The Law

Many people are under the impression that you cannot use karate to defend yourself without running foul of the law.

This is a myth, as is the belief that a karate practitioner has to register his hands and feet with the Police as "deadly weapons".

The paradox of Karate is that we learn to fight so we don't have to. Given the choice, any true martial artist will walk away from a potentially violent situation.

Only as an absolute last resort will a true martial artist engage in physical violence.

The Law says that you may use reasonable force to defend yourself or your loved ones.

What this means is that if an aggressor tries to punch you then it is reasonable to punch that person back to protect yourself.

If however you continue to punch, kick or otherwise pummel your attacker beyond the minimum that is required to end the conflict then you may find yourself in court facing assault charges.

Should this happen you will find the legal system less than sympathetic. Not because you are a "trained killer whose whole body is a deadly weapon", but because as a martial artist you should know when to stop!