Most people think self-defense means learning how to fight.

It doesn’t.

Real self-defense training prepares you to recognize danger early, avoid unnecessary conflict, and make lawful decisions under stress — not to win fights.

In this episode of The John Hallett Podcast, we break down:

• Why fighting and self-defense aren’t the same
• The core components of real-world training
• Why awareness and judgment matter more than flashy techniques
• How firearms training fits into responsible self-defense
• Why repetition and calm training may look “boring” — but work under pressure

If your training doesn’t teach restraint, legality, and decision-making, it’s incomplete — no matter how impressive it looks.

In-person training in Castle Rock, Colorado:

Rocky Mountain Self Defense & Fitness

Education and gear:

ClearSky Training

Train more. Suck-Less.

Parents aren’t imagining it.

Modern youth sports didn’t just get more competitive — they became year-round, expensive, and all-consuming. For many families, childhood now looks like constant travel, packed schedules, pressure to specialize early, and kids who are burned out before they even reach high school.

At Rocky Mountain Self-Defense & Fitness in Castle Rock, we see this every week: kids who aren’t lazy — they’re overtrained and overscheduled.

There is a better path.

In this episode, John Hallett and Josh Hammerling break down one of the most misunderstood topics in martial arts and self-defense:

Competition training is not the same as self-defense training.

They discuss why beginners shouldn’t expect to out-fight trained competitors, how Krav Maga uses the 80/20 rule to build real-world survivability, and why so many viral videos take techniques completely out of context.

This conversation covers:

Why specializing beats being well-rounded — and why self-defense is different

The danger of expecting advanced techniques from new students

How awareness, de-escalation, and decision-making matter as much as physical skill

Why internet comparisons between martial arts often miss the point

Training for reality, not ego or trophies

If your goal is to go home safe, not win a match, this episode explains what realistic self-defense training actually looks like.

Train with us:

Rocky Mountain Self Defense & Fitness

Castle Rock, Colorado

Learn more about Krav Maga, fitness, and integrative defense training at RMSDF.