What the Heck is Self Defense Competition?

While reading some posts on a group I came across a topic on competition. Someone asked for details that a professional coach would provide students to win a competition so one of the answers was, I assume, demonstrating self defense techniques.

I am not really sure how this can be done and/or judged, what criteria a judge would use to evaluate and score, and do they actually use or believe that it is for "real" self defense, i.e. street fighting stuff, or what. I did participate in tournaments a long, long time ago but had never heard of this part of it before.

Now, in the last few years I have come to "understand somewhat" violence and self defense which did not meet the criteria I used those long years ago and I cannot for the life of me "see" how they could make it into a competitive thing and be called "self defense." Maybe one of the blog readers/followers can comment and enlighten me how this is possible.

I have asked a couple of karate-ka, including on the group list, how this could be possible. I can only guess at this time that it must be a promotional/economically driven thing and that it cannot possibly be street self defense. I can only picture two persons facing one another while one attacks in a predetermined pattern while the other receives or responds in the same manner. I guess it could be another way folks can add to the trophy corner and say, "I am the world champion self defense black belt person!" If this were even remotely true then I wonder if they tend to create a false sense of ability and that it, what ever it is, will work in a violent encounter.

I can see maybe creating a "waza drill competition" where the same happens, i.e. one gives a set pattern and the other responds. Taking the "self defense" title out of it seems to me to make it real clear this is a technique drill/application competition and not some real street self defense type thing. Here I go again with semantics but come on guys, if one person misconceives the intent and gets hurt badly or killed ...

Ok, anyone know the details of a tournament judging of self defense competition?

Ok, some Youtube examples:







Ok, hmmm, I guess ... no, I cannot make any comment to these examples - too difficult. In those examples, "How many times can you count where it was illegal if used on the streets for self defense?"