Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4 - Page 5

However, what lies next in the progress of the mental development is Honshin. Honshin is not just knowing what is right, but the ability to adjust to any given situation with the right action. One of the first questions a beginner will ask, after learning a few techniques, is how will I know which technique to use in an attack, and the answer is by Honshin. This state of mind allows a student to know what needs to be done and when. It allows for the severity of a situation and the many different possible reactions that can be given by a martial artist. More Bullshin. You know what to do in a given situation by repetitious training. Good basketball players or baseball players or Judo players know what to do and when to do it because they have practiced it endlessly.

In example, an attacker may grab your arm, which could be nothing more than a bothersome situation, a prelude to a strike, or an extremely aggressive assault leading to a possible rape or kidnapping. If a person reacts with a killer instinct, he/she may kill when the situation does not warrant it. TKDTutor: True. Or if a person tries to 'figure' out what to do, they may hesitate and not success in defending themselves. True. But by being able to rely on Honshin, the person will know what to do, when to do it, and how much force to use. Not true. The person will be ale to interpret the intent of the grab from the circumstances, and, due to training, will be able to react with the proper response. Mind cleansing has nothing to do with it.

Properly developed Honshin allows a martial artist to be free to act without hesitation. It also allows the person to act without guilt. Whoa! Sounds like a killer instinct to me. Too many times after a self defense situation, a person will second guess themselves. They will ask themselves over and over again, what could they have done differently. But by achieving Honshin, the person does not have to agonize over the decisions made during the confrontation, they will know they did the right thing. Yea right! Any person with a conscious will agonize over having to hurt or kill another person, even if the cause was just. The author is telling us that Honshin trains us to eliminate our conscious. Doe he really believe this is better than an\ killer instinct?

The question then is, how does a martial artist develop Honshin and the simple answer is, proper training in the martial arts, but the key word here is 'proper'. Training specifically to have a killer instinct or to fight competitively, creates a predisposition for a certain type of action. Does it really! Generally a person who thinks of developing a killer instinct is programming themselves to fight. Does it? This prejudgment means that even if a situation does not warrant combat, the person will engage in the battle, because they have filled their minds with the concept of fighting. Bullshin! I guess I should be more afraid of walking the street around ex-solders now that the author has told me that they are time bombs just waiting for an excuse to kill. A competitive attitude can generate an attitude of conflict where none needs to be. Mr. Durbin is obviously never going to be selected to coach a sport team. In real life there are more times when it would be better for a person to walk away, yet if the person is used to the idea of fighting and 'answering' a challenge with combat, they may employ violence where it is not necessary. If this is true, then the opposite must be true; a person not used to the idea of fighting may not employ violence when it is necessary.

It is necessary to understand that violence is never considered the best response in any situation. Never in any situation!! When a spaced out doper jumps from behind a tree and rushes toward me and my wife with a knife yelling "Kill the aliens!”, violence would seem to be the best response. What am I supposed to do, run away and leave the wife to defend herself or maybe ask him about his abusive childhood?  Most especially in regard to legal repercussions it needs to be avoided. Too many young people take the scenes in movies entirely too seriously. There are so many martial arts movies which show the hero engage in battle, seriously injuring or killing the 'bad guys' and then being treated like a hero after the battle is over. While movies should give us happy endings and a positive expression of live. They should be fun entertainment of how things could or should be, in that the bad guy loses and the good guy wins and is rewarded as a hero. But real life is not movie life. If a person gets into a fight, they had better be able to prove complete justification for their actions, or they will go to prison for seriously injuring or killing another person. This is true. However, if they do not have the killer instinct to do what is necessary, they will not have to worry about justifying their actions. Dead men do not explain anything. As the old saying goes, “It is better to be judged by twelve than to be carried by six.”

If the judge determines that a person was exercising a killer instinct in regard to a defensive situation, it is a good bet he will also consider the defender as having used excessive force and rule against him/her. This could then lead to a record for assault, manslaughter, or murder. Currently the main self defense concept in force in most states, is that a person can use no more force to defend him/herself, than the attacker intends to use on them. A killer instinct will almost assuredly result in the use of excessive force, as will almost any competitive urge. Who says! Mr. Durbin seems to be projecting his own limitations onto others. Training killers, such as soldiers and police officers, refrain from killing everyday. From other statements he has made, it appears the author does not compete. Must be because he is afraid of what he may do if he does compete; he may slip up and kill the opponent. Soldiers do not dive for cover when a can drops beside them in a store. A karate black belt does not kick or punch the opponent in a Judo match. A Taekwondo competitor does not have the competitive urge to race other customers to the checkout line. Rational, trained people have control of their killer instincts and competitive nature.

Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4 - Page 5