Self Preservation vs Self Defense
By Muhammad Hanif bin Muhammad Rabin
On the night of 26 Jul in London outside of a club earlier this year Johan Garcia was assaulted while out with a friend. Johan Garcia, 23, a recent graduate of the University of Kent, majoring in international business, refused to entertain people who were coming up to him asking for cigarettes during that time.
“My friend already gave these few girls cigarette papers, and the rest of their friends kept coming to ask for more. I knew my friend is pretty poor, and shouldn’t smoke anyway, so I couldn’t let him do it”, Johan said.
The particular fellow that he rejected was six-foot-three inches tall (188cm) and seemed to be intoxicated.
“We already helped that guy’s friends, and he was really upset,” Johan added. ”He started cursing, saying things like ‘I hope you die!’. At that point I turned my back towards him, and the next thing I know, I get hit right across the face and I get floored. As I turned around to face him the doorman took him out. Obviously the first reaction people had was that why didn’t I do anything about it.”
Garcia is now entering his sixth year of practicing martial arts. When he was 15, he started off with Muay Thai in Kambiz Warriors gym in Ampang Point. The reason he did so was that he used to be bullied in school, and that spurred him on to get a job to help pay for the classes. When he moved to England in 2008, he joined the Silverbacks Mixed Martial Arts Club in the University of Kent. There he picked up Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, the art of grappling for the rest of his days there.
“In every martial arts gym, there was always a common respect. There were no boundaries in terms of nationalities. Everybody was from everywhere. And everybody treated each other the same.”
During the 26 Jul incident Johan knew that the fellow that attacked him had something to prove to the world. Johan did not feel the need to show off or attack people, and only wanted to confront the man instead of using his skills to destroy that person, no matter how deserving of punishment he was.
Garcia’s philosophy in the martial arts world is that to save all the stress and anger for the ring. He has joined the Malaysian Mixed Martial Arts Invasion (MIMA) in Season two in April. He made it to the semi-finals of the contest and was unable to continue to conflicting schedule, as it took place in between his final exams in his university.
“I actually believe that it is better to walk away and be the better man, than to stand and fight. Losing your life over something small is not a good idea. If you are being mugged and the person has either a knife or a gun on you, don’t try to be a hero. Always think long term”, Garcia urged, “Then again, there are times when fighting may be necessary.”