Martial arts are a human activity 
Martial arts are a human activity. If we are training in martial arts for self-defense, we need to embrace the idea that we are protecting ourselves from a human. They will fight, attack, and defend like living, unpredictable creatures—not robots. Because martial arts were created by living beings, we have to embrace the idea that our martial arts training has to be full of life.
Characteristics of Human and conflict
Human attackers possess several qualities that no training equipment can replicate:
Adaptability: Humans adjust their strategy mid-engagement based on what's working and what isn't.
Emotional States: Fear, anger, desperation, or substance influence can make opponents behave in ways that defy conventional tactical expectations.
Survival Instinct: When threatened, humans tap into primal responses that can override training, logic, and even pain.
Unpredictability: Unlike programmed responses, human behavior contains elements of chaos and spontaneity.
Cleverness: Humans can feint, deceive, and employ psychological tactics.
Consider this: martial arts were created by living beings to defend against living beings, shouldn't our training methods reflect this biological reality?
Mark Davis
Founder of Boston Martial Arts Center
