Is Your Martial Arts Training BACKWARDS?
I have a problem with “martial arts”.
No, I’m not going to launch into some “anti-martial arts” rant about how it’s ineffective in a real street fight (though I have my opinions).
But the problem I have with most martial arts systems is that they teach their students how to defend themselves completely BACKWARDS!
Let me explain…
If you’ve ever taken a single class in a “martial art”, then you know that your training begins with learning how to get in the perfect stance to strike from…the perfect punching form…blocking…a fancy schmancy takedown…etc.
Eventually you progress to more advanced strikes, kicks, katas, and even more fancy schmancy takedowns. And then finally, if you’re in a very progressive school…you MAY (if you’re darned lucky) get into how to actually AVOID using those techniques. You see…
…A “Fight” Is What Happens When
All Things Have Gone WRONG!
You weren’t able to identify and avoid a bad situation…
…you weren’t able to talk down the 300 lb gorilla snorting in your face because he thought you were checking out his girlfriend
…you let your attacker get too close to you and woke up in a hospital bed
…you let your ego get the best of you and decided to “stand up” for your wife when some guy made a comment
…the list goes on.
I’ve never attended (or even heard of) a self defense program that STARTED by taking you out behind the school to show you how to walk around a corner of a building in a way that doesn’t let a waiting attacker catch you by surprise…
…or how to use your car windows as a mirror to see what’s going on around you while you’re approaching it in a parking lot…
…or how to set aside your ego to talk down the guy at the bar who thought you were looking at his girlfriend.
I’m sure they’re out there. You may even attend one or be that kind of instructor. I’ve just not seen it yet.
The number of potentially dangerous situations are limitless, but learning how to avoid a fight should be the very FIRST thing martial arts instructors teach in their schools.
Not in place of, but rather along side the techniques that can be used should avoidance and de-escalation fail.
Jeff- I watched the free dvd and read your Close Quarters Combat book. I did learn alot of good stuff and you had alot of good points. But I really was appalled about the parts when you say that traditional martial arts like karate does’nt work. It looks like you have been around the block some yourself so maybe I am not really understanding what you are saying. My students and myself have used the techniques and concepts of Karate training out on the streets, public schools, homes, college campuses, beerjoints, and so on and have prevailed 95% of the time ( really its 100% so I’ll say 95% to sound more real). I even have street cops and jailer cops as my students that use this stuff ALL the time and it works. I even worked at the Maximum Security State Hospital, the best of the worst criminals and used traditional karate methods on these animals and worked, I never got hurt once out there,( I am only 5ft 7in 135 lbs I worked out there for years. Alot of our students have used the karate moves where they worked at the Maximum Security State Prison and always prevailed. One of my students joined the Army and went to Iraq and used karate on the enemy 3 times, ended up killing one, got busted down in rank, then promoted soon because they found out he saved the Captain’s life. Listen, I can go on and on with this and I suppose we can come up with theories on strategies, I served in the Marines,and Im in the Guard now, in the Martial arts for 23 years and thump our chests at each other and try to prove the other wrong. But bottom line, this TRUE old Traditional Okinawan Karate( not sport shotokan politically correct karate)HAS proved to help save lives and our way of life so many times I have forgot so many. I think you and the rest of us traditional martial artist live in a different world. I was going to purchase the rest of your training material, we can learn from anyone, but when you say that karate does’nt work, I can’t. After watching the video on the techniques you taught, you do have some good stuff, but when you say that karate doesnt work, well you are not correct.
Thanks for your feedback BillR (And Nathan)!
You’ll find that my problem is NOT with “martial arts” per se. But there are martial arts that are practical for self defense and those that are not. There are martial arts teachers who think and train practically…and those who do not. Overall, traditional martial arts is NOT solely focused on self defense, though there ARE good sound self defense techniques taught. Example – Learning a hammer fist…practical. Learning an up/down block…NOT practical. Both are taught in traditional karate schools but anyone who’s been in a real fight knows that you have probably less than an 10% chance of ever blocking a punch.
Now, I’ve always stated that no matter WHAT you train in, it’s all good from the standpoint that any sort of physical, hands-on practice is beneficial. But if you don’t balance it out with reality-based training (combatives, CQC, or whatever you want to call it), you run the risk of programming your mind solely for what you’re learning in a traditional class and that ain’t gonna cut it.
I’ve been a loyal student to several traditional martial arts over my lifetime. The most practical system I’ve ever trained in was actually a Shaolin system that taught “fighting” from day 1. My war is not with tradition…just impracticality in any of its forms.
One thing I would caution all instructors and survivalist alike in though…
…it’s not for any of us to judge what “works” and what doesn’t. That includes myself. If for some reason, the one single move that Average Joe Tax Payer learns in his Tae Kwan Do class is a spinning back kick and it’s the one single move that levels a street thug accosting him and his wife in a parking lot, then it’s just as good as the most bad ass Krav Maga move on the planet. If it works, it works…period. I gave up a long time ago, putting down ANY martial art. But hey…I have my opinions and I offer what I feel works best for brutal encounters having been in a few and witnessed even more. Unfortunately, most traditional martial arts and sport systems don’t teach how to deal with real brutality. It’s not good for student retention and it’s simply not “part” of most systems.
Keep up the comments guys! Agree or disagree. All respectful feedback is welcome!
Jeff
Personally, I believe that style and technique — any style and technique — is probably of less importance in deciding a fight than aggression, power, and ruthlessness.
Jeff I have watched your free DVD and read your book. I noticed or felt that you were really harsh in what you said about the martial arts…Not all martial arts is bad, especially those out there that still train in the old traditional ways. What should be said is that it is the American versions that are usually (not always) but usually bad as they have gone to sport training and abandoned the Ryu…Really it is the SPORT VERSIONS everywhere that are bad. Like Songaham Tae Kwan Joke (I mean Do) I have trained in the style and it has changed a lot in the last 13 years focusing more and more on the sport then defense…There are 1st degree black belts who are just learning how to get out of wrist grabs and front chokes like what you did in your video, whereas in traditional karate you learn those techniques as soon as you walk in the door…Now I am not picking on Tae Kwan Do as a whole, the traditional Korean based styles are very good. But I think that if you are going to pick on martial arts you need to focus more on Sport martial arts as it is those sport styles that have abandoned the Ryu (Traditions) and focus on winning trophies and nothing else. And again you should really focus on M.M.A. as they too have abandoned the Ryu and don’t even give the Ryu a chance as they may train in a style for only a few months and move on…I MEAN COME ON!!! YOU CAN’T EVEN LEARN WHAT REALLY COUNTS…THE BASICS!!! Like Mr. Miyagi said in the Karate Kid, “You must first learn how to stand then learn how to fly.” Build your arsenal and improve from it through your own trial and error and what works best for you.
This goes to Gregory Kay…Actually that last comment isn’t exactly true….While aggression, power, and ruthlessness is good. So is technique, and style…AND it can at times be better…It is very possible for a smaller person to beat a much bigger attacker using style, grace, and technique WITH LITTLE EFFORT……..I don’t know if you watched the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Warrior”? But in one of the episodes a Shaolin Warrior fought a deadly Maori Warrior. Despite the HUGE difference in size and the Maori Warrior having more superior weapons, the Shaolin won a majority of the fight simulations using their speed, agility, technique and grace.
I’ve been involved in Taikwondo, Aikido, Brazilian Jujitsu, Boxing. Usefulness in a street fight: Useless, useless, decent, good. Fights are quick, nasty, usually in very close quarters and won’t allow for any fancy “technique”. Striking first, fast, and consistently is best. The jujitsu’s great if you have the distance for a take-down or keeping your cool when pinned or choking and boxing speaks for itself – both of these are useful because you practice with live opponents (esp. boxing). The ‘oriental’ styles are Arts, thus the name. Fighting is disgusting and super-quick (and strangely, in slow-motion), during my fighting period none lasted more than five minutes. Fights are won quick, resulting in a knockout or a grapple (ground and pound). No time for Jackie Chan BS.
There needs to be a class on adrenaline control. Quick (me), mid, and late adrenaline. As a quick adrenalizer if I don’t move immediately the adrenaline turns to fear. The mid adrenalizer is probably best. The late is the guy who starts going ape-shit after his heads been beat in. Adrenaline is a bitch.