👀Look Into My Eyes👀

There is a big emphasis in many martial arts on eye contact.

Most Uechi Ryu dojos stress the importance of maintaining strong eye contact.

603 Karate is not most Uechi Ryu dojos.

Perhaps I enjoy being contrary?  

But, on this issue, I have my reasons.  

Maintain good eye contact

OK.  But, why?

If Karate is a self-defense, and if you train at a dojo to improve your self-defense skills…

Then I advise you: do not look someone directly in the eyes, except for a couple of exceptions.

Why No Eye Contact?

If you are in an argument with someone, what message does glaring into their eyes send?

It’s been my experience that is a message of aggression.  It’s either an invitation to start fighting or an advertisement that you are willing to fight.  A sign that you will not back down.

Now, that can be good information to pass on to whomever you might be dealing with.  But, if you are truly training in Self-Defense, isn’t the goal NOT to fight unless you have to?

If so, isn’t it a better idea not to show signs of aggression and willingness to fight?

Ask yourself: Is that glaring eye contact a message of not backing down, or is it a sign of a sensitive ego?  

That’s for you to answer.

So, I should just run away scared?

No.  There are certainly other options.

This is what I did in my police days when I was dealing with an “unsatisfied customer.”

I’d look past them, like they weren’t even there.  I acted as if I were oblivious to them.  Like they didn’t even register in my world.  Like they were invisible.

Mind you, I had a fist covered with an open hand, and in a bladed stance.  I could see their entire body in my peripheral vision.  I was ready to react the moment they came towards me.  And, this method worked incredibly well.

What I didn’t show was a sign of aggression.  What I didn’t show was a desire to fight.  All they saw was a calm individual who appeared unaffected by their nonsense.

Was this 100% effective at not fighting?  No.  But that was on them.  I didn’t encourage that result in those instances.

Mind you, I’m not perfect…

I freely admit some people got right under my skin.  I did not seem unaffected by those folks.  I did glare at those people.  And the percentage of times those situations ended up hands-on was much higher than looking past them.  

That was on me.

One more thing to consider

In self-defense, you want to be able to see your opponent's entire body.  If you are within reach of this person and you are staring straight into their eyes, you are missing a good portion of their lower body.  You might not see a quick kick or knee strike coming at you.

If you lower your gaze to their shoulder/chest area, you are seeing much more of the person.  

This slight adjustment does nothing to slow your reaction time down.  It will give you a better view of what might come at you.  And, you won’t be agitating the other person’s ego by glaring (with a slight hint of hatred) into their eyes.

There are always exceptions

There were times when some eye contact was useful, without being aggressive.  If I just entered a house or came upon a serious situation, A little eye contact with everyone there let them know a “serious person” had just arrived.

Also, if it was clear that I could dominate someone physically if tempers were rising, I would glare as if to say, “You and I both know you don’t want this.”  That generally worked.

This is all just my opinion

I am a far cry from knowing all there is to know.  These are simply my thoughts based on my experiences.

You do what works for you.  

But if you only practice one way, you'd best hope it works. -john g