The term "reality-based" was coined by Sgt. Jim Wagner in his monthly High Risk column in Black Belt in February 1999. According to the introduction of his book Reality-Based Personal Protection, the definition of "reality-based" is: training and survival skills based on modern conflict situations that practitioners are likely to encounter in their environments (their "reality").

Since the term's first appearance in Black Belt, public discussion of reality-based concepts by experts such as Wagner has prompted others within law-enforcement and military circles to inject their perspectives into the civilian martial arts community.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, instigated a significant upswing of civilian interest in reality-based fighting concepts because people demanded knowledge of tactics used not only by military, police and special-operations units but also those used by terrorists and criminals.

Reality-based training holds that self-defense is as unpredictable as a tornado and, therefore, predetermined responses to specific attacks may not always be the way to go. It teaches the value of unleashing a relentless offense as soon as danger is detected and the difference between engaging in a match fight (both parties agree to get physical) and a street fight (one party attacks the other, often without warning).

In some respects, the reality-fighting trend is a byproduct of the no-holds-barred craze that ignited the martial arts world in 1993. Events like the Ultimate Fighting Championship showed martial artists the necessity of learning how to function on their feet as well as on the ground, and it served as a wake-up call for practitioners who believed they would be able to execute an elegant 15-move fine-motor-control combination to extricate anyone from an encounter with a mugger or a gangbanger. In NHB fighting, people learned what worked and what didn’t; and in reality-based fighting, they are learning how and when to use those proven methods.


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