Assumptions are something we believe which we usually accept as the truth without putting them to the test or subjecting them to harsh questioning.

What we assume everyday is usually accurate and correct while fulfilling an essential role in our lives..

However, when our testable assumptions are based on incorrect information, they can be misleading and, on occasion, fatal.

Since martial arts has many forms it cannot be tested in a accurate way.

With such a noble art, martial artists don’t even want to make assumptions..

It is because of this that they are allowed to approach their discipline in the most unconventional, yet always acceptable, of ways.

As our assumptions are generally the only things we know, it is increasingly a challenge to test or doubt them.

Thanks to epistemology, or the scientific study of how we know things, we can better understand the thought process that paves the way to what we know.

It is because of personal experience, we usually know what we do.

However, we are not very willing to put the knowledge we have gained on the backburner.

This is due to the blind faith we put in shared knowledge we have collected, almost like a master of something.

On rare occasions, it is not one or the other but instead we put together both our personal knowledge and shared knowledge when the two agree or complement each other.

With martial arts training, it is crucial to question one’s beliefs and knowledge.

This is because some of the assumptions we have gathered along the way have either have bias or are based on information we came across haphazardly.

Knowing the difference between both opinions and facts is very important..

Unless you’re a Muhammad Ali or a Mike Tyson, most of the knowledge you have acquired about fighting is based on what you hear and are taught and not on personal experience.

This makes the instructors’ experience and what they know as the only link between your knowledge and fighting.

The instructor, more often than not, will pass on his approach based on assumptions of martial arts that will become the students very own style.

When adopting a style, an individual will need to choose a set of tactics and strategies that best suits them.

One should also keep in mind that the assumptions he/she has about the usage of the skills acquired will not always match a hostile situation.

But because of the love we have for martial arts, we seek comfort and safety in our discipline. However, despite the comforting assumptive power of this approach, it may be hazardous.

With martial arts for self defense, it is important to remember that one’s assumptions that play a role in their skills will not always match the hostile situation in which they are in.

This is crucial when it comes to how to learn martial arts.