Why asking 'Can you take someone down?' misses the point of karate training

“Sensei, what do I tell people when they ask me whether I could defend myself if two men attacked me?” I asked my karate teacher the other day.

This question has always bothered me, not because I don't have confidence in my training, but because I never know what to say.

"You’ve got a way better chance to defend yourself than someone who doesn't train at…