. The level of threat can also change during the altercation.

For example, if the bad-guy had a gun and you disarmed him, you probably don't have the right or necessity to then take his gun and shoot him with it. If he pulled out a knife, another gun, or had other people with him that were a threat, then you may be justified in shooting him. It just depends. It also depends on what information you had in the moment and what, in that moment, you BELIEVED to be true.

For example, if your best friend thought it would be funny to prank you by breaking into your house with a mask and fake gun. It would be reasonable for you to believe that he was an armed home-invader. If you then shot and killed your retarded unfunny friend, you would feel like garbage afterwards, but what you believed to be true at the critical moment was that an armed assailant was inside your home and was going to kill or grievously injure you and your family.

Make sense?
5. What are some things I will learn training?
Your private self defence training is customized for you and your exact needs.

You'll learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones in a well-rounded way meant for real-life situations that includes soft skills and hard skills, including physical combatives and how to use the tool of violence.

These are skills and tools such as becoming a hard target; boundary setting and enforcement; awareness and intuition; verbal de-escalation and negotiation; ego and self-management; strategic behavior; fear management; identifying bad-guy behavior and pre-contact indicators, red flags, and warning signals; stress inoculation; pre-emptive striking; and of course, vicious close-quarters combatives.

You'll be able to learn all of these things and more in the shortest amount of time possible!
6. How long does it take to learn to protect myself?
Progressing through an introductory program takes about 6 hours. Progressing through a FULL training package typically takes approximately 24 hours.

Unlike most self defence and martial arts training methods that concentrate on situational techniques for specific situations, Pure Self Defense uses principles-based instruction that provides you with concepts, principles, and tools that you can use in ANY situation!

This is a very effective training method to learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones in the least amount of time possible. The exact amount of time depends on your specific needs, goals, attitude, and work ethic. But you should know that you will acquire tools to protect yourself and feel safer, stronger, and more self-confident after your very first training session!
7. Does Pure Self Defense work for MEN?
Yes!

The fundamental principles of self defense, whether you are a man or a woman, are the same. However, the specific threats you face, your strengths, limitations, needs, and goals are unique. This is why private self defence training that is customized to YOU is so important and valuable.

Because of the type of training we offer it is important that it's a good fit both on your end and on ours. Therefore, we don't train just anyone that wants to work with us. If you qualify and are accepted as a Pure Self Defense client, we train with men and women of all ages and abilities.
8. Does Pure Self Defense work for WOMEN?
Yes!

The fundamental principles of self defense, whether you are a or woman or a man, are the same. However, the specific threats you face, your strengths, limitations, needs, and goals are unique. This is why private self defence training that is customized to YOU is so important and valuable.

Because of the type of training we offer it is important that it's a good fit both on your end and on ours. Therefore, we don't train just anyone that wants to work with us. If you qualify and are accepted as a Pure Self Defense client, we train with men and women of all ages and abilities.
9. Will self defense training help me get into better shape?
Yes.

The primary objective of Pure Self Defense and Krav Maga is teaching and training you to protect and defend yourself from criminal violence.

We've found that it's usually the best use of our time together to prioritize training to protect and defend yourself over fitness. However, the drills that we do WILL without a doubt work and improve your fitness and conditioning.

If fitness is one of your primary goals, we can place special attention on it and even create a fitness and conditioning program for you to use at home between your self defence training sessions. These types of fitness and conditioning programs are designed to not only build up your cardiovascular fitness levels, but also to increase your athleticism and work specific movements that are applicable to self protection.
10. Is it safe? Will I get hurt training Krav Maga / Pure Self Defense?
Safety must always be the top priority in any martial arts training, close quarters combatives (CQC) like Krav Maga, or reality-based self defense program.

We could say "No, you will never ever get hurt while training", but that wouldn'y be honest.

Pure Self Defense training is not like training boxing where you would get punched in the face almost every class. However, there is an inherent risk of injury.

Bumps, bruises, scrapes, and scratches are to be expected and are unavoidable. However, serious injuries are unacceptable and uncommon.

We take your safety (as well as our own) extremely seriously and take every reasonable precaution to minimize your risk and prevent injuries from ever occurring.

Because of this Pure Self Defense has never had a serious injury in over a decade of providing self defense instruction and coaching!

It's also important to NOT aggravate a pre-existing condition if you have one. Therefore, your communication is critical. It's important and expected that you always communicate how you are feeling on training days so that, if needed, we can work around any issues.

Understand that there are no guarantees in life and we do not make any guarantees that there aren't risks of serious injury or even death. You must understand that self defense training has inherent risks and that by training Pure Self Defense you take those risks upon yourself. As Clint Eastwood once said, "If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster."
11. How much is tuition?
The introductory "BECOME YOUR OWN BODYGUARD" Real-World Self Defense Package is intended to be a strong introduction to real-life self-preservation fundamentals and no previous experience required. It consists of four (4) x 90 minute sessions of 1-on-1 private self defense coaching and training with a flexible training schedule and is just 699. An additional person is only 199.

After completion of the intro program, if you desire to continue to advance your training then we will be able to discuss the details of a customized full training package. If you do wish to continue into a FULL training package the time-investment and financial-investment you have made into the Intro program will seamlessly be credited towards and merged into a Full Training Package! Pretty cool, right?

The purpose of this program is to increase your safety, ability, and self-confidence by developing your self defence game-plan for both Soft AND Hard Skills through:

• PREVENTION (soft skills): Using situational and environmental awareness and intuition / instincts to avoid dangerous situations.

• CIRCUMVENTION (soft skills): Non-violent resolution via behavior, verbal de-escalation / defusion / negotiation, psychology, and managing one's 'self'.

• RETALIATION (hard skills): Use of the tool of violence to stop an attacker (i.e. close quarters combatives).

Check out all the details by clicking HERE now!
12. What will I learn by training Pure Self Defense / Krav Maga?
Rather than following the typical training protocol of teaching you a bunch of situational 'techniques' and 'moves' for SPECIFIC situations, you will gain principles, critical thinking skills, and tools that you can use in virtually ANY situation.

Pure Self Defense's objective is to improve your safety, ability, security, and self-confidence by developing both the Soft AND Hard skills of your self defense game-plan via...

• PREVENTION (soft skills): Via situational and environmental awareness and intuition / instincts.

• CIRCUMVENTION (soft skills): Nonviolent resolution via behavior, verbal de-escalation / defusion / negotiation, psychology, and managing one's 'self'.

• RETALIATION (hard skills): Use of the tool of violence to stop an attacker (i.e. simple and effective close quarters combatives)
13. Why should I train with Pure Self Defense?
It's possibile that you may NOT want to train with us! Your needs, motives, and goals for training are unique to you. Sometimes some of those things can make it so that what we offer isn't the best option.

Because we offer a preferred 'niche' private service, it's our policy that we don't accept everyone that wants to work with us. In order to be accepted as a client it has to be a good fit and make sense. There also needs to be adequate time available in the schedule as space is very limited.

We won't work with a prospective client unless they are serious and authentic about learning how to protect themselves and their families from criminal danger. Even though Pure Self Defense's training program is A LOT of fun, the subject matter is extremely serious. We teach our clients how to survive and save their lives from criminal violence - stopping, and even potentially KILLING a violent criminal attacker if needed. If that doesn't sound like it's your particular brand of vodka, that's okay. You need to decide for yourself if you want to possess a life-skill with that kind of capability and responsibility. It's not for everyone, even though everyone should have it.

It's a good idea to give some thought to what your objective for training is (identify your "WHY?") and then make a decision based on that - whether or not it makes sense to learn this skillset.

- If you want to just learn martial arts, this won't be a good fit.
- If you want to train with 40 other people in a class, this won't be a good fit.
- If you are looking for a hobby that you want to do for the next 5-10 years, this won't be a good fit.
- If you want to learn how to hurt or 'fight' people that make you angry or challenge you, this won't be a good fit.
- If you are NOT eager to learn and willing to start to expand your comfort zone, this won't be a good fit.

Those are a some of the 'Nays'. Here are a few of the 'Yays' to consider private self defense training:

When You Want...
1. A flexible training scheduling that can ebb and flow with and around YOUR life's schedule.
2. A self protection training program customized FOR you and with 100% attention ON you.
3. To learn to protect youself and your family in the least amount of time possible (i.e. HOURS instead of years).
4. To be able to stop a larger, stronger, enraged attacker in any real-life self defense situation.
5. To train SMARTER instead of just harder.

If you feel like it probably makes sense for us to work together, please give us a call today. We'd love to speak with you, answer your questions, and help you become safer, stronger, and more self-confident in the shortest amount of time possible. It feels good knowing that if anyone ever tried to hurt you or someone you love that you are prepared to stop them by any means necessary - AND WIN!

Private self defense consulting (self defense training, coaching, and instruction) is one of the most practical and effective ways that you can help improve your life by increasing your safety, security, and self-confidence in the least amount of time possible - regardless of your age, sex, or athletic ability.

Knowing that you can stop a larger stronger attacker gives you the kind of confidence and self-assurance needed for you to be a capable, switched-on, hard-target - reducvin the odds of ever being targetted by about 70% (according to FBI statistic). Imagine being the kind of person who is able to recognize and avoid, de-escalate, and deal with almost any threat legally, morally, and ethically - and in a life-threatening situation, being able to use the tool of violence to save your own life or the life of someone you care about. How would that kind of confidence and capability make you feel EVERY DAY for the rest of your life?

Call now for more real-world self defense information: 778-363-PURE [7873] or click here to email us today!



The information on this website is NOT legal advice.  For legal advice, consult a lawyer.   |   Refunds provided as program credit.   |   Prices and policies are subject to change without notice.

Real Self Defense That Everyone Can Use.
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Pure Self Defense  -  Exactly What It Sounds Like.

Have a question or want to discuss real-world self defense, Krav Maga, CQC, or Martial Arts?

Call Coach Andy at Pure Self Defense in Kelowna today!