This is one of the greatest difficulties of training for self defense; reality. We don't really want to hurt our training partner. This is why, in my school, all punches/kicks/elbows are real. This is why I say what you do in the school is what you'll do on the street. If you train by missing, you'll miss on the street.

We usually start with learning how to use a block. Then, once a student shows that they can use the block properly, I punch them and they block it. I tell them, "If you don't block it, you will be punched, hard." To date, they have all blocked the punch. Once a student sees that it can work, their confidence goes up dramatically. That allows them to relax a little and then the real training begins.

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Freedom isn't free.