I Don’t Care What You Can Do.
Of all the SAFE International Self Defence Certifications I have done over the past couple of decades, and the ones I am doing these days with people from the US, Italy, and Australia, one discussion always comes up. Let me explain first.
Over the past 30 years, I have also taken self-defence certification courses to improve MY abilities to protect myself. Some were good, some not so much, but virtually everyone I took focused on what I could perform, which was fine, but when I began offering the SAFE certifications, I made one huge adjustment.
During these certifications, one common question is, “Chris, why don’t you teach this particular defence or some other move or technique?”
If their goal is to teach others, my consistent answer is, “I don’t care what you can do, but I do care what those you will teach are capable of doing.”
There is nothing wrong with certifications that are a mentally and physically demanding challenge to your capabilities, but if the person wants to focus on helping others, that dramatically changes the curriculum, particularly if one wants to help those deemed most vulnerable.
Now, if one wants to learn the certification for their improvement, that is different, and we can explore that route, but it is critical to understand why one is seeking certification.