24/08/2026
Saw this today and it’s a tragic reminder that every action has consequences.
A single punch can change two lives forever.
Sometimes the punch itself causes the injury, but often the person falls, strikes their head on the ground and suffers a fatal brain injury. What might have been intended as “just one punch” can have consequences nobody can take back.
That is one of the reasons I take the responsibility of teaching self defence so seriously.
We train people to protect themselves when they genuinely need to, but we also teach that our response must be necessary, reasonable and proportionate to the threat we are facing.
Learning how to strike, defend yourself and fight does not give you permission to use those skills because someone has annoyed you, insulted you or challenged your ego.
In fact, the more capable you become, the greater your responsibility to exercise judgement and restraint.
There is no room for ego on our mats!
We want our students to have the skills and confidence to protect themselves and others, but equally, the awareness to recognise when they do not need to fight.
Walk away when you can.
De-escalate when you can.
Fight when you genuinely have to.
And understand that once you throw that punch, you cannot always control what happens next.
