The issue of whether or not a particular martial art is effective or not comes up all the time. What is realistic?
1. Actual hand to hand combat in war.
2. Surprise attacks,
-muggings
-kidnappings.
3. Fights for honor
-the school yard
-the bar
-arguments (petty and otherwise)
4. Crazy people, drunk or on drugs.
5. Intervening on behalf of someone being bullied or mugged
6. Intimidation (including turf defense and "hating out")
-by an individual
-by a group.
7. Professional encounters
bouncers
body guards
police.
A matched fight has several things these above fights don't. The first is parameters. The fight happens right here, when they ring the bell. And there are rules, no weapons, certain blows likely to maim or kill are usually forbidden. The fight will be stopped if one person concedes defeat. In addition the only surprises are likely to be techniques or strategies. The opponents are roughly the same size and wear the same types of gear. There is likely some advantage gained by conditioning or numbing one's body to take a hit (of little use in a knife fight for instance.)
If you are training for a matched fight you train specifically for the constraints of that fight, even down to studying the previous fights of your competitor.
Matched fighting and real fighting are completely different animals.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
The Game of Self Defense
Okay, let’s play a quick little game that’s sure to improve your self-defense skills.
It’s really quite easy to play and almost anyone can do it, regardless of their ability or expertise in the martial arts.
First, watch the short clip below. It’s from a video called, “Self Defense Against Attacks From All Directions.” Available at RisingSunProductions.net.
The video clip provides us with 5 European martial artists showing us self defense techniques from a variety of styles, including Penchak Silat, Jeet Kune Do, Kali, and Tae Kwon Do.
The presenters each show us multiple ways of handling the same type of defense situation as it is practiced in their particular discipline. In this clip, we see how the martial artists would handle a two-person attack or an attack with a weapon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyd5CxfL96Y
Now, here's how we play the game;
First, watch the entire clip and pick out one technique that you really don't like; something that you think wouldn't work 'in real-life.' There's probably at least one move out of the bunch that doesn't seem realistic.
Now, ask yourself, "How could I make that technique work?"What would you do to improve it? Would you move differently? Strike another target? Grapple instead of strike? (Or vice-versa?)
Even though we practice and drill our techniques a certain way in class, there's always the possibility that during the chaos of a fight, we might find ourselves in an unfamiliar position. By playing this mental game, we allow ourselves to think our way out of a bad situation.
Go ahead and try it!
Now, let's play the game again, only this time find a move that you really like; something that you think you would actually try to do in a fight. Remember, there's five diverse styles represented here, so there's bound to be something appealing to you.
Now, (here's the fun part) ask yourself, "What would I do to improve that technique?"
Even though you feel it's a good move, there's probably still a little room for improvement. What would you tweak?Would you change the timing? Could you simplify the movement? Is there an opening somewhere that needs to be defended? How could the attacker counter you?….
Be creative and please post your thoughts in the 'comments' section below.
Here's how I'd play:
LEAST FAVORITE TECHNIQUE
One of the moves that I really didn't like much took place 36 seconds into the clip. In it the guy in red (Looks like Silat - it doesn't matter) is approached by the side and from behind.
He first hit's the guy to his side with a strike to the chest (that doesn't even seem to phase him) then gives the guy behind him a back kick (which luckily drops him), before finishing up by blocking a roundhouse kick and countering with a groin kick.
I don't think his initial strike was very strong and believe that he would be in big trouble if his back kick fails to drop the man behind him.
If I were in his situation, I would try to attack the man behind me first with a reverse elbow (if close) or a spinning backfist (if further away).While striking, I would move myself out of range of the other attacker and attempt to place the man behind me between us. I would angle off to his left and continue punishing him with elbows and strikes to the neck and head keeping him between myself and the other attacker. I would finish with a low kick to the leg, sending him down.Then I would rush the other attacker, sweeping his base leg as he attempted the roundhouse kick and run away before either of them could get up… At least that's the way it plays out in my mind.
MY FAVORITE MOVE
At 54 seconds into the clip, one guy's arms are grabbed by two attackers. He groin kicks the opponent on his right, then side kicks the opponent on his left. (Pretty good so far.) Then he does a really cool punch-release to get out of the right opponent's hold. With his right hand now free, he traps over the other opponent's arm and lets loose with a right punch to the neck.He then kinda arm bars as he moves off of the angle of attack to escape.
A really good technique, I think.If I had to change anything, I guess it would be the fact that he puts an awful lot of confidence in the groin kick taking out the right attacker. (It might work… but then again, if he misses, that guy will be on him quick!)I think that rather than attempt the kinda arm bar and moving off angle, he should pull the left opponent over into his buddy. (He could still control the arm while he does this.)This way, if the right opponent is still able to fight, they both end up tangled together. (Or, if he's on the ground holding his groin, 'Lefty' ends up tripping over him.) Allowing the defender to escape.Also, I think that I'd change the target of the side kick lower into the leg. A rib shot is okay, but I think that a hard kick to the kneecap has a better chance of dropping the attacker.
What do you think?
Are my ideas any good?
What would YOU DO?
Let's play!
It’s really quite easy to play and almost anyone can do it, regardless of their ability or expertise in the martial arts.
First, watch the short clip below. It’s from a video called, “Self Defense Against Attacks From All Directions.” Available at RisingSunProductions.net.
The video clip provides us with 5 European martial artists showing us self defense techniques from a variety of styles, including Penchak Silat, Jeet Kune Do, Kali, and Tae Kwon Do.
The presenters each show us multiple ways of handling the same type of defense situation as it is practiced in their particular discipline. In this clip, we see how the martial artists would handle a two-person attack or an attack with a weapon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyd5CxfL96Y
Now, here's how we play the game;
First, watch the entire clip and pick out one technique that you really don't like; something that you think wouldn't work 'in real-life.' There's probably at least one move out of the bunch that doesn't seem realistic.
Now, ask yourself, "How could I make that technique work?"What would you do to improve it? Would you move differently? Strike another target? Grapple instead of strike? (Or vice-versa?)
Even though we practice and drill our techniques a certain way in class, there's always the possibility that during the chaos of a fight, we might find ourselves in an unfamiliar position. By playing this mental game, we allow ourselves to think our way out of a bad situation.
Go ahead and try it!
Now, let's play the game again, only this time find a move that you really like; something that you think you would actually try to do in a fight. Remember, there's five diverse styles represented here, so there's bound to be something appealing to you.
Now, (here's the fun part) ask yourself, "What would I do to improve that technique?"
Even though you feel it's a good move, there's probably still a little room for improvement. What would you tweak?Would you change the timing? Could you simplify the movement? Is there an opening somewhere that needs to be defended? How could the attacker counter you?….
Be creative and please post your thoughts in the 'comments' section below.
Here's how I'd play:
LEAST FAVORITE TECHNIQUE
One of the moves that I really didn't like much took place 36 seconds into the clip. In it the guy in red (Looks like Silat - it doesn't matter) is approached by the side and from behind.
He first hit's the guy to his side with a strike to the chest (that doesn't even seem to phase him) then gives the guy behind him a back kick (which luckily drops him), before finishing up by blocking a roundhouse kick and countering with a groin kick.
I don't think his initial strike was very strong and believe that he would be in big trouble if his back kick fails to drop the man behind him.
If I were in his situation, I would try to attack the man behind me first with a reverse elbow (if close) or a spinning backfist (if further away).While striking, I would move myself out of range of the other attacker and attempt to place the man behind me between us. I would angle off to his left and continue punishing him with elbows and strikes to the neck and head keeping him between myself and the other attacker. I would finish with a low kick to the leg, sending him down.Then I would rush the other attacker, sweeping his base leg as he attempted the roundhouse kick and run away before either of them could get up… At least that's the way it plays out in my mind.
MY FAVORITE MOVE
At 54 seconds into the clip, one guy's arms are grabbed by two attackers. He groin kicks the opponent on his right, then side kicks the opponent on his left. (Pretty good so far.) Then he does a really cool punch-release to get out of the right opponent's hold. With his right hand now free, he traps over the other opponent's arm and lets loose with a right punch to the neck.He then kinda arm bars as he moves off of the angle of attack to escape.
A really good technique, I think.If I had to change anything, I guess it would be the fact that he puts an awful lot of confidence in the groin kick taking out the right attacker. (It might work… but then again, if he misses, that guy will be on him quick!)I think that rather than attempt the kinda arm bar and moving off angle, he should pull the left opponent over into his buddy. (He could still control the arm while he does this.)This way, if the right opponent is still able to fight, they both end up tangled together. (Or, if he's on the ground holding his groin, 'Lefty' ends up tripping over him.) Allowing the defender to escape.Also, I think that I'd change the target of the side kick lower into the leg. A rib shot is okay, but I think that a hard kick to the kneecap has a better chance of dropping the attacker.
What do you think?
Are my ideas any good?
What would YOU DO?
Let's play!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
The Finger Pointee/Half-Assed, Lame, Hand-Grip Mistake
This topic came up in one of my numerous reality vs. fantasy debates i have on discussion boards. It took me mere minutes to find a sample on a martial arts webpage. I always worry about instructors and then their students doing joint locks and limb catches with the showy, prissy, dangerous mistake of, when doing said joint locks and their related takedowns, using their pointer-finger as a directional guide and then barely grabbing the limb they are manipulating. See picture. Look at grab.
This is a sample of someone proud enough to use this photo on his webpage. Look at the pointee finger. Look at the lame, three-finger grip on...a KNIFE-BEARING LIMB!!!! (You might call this thumb-up pose another version of my coined phrase "Knife Cancer Grip.")
Why? Why? Why? What sense does this make? Real people fighting need ALL their fingers involved in a fight. especially against a knife.
Why? Why? Why? What sense does this make? Real people fighting need ALL their fingers involved in a fight. especially against a knife.
MA Dictionary and explanations
Things I've learned from other martial arts
Point sparring: hit and run (tag your it)
Judo: why hit them with your fist when you can hit them with the ground
Aikido: best block don't be there
Brazilian Jujitsu: we're a lot more even on the ground
Krav Maga: eyes, nuts, throat…nuff said
Kempo: the quick and the furious
Boxing: some times its the simple techniques that are the best
Taekwondo: intelligent feet are better than a dumb ass
Muay Thai: Pain...much pain
Karate: see kung-fu
Wrestling: to avoid being taken down you need to have a good base :::slam::: see you weren't paying attention.
Kickboxing: hell yeah I can take a hit
Hapkido: how to completely embarrass somebody with joint locks.
Vale Tudo: Higher consciousness through harder impact
Kung fu: not only can I kick your ass but I look good doing it
MA Definitions
Some Martial Arts Definitions...
VARIOUS QUOTES FROM PEOPLE
Kempo: Percussion class with people as the drums
Aikido: Origami with people
Jiu-jitsu: people who fold your laundry for you----while you are still wearing it.
Tai Chi: martial art overdosed on valium...
- The idea of Taiji is to yield to your opponent's attack.... in most cases the yielding seems to be so pronounced that the idea must be to play on the opponent's pity. :^)
- Someone once told me my Tai Chi would only be useful in fighting NFL replays.
- I once described Tai Chi to my fellow classmates as being just like standing still, only faster.
Minor Martial Arts Dictionary
Aikido: A martial art which allows you to defeat your enemy without hurting him. Unless of course his does not know how to ukemi in which case he has his wrist broken in about 20 places.
Arnis: "Harness of the hand." A Filpino martial art, also known as eskrima and kali, centering around stick, blade and empty hand combat. Mispronanciation of the art guarantees a quick taste.
Bo: A stick.
Bokken: A stick that looks like a sword.
Buddhism: A religious doctrine and a marketing tool to populate asia with statues of short fat bald men.
Chi: A biophysical energy generated through breathing techniques, which in defying the laws of physics and the basic scientific common sense, allows the user to develop super human strength.
Dan: A term used in the Japanese martial arts for anyone who has achieved the rank of at least first-degree black belt.
Darn: The sound uttered when the wearer of a Dan realizes that they will now get hit harder and more frequently during training.
Dojo: "The place of the way." A training hall or gymnasium. Very similar to a B & D parlor but without the mistress.
Hakama: A skirt sometimes worn in the Martial Arts but we don't really like to talk about it.
Iaido: "Way of the sword." The modern art of drawing the samurai sword from its scabbard. A rather interesting art developed around the principle of "look how big mine is".
Judo: "Gentle way." A Japanese art where grown men roll around cuddling each other without apparently doing any damage. These men are often closet Hakama wearers.
Jujitsu: A lot like judo except that these boys like to inflict slightly more damage. Tend to get very angry when accused of being Hakama wearers and often are heard saying "You gotta a big mouth"
Karate: "Empty hand" or "China hand." The primary purpose of this art is the destruction of wood and other natural products. Most Karate styles have a placing on Green Peace's most wanted list. This art will be outlawed by most countries by the turn of the century. Karate people enjoy pain, this is shown by their habit of fighting with their fists on their hips.
Kata: A series of prearranged maneuvers practiced in many of the Oriental martial arts in order to avoid free sparring or anything else that may involve pain.
Katana: A sharp metal stick.
Kendo: A strange and unusual past-time involving hitting each other with sticks and making in-human sounds. Could be a cult ??
Kuk Sool Won: A combination of Kata, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Zen, Jujitsu and Master definitions but of course the tapes for Kuk Sool Won are much more expensive.
Kung fu: A generic term for a majority of the Chinese martial arts. Many of these arts involve the emulation of animals. Many students of Pray Mantis spend years attempting to obtain the other 4 legs while students of Monkey Kung-fu tend to find themselves being carted off by men in white lab coats.
Master: A title bestowed on a martial artist who has attained advanced rank after long years of study or has started his own style after achieving kyu grades in at least 4 arts, or has completed the "Become a Master by Video" course available for only 19.95 per month.
Naginata: A stick with a sharp bit on the end.
Ninja: A rather confused individual who likes sneaking around at night in his pajamas.
Ninjutsu: The art of being confused and sneaking around in your pajamas
Sparring: Bashing each other senseless in the hope that nobody realizes that you don't know any kata or techniques.
Tae kwon do: An unusual martial art that relies on its followers to have the flexibility of a professional ballet dancer and requires no ACTUAL fighting ability whatsoever.
Tai chi chuan: Another unusual art that promises ultimate power from moving very slowly for many years. The drawback being that by the time you develop the ultimate power you are close to death anyway.
Tatami: "Straw mat." A mat usually measuring three by six feet and three inches thick (with bound straw inside.) Original purpose to prevent blood stains on the wooden floor.
Three sectional staff: Three sticks linked together.
Zen: The discipline of enlightenment related to the Buddhist doctrine that emphasizes meditation, discipline, and the direct transmission of teachings from master to student. Mostly taught by rather old and confused monks who have had one too many rocks fall on their heads during waterfall meditation. Works best when sitting in a cave facing a wall for 10 years or so.
Teaching and Self-Evaluation
There is a great line attributed to Churchill that if you are in your 20s and are not a liberal, you don't have a heart. If you are in your 40s and not a conservative, you don't have a brain. While I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with him, the message relates clearly to how your belief system can change at different stages of your life and career. Many of us went from the dungeon dojo to a more motivational school with a big emphasis on personal development. This attracted a huge kids market but did it create better martial artists? I don't think so. It's pretty clear I'm not the only one because we are seeing a return to a more adult oriented and intense school, but not a return to the dungeon days of past.
The first time I visited California, I got into an argument with a black belt who was my host for the weekend in his small townhouse outside of San Francisco. It was 1992 and I was in the midst of a transition for my school from a school of adult fighters to a school of kids with an emphasis on positive development.
The argument rose from a conversation we had concerning his three-year-old son. I asked if he planned to have his kid take martial arts lessons. He made it clear that his son would learn to defend himself. I added that the martial arts are also really good for character development. The line had been drawn in the sand. He said he didn't care about his kid helping old ladies across the road. He wanted his kid to be able to, "knock someone on their ass" if needed.
I regurgitated a line that I had heard as a seminar that, "The world didn't need more fighters, it needed more respect and courtesy." He scoffed at the notion. He said his kid gets plenty of good messages from his favorite TV shows like Sesame Street. The boy attended church each Sunday with his mom and attended a good school. All of them taught him to be respectful and polite. What they didn't teach him was how to get out of a fight." He wanted his boy to be able to handle himself. I told him his approach to martial arts was "old school thinking." He laughed and we agreed to disagree.
Now, 15 years later, I've watched the martial arts evolve from a unique, cross-style vantage point. The more I think about it, the more I believe that my foul-mouthed friend was right, with some qualifications.
I certainly don't feel that the movement towards character development has been bad for schools. It has been great. However, years ago I warned that if we continued to stray away from our core services and values, our schools would become little more than motivational day care centers. I think we are getting pretty close.
Today it seems that instructors are judged more on their ability to get kids to recite pledges of good behavior and scream YES SIR! than on their students' capacity to "knock someone on their duffs" if they need to. I have a very good friend who has transformed his school from adults to kids and now back to adults again. Like me he had marketed to kids and cloned what the "Big Schools" were doing for character development. He began to pass kids for their "effort" in order save their "self-esteem." More and more he found his school had become a kids center with hundreds of children yelling "YES SIR!" at all the right moments during a speech.
Never mind that many of the kids really didn't know what was being said in class. They just knew at the end of a question to scream "YES SIR!". He also noticed that his upper-ranks began to look pretty weak. While passing every kid in exams may be good for retention, that very fact means eventually you are going to have a school full of Pooh Bears. Kids who are soft and nice, but easy targets despite the color of the belt.
In time, my friend began to not like his own school. He didn't want to be there. He missed the camaraderie and pride of creating black belts to whom he could teach fighting to without upsetting the student's mommy.
Then one day, something happened that he told me he would have down at anyone else it happened to, except it happened to him. One of his 11-year-old "self-esteem" Pooh Bears came running into the school crying. It seems another kid, who was no bigger or older had punched him in the face. The student had been standing in front of his karate school wearing his uniform and his BLACK BELT while waiting for his parents. Somehow he got into an exchange of words with a neighborhood kid who popped him in the nose. My friend was sickened. Not only had an unfortunate incident happened in front of his school, but also one of his black belts was crying and bleeding.
My friend was humiliated. That's not supposed to happen. When we were students, stories of our black belts defending themselves always ended with the bad guy in the hospital. That was the end of the student creed and passing exams for taking the effort to show up. It has taken him nearly two years, but he now is back to nearly 500 active students with only 20 percent under the age of 12, a complete reversal of where he had been when the kid got popped. He looks forward to going to his school each night and is having a blast running the school with a healthy mixture of personal development and realistic training and expectations.
My friend is one of the best black belts I know. He and I have talked about this new dynamic in the industry dozens of times. The conclusion that I've come to is that the introduction into the classroom of positive character development is a good "undercurrent" for a school. It's the perfect counter-balance to good physical training and self-defense. But many schools are out of balance. Technical execution and self-defense have become an afterthought to personal development. Why? It's a heck of a lot easier to teach a kid to play act like Boy Scout with a belt than to take the time effort and honesty required to produce a black belt who can defend himself.
But, as many people have discovered, in time you may be teaching at a school you hardly recognize anymore. You will have students who stand up straight when shaking hands but with rubber backbones. Worse of all, like my friend learned, you may have one of your students crying and bleeding that pseudo self-esteem all over your floor.
The first time I visited California, I got into an argument with a black belt who was my host for the weekend in his small townhouse outside of San Francisco. It was 1992 and I was in the midst of a transition for my school from a school of adult fighters to a school of kids with an emphasis on positive development.
The argument rose from a conversation we had concerning his three-year-old son. I asked if he planned to have his kid take martial arts lessons. He made it clear that his son would learn to defend himself. I added that the martial arts are also really good for character development. The line had been drawn in the sand. He said he didn't care about his kid helping old ladies across the road. He wanted his kid to be able to, "knock someone on their ass" if needed.
I regurgitated a line that I had heard as a seminar that, "The world didn't need more fighters, it needed more respect and courtesy." He scoffed at the notion. He said his kid gets plenty of good messages from his favorite TV shows like Sesame Street. The boy attended church each Sunday with his mom and attended a good school. All of them taught him to be respectful and polite. What they didn't teach him was how to get out of a fight." He wanted his boy to be able to handle himself. I told him his approach to martial arts was "old school thinking." He laughed and we agreed to disagree.
Now, 15 years later, I've watched the martial arts evolve from a unique, cross-style vantage point. The more I think about it, the more I believe that my foul-mouthed friend was right, with some qualifications.
I certainly don't feel that the movement towards character development has been bad for schools. It has been great. However, years ago I warned that if we continued to stray away from our core services and values, our schools would become little more than motivational day care centers. I think we are getting pretty close.
Today it seems that instructors are judged more on their ability to get kids to recite pledges of good behavior and scream YES SIR! than on their students' capacity to "knock someone on their duffs" if they need to. I have a very good friend who has transformed his school from adults to kids and now back to adults again. Like me he had marketed to kids and cloned what the "Big Schools" were doing for character development. He began to pass kids for their "effort" in order save their "self-esteem." More and more he found his school had become a kids center with hundreds of children yelling "YES SIR!" at all the right moments during a speech.
Never mind that many of the kids really didn't know what was being said in class. They just knew at the end of a question to scream "YES SIR!". He also noticed that his upper-ranks began to look pretty weak. While passing every kid in exams may be good for retention, that very fact means eventually you are going to have a school full of Pooh Bears. Kids who are soft and nice, but easy targets despite the color of the belt.
In time, my friend began to not like his own school. He didn't want to be there. He missed the camaraderie and pride of creating black belts to whom he could teach fighting to without upsetting the student's mommy.
Then one day, something happened that he told me he would have down at anyone else it happened to, except it happened to him. One of his 11-year-old "self-esteem" Pooh Bears came running into the school crying. It seems another kid, who was no bigger or older had punched him in the face. The student had been standing in front of his karate school wearing his uniform and his BLACK BELT while waiting for his parents. Somehow he got into an exchange of words with a neighborhood kid who popped him in the nose. My friend was sickened. Not only had an unfortunate incident happened in front of his school, but also one of his black belts was crying and bleeding.
My friend was humiliated. That's not supposed to happen. When we were students, stories of our black belts defending themselves always ended with the bad guy in the hospital. That was the end of the student creed and passing exams for taking the effort to show up. It has taken him nearly two years, but he now is back to nearly 500 active students with only 20 percent under the age of 12, a complete reversal of where he had been when the kid got popped. He looks forward to going to his school each night and is having a blast running the school with a healthy mixture of personal development and realistic training and expectations.
My friend is one of the best black belts I know. He and I have talked about this new dynamic in the industry dozens of times. The conclusion that I've come to is that the introduction into the classroom of positive character development is a good "undercurrent" for a school. It's the perfect counter-balance to good physical training and self-defense. But many schools are out of balance. Technical execution and self-defense have become an afterthought to personal development. Why? It's a heck of a lot easier to teach a kid to play act like Boy Scout with a belt than to take the time effort and honesty required to produce a black belt who can defend himself.
But, as many people have discovered, in time you may be teaching at a school you hardly recognize anymore. You will have students who stand up straight when shaking hands but with rubber backbones. Worse of all, like my friend learned, you may have one of your students crying and bleeding that pseudo self-esteem all over your floor.
Square-eth in the Yonder Back
Oh ye' who do-eth all the frisking, pat downs and body searches. Hear Ye!
Hear Ye! Bewareth of the knife that is carried right down the spinaleth cordeth. For such is a place where the common hands do not travel. And instructors do noteth teach.
For I feareth we shall forget and it is good to cast eyes on yonder rig so as to implant the suggestion that the sonth-of-bitchth might be carrying there...eth.
Prepare ye for the sabereth gripeth!
The Keys to Parenting a New Karate Student
I once had my own school where over 70% of it's students were kids, and I was always asked by the parents of new students, "Mr. Sexton, you are so amazing at teaching and all. How often should we have our son practice every week at home?" Keep in mind that the first part was not usually a part of the question, but I've inserted it to add to my credibility (hah!). I would answer with the following:
- You shouldn't make your child practice. [At this point, I would have to assist said parent with raising his/her jaw back to a normal position] We shouldn't approach this as if it's football or soccer practice where some parents are more interested in their son/daughter playing/starting/winning than the kid is. Catch this: this is something that your child loves now. If you make him practice, it's not his anymore, it's yours! If you force him to practice, he will resent it.
- Instead, ask your child to show off! Instead of saying, "Junior, get over there on the wall like that incredible Mr. Sexton said, and do 500 round kicks off the wall!", say, "Hey Junior, show Mom that cool roundhouse you were doing in class last night. Wow!" In other words, have him or her show their stuff and make sure they know you're proud of it. Make sense?
- At some point, your child will have goals that you can help him meet: a belt test, a tournament, a demonstration team tryout. That's the point where you need to ask the advice of your child's instructor, then develop a training plan that the child explicitly agrees to, then follow up. In other words, make sure the training plan is coming from Mr. Instructor, not Mr. Mom, and it has credibility in the eyes of your child, then you can hold him accountable.
- Another idea, is to tell him that he's not allowed to practice during the week, if he's a very contrary child, and you can be assured that he will!
Never underestimate what can happen when you show you love your child by making sure he knows you're proud of him. Love never fails.
The Crippling Legacy of Martial Arts Hero Worship
Originally posted by Hock Hochheim:
I was in in a store the other day and saw an interesting guy walking around. He was a guy my age, or a bit older. He had a stature and while not an olympic athlete, you could tell he worked out, or whatever is that alerts your senses to such a person in your area. On the chest of his polo shirt read, Grand President." Sure enough, as he wandered closer I saw three or four martial arts belt logos on the breast. A closer look and I saw an Asian organization embroidered. Grand President. President wasn't enough. One had to be a grand president. I will now await to see the title Grander President, because obviously, grander would be better than grand?
It is, of course, a version of the Grandmaster title wars. I have even heard of people jockeying over the oneupsmanship of Grandmasters now with Great Grandmaster and I have even heard of a Supreme Grandmaster. Now that is pretty lofty ain't it? Who actually sits around and dreams up these titles? What do they accomplish?I recall a 36-year-old practitioner, an executive in a successful manufacturing business, tell me that he once signed with a local Asian MA school and one day he spotted one of the school instructor staff in the local supermarket shopping. A kid. 26 years old? The man introduced his wife to this guy. The instructor later chastised the older man for not calling him Master, even in street clothes, in the supermarket. The man quit the school immediately. Perhaps this might work when "Local Master Johnny" is teaching a bunch of elementary kids? But what is the age, breaking point where Master Johnny becomes Johnny-Johnny?
Now, I am a guy who had trouble saluting every jake-leg officer in the Army that waltzed by, so you know my twisted mindset, but all this kind of stinks to me. It smells and for me there is even just a little odor around having to call people "sensei" or master, and all that. I know...I know some of it makes some of the world go round, but I turn up my nose to it.
In the big picture of martial arts, there are just too many splintered martial arts systems, too many great grandmasters in charge of too many systems and too many goofy, paper-mill, Halls of Fame making them for a fast buck. One 40-year-old knucklehead I know of has made up an "international organization" and is selling grandmaster ranks for $100! Nice looking piece of paper. 11 by 14 inches. Color. But in reality? Its all eye wash and ass-wipe.
What I am trying to say is, one might call people like Ed Parker, or Funakoshi a master, Or Dan Insosanto a Guru - people with real and significant, international accomplishments - but Larry Dingballs at the local tire shop? Who dresses up three nights a week in a gi?There are some other characters I know who make seminar attendes kneel down and kiss their rings at the end of seminars. Now, excuse me for going redneck here for a moment, but you know what? They can kiss my ass before I'll kiss their ring. Who do they think they are? The Pope?
But, some people eat that kind of crap up! Love it! If you love the system so much? Or, the system head so much? You may well love it too much! There are cultists in all walks of life. I think some people hero-worship their "Sensei, Sifu, their Guro and Master." too much. They hero worship their UFC champ and their subsequent system. They rush in to learn every precise aspect of every method as if each were perfect manna from God. They have no intention of evolving or changing anything. They just want to be like their hero. Next, they start making excuses for the holes in the manna system. They start stretching the Grand President's doctrine out paper-thin to cover the holes in the doctrine. These people tend to be a personality type. They approach politics and religion on the same sort of blind way. Their Guro, Sensei, Grandmaster or President is 'the way," and all others are at fault or blind.
I recall a world-famous, joint-locking system that never showed, or even suggested that there are counters to the joint-locks. I taught the counters one seminar and they group nearly fainted. They stumbled to their notebooks and hung on every word I said! This is unhealthy. There are people out there who think they can just tap a few pressure points on a charging UFC champion and render him into a quivering, vomiting ball on the floor. Unquestioning people who just blindly love their system too much!
Years ago I was talking with some Thai Boxing systems and their general talk was getting to travel to Thailand and "The Temple," to train. What did this Temple teach? What religion? So you to go to a church to study Thai? You have to bow say a Thai prayer to a Thai God before a fight. Wha? Red Flag!
Inside this topic, there are two approaches to signing up and joining any martial system:
or
The second choice is really a studious, open-minded, smarter approach, a non-brainwashed, open mind, one for evolution and growth. If you study a system to learn new things with an eye open to defeating it, you are a smarter. Every thing I teach, I explore its weaknesses and counters as part of the subject module.
Gut Check/Cult Check
There are many extreme parallels, but great examples. Look at Billy Graham compared to David Koresh or Jim Jones. How deep runneth your kool-aid? The difference between inspiration (Graham) and idiocy (Koreah and Jones). How can you guard yourself against this?First, if you head up a system? Is your head on straight about all this? To avoid this hero-worship and cultism, a smart system is all about the student - what THEY get. It is not about a Grandmaster, a dynasty, a legacy, or hero worship. This cult and legacy approach is stifling. I have gone over to a tactical, practical format of martial training eleven years ago - modeled on courses I have seen in policing and the military - in hopes to avoid all this. I also shun being called any martial title I have earned. I know some people are being nice when doing so, but it really makes me wince a bit to hear it said. Calling me Guro or Sensei reminds of all this stinky stuff, and I am no Ed Parker or Inosanto. I am just a average athlete in my 50's with some really good ideas and outlines. I have to try to balance just enough humility and ego to make a strong business presence and advertising statement. That's it. That's appropriate. Please just call me Hock. Please!
Next, does your system let you train in other systems? This is a giant red flag of mind control. Does your system spend a disproportionate time ridiculing and maligning ALL other systems? Do they let you go train elsewhere, but talk smack about it the whole time?
Finally, you have to look deep into yourself. You must decide, do I train Filipino Arnis, Kung Fu or Judo because I just love the whole look, feel, flavor and exercise as a hobby? Am I after self defense? Am I prone to jump into hobbies, sports, politics and religion with both feet? Faithful beyond reason? What do I expect? What do I really want? Dare I speak up and ask the Sensei a controversial questions? Will I challenge his answer? Or will I try to make his square answer fit into a round hole?
If you are not a hobbyist, not a historical enthusiast, and instead seek combatives and self defense, a system should be about YOU. Your growth. It is about the material. Know what you want and know the differences. I am a but mere vessel for you to get this information. Its a very Zen thing, and I think it is the proper way to learn, teach and grow.
Take a cult check. Do you love your system too much?
I was in in a store the other day and saw an interesting guy walking around. He was a guy my age, or a bit older. He had a stature and while not an olympic athlete, you could tell he worked out, or whatever is that alerts your senses to such a person in your area. On the chest of his polo shirt read, Grand President." Sure enough, as he wandered closer I saw three or four martial arts belt logos on the breast. A closer look and I saw an Asian organization embroidered. Grand President. President wasn't enough. One had to be a grand president. I will now await to see the title Grander President, because obviously, grander would be better than grand?
It is, of course, a version of the Grandmaster title wars. I have even heard of people jockeying over the oneupsmanship of Grandmasters now with Great Grandmaster and I have even heard of a Supreme Grandmaster. Now that is pretty lofty ain't it? Who actually sits around and dreams up these titles? What do they accomplish?I recall a 36-year-old practitioner, an executive in a successful manufacturing business, tell me that he once signed with a local Asian MA school and one day he spotted one of the school instructor staff in the local supermarket shopping. A kid. 26 years old? The man introduced his wife to this guy. The instructor later chastised the older man for not calling him Master, even in street clothes, in the supermarket. The man quit the school immediately. Perhaps this might work when "Local Master Johnny" is teaching a bunch of elementary kids? But what is the age, breaking point where Master Johnny becomes Johnny-Johnny?
Now, I am a guy who had trouble saluting every jake-leg officer in the Army that waltzed by, so you know my twisted mindset, but all this kind of stinks to me. It smells and for me there is even just a little odor around having to call people "sensei" or master, and all that. I know...I know some of it makes some of the world go round, but I turn up my nose to it.
In the big picture of martial arts, there are just too many splintered martial arts systems, too many great grandmasters in charge of too many systems and too many goofy, paper-mill, Halls of Fame making them for a fast buck. One 40-year-old knucklehead I know of has made up an "international organization" and is selling grandmaster ranks for $100! Nice looking piece of paper. 11 by 14 inches. Color. But in reality? Its all eye wash and ass-wipe.
What I am trying to say is, one might call people like Ed Parker, or Funakoshi a master, Or Dan Insosanto a Guru - people with real and significant, international accomplishments - but Larry Dingballs at the local tire shop? Who dresses up three nights a week in a gi?There are some other characters I know who make seminar attendes kneel down and kiss their rings at the end of seminars. Now, excuse me for going redneck here for a moment, but you know what? They can kiss my ass before I'll kiss their ring. Who do they think they are? The Pope?
But, some people eat that kind of crap up! Love it! If you love the system so much? Or, the system head so much? You may well love it too much! There are cultists in all walks of life. I think some people hero-worship their "Sensei, Sifu, their Guro and Master." too much. They hero worship their UFC champ and their subsequent system. They rush in to learn every precise aspect of every method as if each were perfect manna from God. They have no intention of evolving or changing anything. They just want to be like their hero. Next, they start making excuses for the holes in the manna system. They start stretching the Grand President's doctrine out paper-thin to cover the holes in the doctrine. These people tend to be a personality type. They approach politics and religion on the same sort of blind way. Their Guro, Sensei, Grandmaster or President is 'the way," and all others are at fault or blind.
I recall a world-famous, joint-locking system that never showed, or even suggested that there are counters to the joint-locks. I taught the counters one seminar and they group nearly fainted. They stumbled to their notebooks and hung on every word I said! This is unhealthy. There are people out there who think they can just tap a few pressure points on a charging UFC champion and render him into a quivering, vomiting ball on the floor. Unquestioning people who just blindly love their system too much!
Years ago I was talking with some Thai Boxing systems and their general talk was getting to travel to Thailand and "The Temple," to train. What did this Temple teach? What religion? So you to go to a church to study Thai? You have to bow say a Thai prayer to a Thai God before a fight. Wha? Red Flag!
Inside this topic, there are two approaches to signing up and joining any martial system:
"I want to learn every thing that the Grazzies do, exactly as they do it.They are masters of the universe. They solve all problems."
or
"I want to see how people do these things and also to learn ways to defeat them.I reserve the right to evolve and problem -solve.Respect will be earned by personality and performance"
The second choice is really a studious, open-minded, smarter approach, a non-brainwashed, open mind, one for evolution and growth. If you study a system to learn new things with an eye open to defeating it, you are a smarter. Every thing I teach, I explore its weaknesses and counters as part of the subject module.
Gut Check/Cult Check
There are many extreme parallels, but great examples. Look at Billy Graham compared to David Koresh or Jim Jones. How deep runneth your kool-aid? The difference between inspiration (Graham) and idiocy (Koreah and Jones). How can you guard yourself against this?First, if you head up a system? Is your head on straight about all this? To avoid this hero-worship and cultism, a smart system is all about the student - what THEY get. It is not about a Grandmaster, a dynasty, a legacy, or hero worship. This cult and legacy approach is stifling. I have gone over to a tactical, practical format of martial training eleven years ago - modeled on courses I have seen in policing and the military - in hopes to avoid all this. I also shun being called any martial title I have earned. I know some people are being nice when doing so, but it really makes me wince a bit to hear it said. Calling me Guro or Sensei reminds of all this stinky stuff, and I am no Ed Parker or Inosanto. I am just a average athlete in my 50's with some really good ideas and outlines. I have to try to balance just enough humility and ego to make a strong business presence and advertising statement. That's it. That's appropriate. Please just call me Hock. Please!
Next, does your system let you train in other systems? This is a giant red flag of mind control. Does your system spend a disproportionate time ridiculing and maligning ALL other systems? Do they let you go train elsewhere, but talk smack about it the whole time?
Finally, you have to look deep into yourself. You must decide, do I train Filipino Arnis, Kung Fu or Judo because I just love the whole look, feel, flavor and exercise as a hobby? Am I after self defense? Am I prone to jump into hobbies, sports, politics and religion with both feet? Faithful beyond reason? What do I expect? What do I really want? Dare I speak up and ask the Sensei a controversial questions? Will I challenge his answer? Or will I try to make his square answer fit into a round hole?
If you are not a hobbyist, not a historical enthusiast, and instead seek combatives and self defense, a system should be about YOU. Your growth. It is about the material. Know what you want and know the differences. I am a but mere vessel for you to get this information. Its a very Zen thing, and I think it is the proper way to learn, teach and grow.
Take a cult check. Do you love your system too much?
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