Can You Really Apply That Lock? Reality vs. Fantasy.

 

Posted by ADAM CARTER on MAR 09, 2025

Can You Really Apply That Lock? Reality vs. Fantasy.

(Approx 1 minute 55 second read)

Some of the comments I receive on my articles are truly remarkable (I’m being polite here). They certainly inspire me to write, so I suppose I shouldn’t complain.

Recently, a few people argued that fine motor skills work under high stress – some comparing the skills of martial artists to jet fighter pilots and U.S. Marines! Their logic being that if highly trained professionals can execute precise movements under extreme pressure, so can the average martial arts practitioner.

Really?

Let’s put this into perspective. A hobbyist who trains twice a week, for maybe a couple of hours at best, is now being compared to individuals who undergo years of rigorous, specialized training – often under real-world combat conditions. That’s quite the leap.

Let me ask you a question: be honest now, how many students in your dojo could, without question, protect themselves and others in a real-world violent encounter?

Most adults in the dojo have full-time jobs and families. They can’t dedicate their lives to training. Many dojos today are filled with children – who, no matter how well-trained, do not have the experience, physicality, or decision-making ability of a fighter pilot, a Marine, or any other professional who is required to face massive amounts of pressure on a daily basis in their career. This is where common sense needs to prevail, for goodness sake.

Even professionals struggle with fine motor skills under stress. Look at law enforcement – officers are often trained in arm locks and control techniques, yet when dealing with a resisting suspect, these fine motor-dependent techniques frequently fail. Why? Because adrenaline surges, dexterity deteriorates, and an uncooperative opponent doesn’t present their arm like they would in training.

That’s why officers rely more on gross motor skills – simple, high-percentage techniques like takedowns, head control, and body weight manipulation.

How do I know this? Experience in that environment.

If trained professionals experience this, how can anyone reasonably expect a part-time martial artist to perform intricate, precise techniques in a life-or-death struggle?

The reality is that in high-stress situations, people revert to gross motor movements. It’s not a theory; it’s been observed time and time again in real-world encounters. Yet, unqualified voices online keep pushing unrealistic ideas – often without any firsthand experience. Worse, those who don’t know any better read these comments and start believing they, too, can develop superhuman skills.

Those of us who have real-world experience understand what works and what doesn’t. We aren’t just playing tag in a dojo, and we certainly aren’t living in a movie where split-second, precision-based techniques always land perfectly.

Martial arts should prepare people for reality, not fantasy. And if you think otherwise – get a grip. (See what I did there?)

Written by Adam Carter.