RSS
Home
On the need for civilian self defense in Hawaii
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Hawaii was one of the first place women could learn self defense arts in America.
In 1975, a horrific crime in Washington DC led to a Supreme Court case (Warren vs District of Colombia) where the ruling basically said that police have no responsibility to protect individuals from crime. The common misconception is that police services exist to protect you from criminals. Yet, on a national level, this is not supported by the letter or the intent of the law. The bottom line is that if you are a victim of a crime, it is your responsibility to defend yourself and your property.
While violent crime isn't common in Hawaii, it does occur and the average police response times vary from six to eight minutes depending on the region. This means that for a critical window, an individual will be on their own in regards to their own self defense. Thus, the logic of training in some form of self defense becomes apparent in exactly the same way that some one would learn to swim, learn CPR and First Aid.
Self defense is defined as protecting one's self or one's property from harm. The laws for self defense vary by region, but are crucially important to consider when one is training to meet the various scenarios one might face on the street. In Hawaii, one can expect these laws.
In general, civilian self defense classes and martial arts are very common in Hawaii. The dilemma is not whether one will find what one wants, but how to choose from so many options. As a rule of thumb, it is good to consider at least taking a class if one is not interested in taking a martial art. If one is interested in taking a martial art, it's good to keep in mind the objective of self defense vs other objectives various combative systems train for.
A good self defense art will contain techniques that are applicable to many different kinds of situations. They will include a full range of empty hand techniques, a number of weapons, and training to deal with multiple attackers. A good self defense art will also prepare a student to deal with the aftermath of a violent encounter by training first aid, emergency response, legal matters, and proper escape procedures.
All of these can be found in many of the traditional martial arts systems found here on Oahu. All the reader must do is choose which path they would like to tread. The bottom line is that the gap between police action and crime initiation is such that you will have to defend yourself if you are victimized. Also, legally, the police are not required to protect you from crime. Therefore, it only makes sense to train.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
