From time to time some of my students find themselves looking around at websites from other clubs and send me a link to information posted on these websites. One such link was to a local karate club and a lovely video presentation containing with a series of videos which out the different benefits of martial arts for children.

Clubs posting videos highlighting their programs are nothing new, but what drew my attention was that each of these videos was pre-empted with a testimonial  by a gentlemen named ‘Dave Kovar’ who as he states is a ‘Professional Martial Arts instructor’ who wants to introduce us to that club ‘…one of the top martial arts academies in Canada.’.  That’s quite an endorsement.

Of course I have personally never heard of Mr. Kovar, and being the curious person that I am decided to learn a little more about him by looking him up online.  I found that Mr. Kovar is a martial arts instructor who owns a chain of clubs in California and New Jersey. But it seems that Mr. Kovacs appears to have also have a second career as a ‘Professional Spokesman’ as he can be found in dozens of similar video presentations at schools across America.

Here are a few:

http://www.selectmartialarts.com/alpha/selectmovie.aspx

http://www.selectmartialarts.com/atlantic/selectmovie.aspx

http://www.selectmartialarts.com/karatefit/selectmovie.aspx

http://www.selectmartialarts.com/Ridgewood/selectmovie.aspx

or view dozens more:
http://www.google.ca/search?q=http://www.selectmartialarts.com/+site:selectmartialarts.com&hl=en&filter=0

This kind of online video advertising is known by names such as Spokesperson Video, Virtual Spokesperson, Web Commercials, Video Salesperson, Internet Spokesperson and Web Spokesperson, with the idea being that you capture your visitor’s attention, and deliver a professional message. No different than any other commercial.

If you’re going to deliver a message about your products, services or in this case your club, shouldn’t it be an authentic one, and not some ‘canned’ or ‘cookie-cutter’ message that is used over and over again by dozens of clubs? How much is such an endorsement really worth?

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I’m busy… I’m tired… I don’t have the time…

We know you’re busy, so busy that you probably don’t even have time to think of excuses not to do CrossFit. So we decided to make it easier for you, save you the time and trouble, and give you the excuses you’re looking for… We give you:

10 Reasons NOT to train at Point Blank CrossFit:

(And 10 reasons we don’t want you to come)

10. They make you try out – Just having a credit card and pulse does not get you a membership. You have to demonstrate your willingness and ability to train intensely enough to get results. Who wants to have to meet objective standards of performance?

9. They train too hard – You sweat and breathe hard in every workout. You train at the edge of the redline which makes it too hard to read a magazine while “working out.” They won’t let you be a part of the program if you just want to go through the motions.

8. They coach you – You can’t just sit and peddle on the bike, they make you learn and develop skills. They video workouts so people can see what they are doing and coach you on how to improve. You have to learn how to move better, so you can lift more weight faster – which means you get stronger, faster and lift properly. Who wants to be coached to be stronger or faster?

7. They don’t like whining or excuses – Complainers and criers are shunned, ridiculed, run off and are generally treated like lepers. They don’t consider the woe is me attitude to be a good thing or a badge of courage. It is the right of every human to paint himself or herself as a victim in everything so they can increase their popularity with their everything-is–wrong peer group. Who wants to go to a place where you can’t complain about everything under the sun?

6. They teach you new things – They make people learn new lifts, workouts and training methods – And expect you to master them. They teach and re-teach the fundamentals so you are good at them. Who wants to learn and perfect movements in constantly changing workouts?

5. They don’t have mirrors, treadmills, machines, TV’s Etc. – They don’t have a place to adjust your make up or to flex while you stand around figuring out your next bicep exercise. You can’t check how your new outfit looks when you work out. There is no TV with Jerry or Montel or any other car crash program to distract you from your workout. They actually make you run to do your “cardio.” Who really wants to actually focus on training?

4. They tell you the truth – They tell you when you are not moving right, or babying yourself or going through the motions. They are do not praise you when you look like a space monkey having a seizure. If you do something stupid in a workout they will have probably videoed it and put it on YouTube. Who wants to be held accountable to actually do things right?

3. They expect you to get better and actually expect you to train – They expect you to add weight, go faster and maintain excellent form as a regular part of the training. They expect you to try harder to overcome the weakest links in your performance. They expect everyone who has a membership to actually come to the gym to workout. Who wants that kind of stress to constantly improve or show up?

2. They measure performance – They keep score and track your results. They won’t let you just go through the motions – They keep score on the results of your training. If your scores, weights or times are not improving, they want to know why. Who wants their performance to improve all the time?

1. They charge too much – They charge enough where you may actually feel compelled to show up and train. They think that if they provide a top level, fully equipped training space and expert coaches to coach you, it is of value to their members. Who wants to pay for a fully equipped and professionally run training center that expects people to workout and requires people to get results?

Thanks to our friends at HyperFit – USA, Ann Arbor CrossFit

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Body Building is about developing the body for the purposes of exhibition, not for functional use. The goal is the development of big and defined muscles for the purpose of esthetics (appearance). The problem with this is that bodybuilding has nothing to do with fitness. It is not at all about the development of the body for optimum human performance in our daily lives.

Body building routines breaks down natural, multiple muscle group movements into less-efficient and less-effective component parts. Our lives do not revolve around the isolated use of our muscles. In fact, you’ll find that many exercises that that are intended to maximize bodybuilding effectiveness have no basis on practical or functional movements whatsoever. When have you ever lifted anything as you would lift in a dumbbell or barbell curl? Well… other than a drink or putting food in your mouth? Of course, if you are planning on lifting one of those giant 6 foot submarine sandwiches to your mouth or drinking a 25lbs glass of wine with your arms firmly held to the sides of your body or over a preacher bench; a body builder workout may be the best way to go.

But our hectic lives require a wide variety of compound muscle movements, and for us to utilize both aerobic and anaerobic endurance in different amounts throughout our day.

Unfortunately, many fitness facilities and personal trainers use the visual, non-functional, ideal as the standard to which they train clients, instead of encouraging them to develop a broad based and inclusive spectrum of athletic fitness. These clubs and trainers are doing you a great disservice when they focus on the Body builder style workouts and claim that it is the key to healthy living.

Besides not everyone want to look like they are auditioning to star in a sequel to Pumping Iron.

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Because I train a lot of people; some of whom include competitive athletes I often get asked my opinion concerning supplements. The people who I train are often surprised to hear that I am against taken them. This is based on having done what most people do not… research.

Most people take the word of Bob down at the local supplement store, who tells you the stuff they have is 100% pure, pharmaceutical grade, will bulk you up, trim you down, make you stronger, give you more energy, and perfectly safe. They know it works because they train, use to compete, are trainers, it worked for their customers, etc..

With a little research you’ll be quite surprised about supplements and the claims they make, and how little peer reviewed scientific evidence is involved, or safety standards are involved.

Here are some things that most people might be shocked to learn about supplements:

“Products classified as dietary supplements are not required to meet any Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. There are no regulations that guarantee the safety or purity of something sold as a supplement. Therefore, supplements are not:

• Required to meet the same safety requirements as over-the-counter or prescription drugs or food ingredients
• Held to specific manufacturing standards
• Guaranteed to meet product potency or purity ratings
• Required to prove the effectiveness of any health claim they make
• Required to meet safety or efficacy testing prior to going to the market

The FDA is prohibited from removing a product from the market unless it can prove that the product will cause a medical problem. Most health risks of supplements are discovered after the product is on the market. Supplements that are pulled from the market are usually linked to a reported serious health risk or death that is tied to the use of the product.

What are Ergogenic Aids and Performance Enhancing Substances?
Erogenic aids consist of substance, drugs, procedures and even devices that are intended to improve athletic performance. Some of these substances are naturally occurring, easily available and completely legal while others are manufactured, illegal, or banned by many sporting organizations.

Common Sports Supplements Used by Athletics

• B-Vitamins
  Vitamins are essential for the body to function properly, but there may be a link between the B-vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, B-12 and folate) and performance in high-level athletes.
• Caffeine
  Caffeine has been used by endurance athletes for years as a way to stay alert and improve endurance.
• Creatine
  For some athletes, creatine supplementation improves repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise, such as sprinting, weight lifting or power sports.
• Ephedrine
  Research hasn’t found any improvement in strength, endurance, reaction time, anaerobic capacity, or recovery time with ephedrine supplements.
• Glucosamine
  Glucosamine has been used to treat osteoarthritis and helps stimulates cartilage. But does it help athletic performance?
• Glutamine
  Glutamine (L- Glutamine) is a classified as a nutritional supplement and is not regulated or banned by most sports organization.
• Hydration and Sports Drinks
  Adequate fluid intake for athletes is essential to comfort, performance and safety. The longer and more intensely you exercise, the more important it is to drink the right kind of fluids.
• Protein Supplements
  Protein is a necessary nutrient that everyone needs to function properly. Both athletes and sedentary individuals need to get adequate protein.
• Ribose
  There is clear evidence that shows an athletic performance benefit of ribose supplements.
• How to Evaluate Supplement Health Claims
  It’s difficult to wade through the research regarding health or performance benefits of many nutritional supplements. These tips will help you make an informed decision about what actually works.”

Taken From: http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/aa030901a.htm

You might want to think twice before you start taking advice from Bob down at the local supplement store concerning taking supplements.

- Paul Oddi
Head Coach Point Blank CrossFit

Additional reading concerning supplements:

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My friend Mo Teague (World Combat Arts in the UK) posted the following on his blog “There has always been an unwritten code among Martial Artists that they don’t ‘badmouth’ other Martial Artists. instructors, styles etc, but there are so many frauds out there now, some of them big name personalities that if you substitute ‘badmouth’ for ‘expose’ then it becomes a different context. I may hint from time to time upon such people but you may have to read between the lines as i shall not name directly. Conversely however there are many more legitimate instructors, Martial Artists who seek no publicity or ego stroking despite their high skill levels and knowledge. Be astute, don’t be fooled and seduced by bullshit marketing. Systems don’t fight, people do.”.

I think his statement perfectly summarizes the overall state of the Martial Arts industry, and my own personal philosophy and feelings that you often see in the articles I have written and/or posted on our website. I make every effort to clearly articulate my opinions and I am willing to put them in writting subject to the scrutiny of others, and back them up. Often my opinions are very strong but they are always based on experience, logic and example. Of course, this does not preclude me from changing my mind should I be proved wrong.

The following is an email I received a couple of months ago from a 14 year old. I have to give this guy credit for his willingness to take the time to write an email expressing his viewpoint in a constructive way.

“Hello, I have been training in Traditional Goju Ryu Karate for 8 years and am a Brown Belt. While reading the article “The Shortcomings of Traditional Martial Arts Training” I began to disagree with many things.
1st: Katas are PROVEN to create “Muscle Memory”
2nd: Katas have deeper applications then just the motions. I am constantly learning different ways to use one sequence of techniques in different situations.
3rd: We also use basic techniques in semi-complicated and complicated sequences.
4th: We use partner conditioning drills to strengthen our bodies as well as to feel how a proper kick or punch will feel on a body.
5th: We also spar with LIGHT body contact so we don’t have to wear full safety equipment.
I aslo read your article ” Black Belt in 1 Week”. As I said earlier I am Brown Belt training for 8 years. I am 14 years old. I must wait to be minimum 16 to even be able to try for a Black Belt. NO EXCEPTIONS! This will bring my total training time to at least 10 years before I get my Black Belt.
Anyways, the point of this e-mail is that I think you are completely under-mining Traditional Martial Arts. I have nothing against MMA, but I think you should give a little more credit to those clubs that stick true to Traditon.
Your fellow Martial Artist,
—- -.”

My reply:

“Hi —-,,

Thanks for the email. First let me clarify a common misconception people get when reading some of my articles. I have a great respect for traditional martial arts that are very clear about what they are… A great form of exercise which provide focus, and can increase ones over flexibility and fitness. I too have trained in traditional martial arts such as Karate and Kung Fu. Where my respect ends is when a traditional club tells their students that the forms and katas and other traditional training techniques they use have a functional application in combat or self-defense. Having had experience in both coaching combat sports and working in environments where there was real risk of physical harm every night, I can say with absolute certainty that traditional martial arts do not hold up well outside of the environment in which they train. I feel it is irresponsible and dangerous for an instructor to delude someone into thinking otherwise. I would encourage you to research a gentlemen, in the UK, by the name of Geoff Thompson, hands down one of the worlds leading authorities on the subject on self-defense.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoff_Thompson_(writer)

http://www.geoffthompson.com

Addressing some of the points of your email:

Neuromuscular facilitation, commonly know as ‘Muscle Memory’, is method of repeatedly performing a movement in an effort to provide a stimulus to the mind and induce physiological changes which attain increased levels of accuracy through repetition (Source: Wikipedia.org). So ‘any’ repetition of movement will make our brains (muscles) familiar with the movement. Essentially, “Practice makes perfect”. This applies to ‘any’ repetitive movement including walking, writing, riding a bicycle, or even hoping on foot, not just Katas. However the article “The Shortcomings of Traditional Martial Arts Training’ does not argue the point of repetitive movements not breeding muscle memory, but rather the absence of timing (and distance) in katas and forms. Katas and forms in no way provide for the understanding of timing, or ‘Aliveness’ that is required in any functional form or combat or self defense.

Light contact sparring, or touch sparring which is the more accurate name, is almost as far removed from true combat as learning to swim without water. This is definitely true when the only contact is allowed to the body. Seldom is the body the primary target of an opponent or aggressor, so why make it the primary focus of training? You need to spar in a way that provide an honest test to any techniques and training that you are learning. Of course, rules dictate training and that one must recognize that even training in functional martial arts such as Boxing, Muay Thai, and MMA will require adaptations outside of the constraint on rules applied in ring/cage. But the type of sparring done in combat sports is much closer to what one would encounter outside the ring; than that of touch sparring. Unfortunately, no conditioning or strengthening drills can adequately prepare you for how a kick or punch will truly feel when hit under the stresses of combat sports or a situation in which you are required to defend yourself.

On the issue of safety equipment I am a big proponent of using properly approved quality equipment when doing any training (Hand wraps, 16oz Boxing Gloves, Shin Pads, AIBA approves headgear). Many new students come and feel that they since they won’t be using gloves or protection in ‘the street’ they should be training without hand wraps or gloves and equipment because it will toughen up their knuckles and get them use to the feeling. My answer to them is “Bollocks!”. You wouldn’t slam your head against a brick wall thinking that it will strengthen you head? There is absolutely no reason to cause or subject yourself to unnecessary/potential injury in hopes that it will make tough or “Hard”. Save your body for the battle!

Without getting into a long discussion about the functional use for traditional techniques, I can only say that complicated sequences do not work. When the physiological (Adrenal Dump, fatigue, etc.), and psychological (Fear. nervousness) influences to our bodies under streets the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle rules the day in both sport and self-defense.

With respect to ‘Black Belt in a Week’ I think you may have missed the central point of the article. The article is a tongue in cheek commentary of the insanity of what I believe to be a questionable business practice which has become common in the martial arts industry.

I think it is great that you have dedicated yourself for so long in a martial arts which you so enjoy, I wish you luck in attaining your Black Belt, I encourage you to continue to look beyond your core training and expend you knowledge. If ever you are in the area would like to come by our club and join in with one of our classes you are always welcome.

Regards,

Paul Oddi
Point Blank Martial Arts”

I later received a second email from the young man thanking me for my reply and asking how he might be able to make his training more ‘alive’. This is a rare example of someone taking the time to questions something they read, heard or were told.

I am always willing to state my opinions and am always prepared to explain, defend and back them up with facts. Over the years I have learned that I am in the minority compared to other instructors and clubs in the area who don’t like to be publicly questioned about what they say, and prefer to remain anonymous and only express their viewpoints indirectly through their students.

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I should first explain that one of my high school English teachers, a great fan of the playwright George Bernard Shaw, use to use “Bernard Shaw” as a euphemism for Bull$#*&; feeling that many of his plays often illustrated the Bull$#*of the world and society. Over the years I have adopted it myself as a more polite euphemism.

Showtime has a program hosted by the famous magicians Penn and Teller, which uses critical thinking to pseudoscientific ideas, supernatural beliefs, popular fads, and misconceptions. The show title and the excessive use of certain profanities in describing a situation is that according to one of the host’s Penn Jillette “”…It’s also a legal matter. If one calls people ‘liars’ and ‘quacks’ one can be sued and lose a lot of one’s money…If we said it was all scams, we could also lose a lot of money. Bull$#*&’s pretty safe.”. Its interesting how despite our many freedoms we still have limits on what we can and cannot say despite the obvious truth to statements.

You’d be surprised how often claims are made by martial artists, and/or martial arts instructors that go unquestioned or unchallenged. This can range from small things such as overstating experience to the downright ludicrous claims of mystical feats. The best example I know of an outrageous story, as told by a martial arts instructor, comes from the owner of a karate club in the area.

Last year, I was invited to one of the area high schools to come in and teach some Boxing to some of their gym classes. It is common for schools to bring in outside instructors to come in and teach their students things such as Yoga, Boxing, Self-Defense, Archery, etc.. As I was about to begin teaching the class some of the students, one of whom was also a student at my club, were telling me that the past few days they had been learning self-defense from a Karate instructor. They told me that this instructor told them that he runs a marathon every weekend, a statement that the students seemed to feel was contradicted by the ample size of his belly. Not wanting to sound negative towards another instructor, I told then that the size of someone stomach is not always an accurate measure of their fitness.

It was at this point that they told me that the instructor told a story about how he had been sitting on a park bench one day, and had reached his hand out to catch what he though was a bee buzzing past only to find that he had caught a bullet in midair instead. What???? I said that he was probably just pulling their leg and trying to make them laugh, but apparently he gave everyone the impressions that he was serious, and that he was able to do this amazing feat because of his years of training.

The Martial Arts industry has long been rife with fantastical stories of the legendary accomplishments of martial arts practitioners. But come on… Are you kidding me? You caught a bullet with your bare hand. I have to call “Bernard Shaw” on any instructor who would go around telling people he can catch bullets, even if it was only once. But apparently nobody including the teacher questioned just how ridiculous such claims are.

The phrase ‘Drinking the Kool-Aid’ comes to mind when I hear such stories or about students who follow their instructors without question. It means to become a firm believer in something, to accept an argument or philosophy wholeheartedly or blindly. A reference to Jim Jones (No not Gym Jones) and the Jonestown suicide cult, who blindly and without question consumed a flavored beverage laced with potassium cyanide with tragic results.

If an instructor makes outrageous claims, says things that give you pause or are hard to believe. Don’t ever be afraid to ask questions and to have healthy skepticism, or when appropriate to call someone on their ‘Bernard Shaw!”.

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I remember coming home after watching the original and practicing my balance on the tree stump of the tree my father had just cut down that morning in our backyard.

I’m usually skeptical or just against attempts to remake a classic movie as they often fall far short of the qualities that made the original so great, or they fail to modernized in a way that makes these qualities fresh.

But once I heard that its staring Jackie Chan, one of my favourite martial arts movie actors, and I saw this trailer I’m looking forward to checking it out.

Check it out…

Interesting Movie Note: A couple of weeks ago I saw this trailer but it was called ‘The Kung-Fu Kid’, but they have since changed the name. This definitely would have made more sense as Jaden Smith’s character is learning Kung Fu. Apparently they tie to ‘The Karate Kid’ title by saying that his character knew some Karate, but got his butt kicked and the other kids start calling him ‘The Karate Kid’ as a mocking nickname. I wonder how many Clubs are going to start offering Kung Fu classes after this comes out.

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It’s very easy to teach confidence in a martial arts school. Everyone goes along with the program, does everything they are told, and takes in every word the instructor tells them about being able to effectively defend themselves because of their martial arts. In fact, it is much easier to teach confidence than it is to teach actual skill.

At most schools you or your child will get a new colored belt every couple of months, receive constant praise awards for the most insignificant progress, and be promoted to a black belt in just a few years. Now this wouldn’t be too bad, but confidence in ones martial arts needs to match ones skill. Having confidence in skills that don’t exist could be very dangerous. Especially with children.

When a child goes through the program and is flying high with false confidence and high self-esteem, a run in with a bully or bullies (which is more often the case in schools today), or get into a real fight can be devastating. To find out the hard way that ones martial arts belt is worthless, that ones role models were fake and that all that seemed so good was simply an illusion is devastating. It happens more than you might think. Especially when you can’t talk your way out of a fight, walk or run away from a situation. You had better have real skill to behind that confidence.

To serve the child’s best interest the instructor must be honest about the person’s functional skill, not their perceived skill. But unfortunately most clubs and instructors build false confidence through empty praise and constant rewards. It is really more important to build confidence by building abilities.

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After years and years of traditional clubs promoting that what they offered and taught was the ultimate in self-defense and fitness. Suddenly, these same clubs seemed to have changed their tune or rather are now singing a slightly different tune.

When we first opened a few years back, at our old location in Oak Ridges, there were only two area clubs offering any kind of MMA Program (Mixed Martial Arts). A club in Newmarket and ourselves with our JKD/MMA class. With the popularity and growth of the UFC and Pride Championships, in just a few short years, dozens of MMA clubs have popped up throughout the area.

This is nothing new. When Bruce Lee hit the scene in the early seventies, martial arts saw a huge surge of interest, and in the 80′s when the Karate Kid movie came out, Karate schools seemed to open up on every corner.

The difference this time around is that it isn’t just new clubs opening up, but it is that long established traditional clubs have suddenly started offering MMA classes and programs.

Despite traditional martial arts clearly coming up short compared to the combat based martial arts in the first few UFCs, these clubs continued to champion their traditional training and dismiss MMA as a fad. Now they are really pushing and advertising the fact that they too offer MMA.

Even the large martial arts industry marketing companies like the EFC and MAIA are all publishing articles on how traditional clubs can capitalize on the growth of MMA by adding it to their clubs. They have even created new programs to certify teachers, especially traditional club instructors, in their specially developed MMA programs. I was recently offered the opportunity, by one of these companies, to become certified as an instructor in one of these programs. Over the course of just a single weekend and for only $3000.00 (2 Instructors) we could be certified as MMA instructors, in their program. As well, for only an additional $300.00 per month, we would be able to use the program name in our advertising material and get additional promotional support.

Quite a change from dismissing MMA as a fad or a ‘flavour of the month’, don’t you think?

It is nice to know that even these traditional clubs are finally starting to realize what we and the other MMA clubs have long known. Traditional martial arts and traditional training methods are not the ultimate self-defense and fitness options that they have long claimed to be. That isn’t to say that MMA is the ultimate solution. MMA is just another step in the evolution of martial arts.

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While sparring, how many times have you witnessed an instructor try some complicated or intricate technique on an athletically built and capable new student and fall short of success? The answer for many is seldom and for most never. The reason why this is so is one of safety and unforeseen injury. High-ranking instructors don’t usually spar the new guys until they have been “trained” to fight “correctly”. New students often fight wild. They respond to being attacked in a random, uncontrollable, unpredictable and frenzied manner…naturally. Therefore, the caution displayed by the instructors is valid and to some degree understandable and necessary. Let’s face it, to learn a martial art, one must do so under the correct and controlled guidance of a qualified teacher. How else could one master the intricacies of techniques and concepts from a particular style without taking the time to train them in the proper atmosphere, with the proper method and manner?

But then a certain unmistakable fact arises. It is not in a dojo’s or kwoon’s controlled atmosphere that method and manner are ultimately tested with any real consequences. It is in the shock of the moment when actually confronted elsewhere that reality questions the trained practitioner. It is in the street that your personal safety is threatened and in the street that injury is not to be minimized but in a crucial instance, becomes the sole means to the end of the problem. Styles, their uniforms, gear, and regulations do not exist at this crucial point. It is here that adrenaline and its emotional counterparts, fear and/or anger come into play. The deepest regions of the body immediately urge you to fight or flee and not think. If the trained practitioner hesitates trying to mold and refine his or her reactions at this moment, whether beginner or master they simply end up the victim. This break in nature’s plan of response leaves them unable to function at all or very poorly at best. Their potential and creative force is stifled and made almost obstructive to their basic well being.

So for how long and how far do you train the individual? Tame him with form and repetition? Confine him to prearranged movements? Mold him with technique and pattern? Trained, as he may be, a guard dog posses no threat to a wolf or for that matter, the average black belt to the average seasoned product of the state penal system. The reason is that mankind or society has not domesticated either of them. Moral judgements aside, when it comes to they way they live, they are both predatory and wild. The word wild being defined as unbroken, untamed, and in the natural state. Though it is man’s wit, nobility, and grace that separates us and has allowed us to rise above this primal existence, struggle and the will to survive are aspects shared by all of life. Fighting is completely common to the wild, natural. It’s an innate survival response. Now, let’s return to mankind’s art of fighting.

We have witnessed the rude awakening of the martial arts over the past few years with reality based events and many instructors, justly so, have modified their training methods and concepts. But again, haven’t they simply misdirected the focus elsewhere? Haven’t many simply gone from building the mind and body for balance and focus to building them for sport? Where once they had classrooms of martial artist kicking, punching, and pin point striking away at multiple attackers in synchronized harmony, they now have one on one clinching, throwing, choking and locking. Where they practiced endlessly at breaking boards, bricks, and wielding all sorts of modified farming implements they now busy themselves bobbing, weaving, jab, cross, and hooking focus mitts, heavy bags, and themselves. Their once, very specific, ancient, and studied, breath (chi, ki, prana) work and its vocal projection has become the aerobic huffing, puffing, and grunting of being struck, striking, being slammed or slamming. All good and proven as all this is, isn’t it simply another part of a larger equation and solution, one written and inscribed since the dawning of life itself? Aren’t these extreme shifts in polarities forgetting they must ultimately balance and flow as one to benefit the other? Isn’t this just martial arts 101, surviving, finishing, and therefore escaping the fight with your life?

Fighting does not belong or limit itself within the confines of any art form. It is alive, virtually unpredictable, and spontaneous. It can and will change into a myriad of possibilities. This is its natural state. Natural not formulated or theorized. It’s not a stiker or a grappler, traditionalist or progressive. It is both and none, and all encompassing. It just happens. It does not concern itself with the right or wrong of angles, conceptual theories, or technique preferences. Nor does it care for the country of their origin, its people, and history. It lives in and at the moment with no regard for cultural biases or the ego’s own preconceived notions. Lastly, it is hard wired into the deepest recesses of our brain and evolution. It is the initial primal root and reason for us being here today. Fighting’s only real, honest, or natural purpose and source is survival. Its use for anything else is ego oriented and therefore not fighting.

Where do we go with this? Ideally we can cross train for technique, power and endurance. Perhaps perfect movements with controlled sparring and over time eventually gear up heavily for all out mock fighting against a myriad of different opponents. Add some open-minded research and psychological de-escalation tactics and we would have a more fight or flight oriented mechanism for defense. That would be the ideal. Realistically? We must first begin today by asking ourselves how far from that ideal we currently stand. Are we as martial artist really that which we believe ourselves to be? Are we both system trained and field-tested? Can we flow with nature’s chaotic surge for survival and do so with man’s added refinements? Answering these questions honestly can be the beginning of recovering the martial arts from its media fueled dilutions and rediscovering one’s place as a true martial artist. It’s coming full circle, back to the core of its ancient traditions, and towards the forefront of its purpose today in the modern world.

A seasoned practitioner doesn’t fear the amateur because he has accepted fear as part of the process and has mastered it and freed himself. He will recognize the strength of the amateur within him…the use and acceptance of the unexpected, the natural, and the untamed.

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