Introduction
In Smart Defence, the term “smart” highlights the practitioner’s ability to seamlessly shift between defensive techniques. A smart practitioner doesn’t just react—they adapt to evolving situations, analyze their responses in real time, and work in harmony with those around them.
What many overlook is that human movement is naturally guided by a closed-loop process. We begin by mentally visualizing an action, and the body then attempts to execute it. Sensory feedback from the environment allows us to adjust and refine our actions based on how well they match our original intent. In this way, imagination fuels physical performance.
With this feedback loop in mind, the defensive techniques in this system were intentionally selected for their capacity to support unlimited, meaningful repetition. Through consistent and deliberate practice, these defences become embedded in long-term memory—empowering practitioners to act instinctively, make smart decisions, and remain composed in the face of any challenge.
Therefore, disciplining the mind is crucial to ensuring that the body performs competently even in tense situations. By being fully involved and present in every activity, we can develop a mental state where our imagination works congruently with our body's response. In other words, we create a perfect absolute loop between how we picture our body moving in our imagination and how our body actually moves in reality.
The Smart Defences System applies the same core principles to self-defence and other situations. One way to understand it is through the metaphor of a mirror: your reality reflects back at you, and your senses register these reflections. Some of these reflections reach your mind, where they influence your imagination. Emotions—often triggered by past experiences—can then cause reactions that are disconnected from the present moment.
Rather than trying to analyze these emotional triggers, the more effective approach is to respond by matching what you perceive with one of the system’s 27 movements. You do this by projecting the movement in your imagination and mentally overlaying it onto the moment. In doing so, your mind, body, and environment become aligned, allowing you to operate at your highest level. This is the point at which imagination and physical response merge—where you envision your next move and your body naturally follows.
