The end all be all?

Folks,

Oh how I have missed you. I am sorry that you  feel neglected. Just kidding, I dont think that I am that important. Anyhow I would like to reiterate something that I believe I have blogged about before. That is, remember WHY you train. I had a conversation with another "MMA guy" about realistic training. It was kind of funny and sad at the same time. We were talking about why it is that we train, and what we get out of it. I spoke mainly of mastery of self and an enrichment of life. He spoke mostly of KNOWING that his self defense techniques worked, as proven by the combatants in MMA competiton.

After a while of not seeing eye to eye on most of our topics, he hit me with a nugget of genius

(insert sarcasm of course) Well if we were to spar we would see who is the better MMA guy. Yes, he actually said MMA guy not mixed martial artist. I said see, THAT is where we differ, you consider an MMA competition to be the end all be all of martial arts efficacy. I consider the time I survived a knife attack with only 2 small slices to be the epitome of my skills. Or at least the expression of those skills. Folks you should train to preserve the life of yourself and loved ones, not to "kick arse" in sport competitions.

Later folks, the Simpsons are on.

The make-believe in Martial Arts

Folks,

This one kinda touches a ternder spot in my heart. Not becomes I am such a tender guy, but because touches my heart is a nicer expression than pissing me off. I hear "martial artists" talking about how such and such technique will work exactly as taught. Then I hear something like "well this isnt supposed to work, but it gives you a framework on how to use it in a real situation." So they are teaching you a technique that doesnt work, but if you practice it enough, it will. In a sense, it is theoretical learning.

Have you heard of a swimmer learning how NOT to swim in order to learn how to swim? Have you ever heard of a boxer learning a theoretical jab in order to learn to jab in a match? Lunacy right? But that is exactly what is going on in the martial arts world. If you look on youtube and find Casa de Kenpo, you can find all of the Kenpo curriculum as originally taught. They even admit on the site that "nobody will ever really attack you like this in real life."

So what can you call this except for make-believe? The martial arts world is the only one I know of that INTENTIONALLY teaches something that does not work in real life. If I told you that the only way to teach the alphabet was to teach something else, would you believe me? Of course not. But too many "Kroddy" teachers are dirtying the name of the Martial Arts by doing just that. That is like saying that the way to teach someone self defense is to teach them movie style kicks and punches. Bruce Lee almost didnt make the Big Boss because the first director said that he could only kick three times with the same leg. The director had dozens of folks who could  movie fight and make it look fantastic. Bruce Lee has always been a fighter who acts instead of the other way around. So while his technique was not as pretty as others, it was effective in real situations.

If you are "training" but have not gotten into better shape, and hurt, yes HURT in training, you are not training, you are playing. Martial arts cos-play my brother calls it. I for one find playing repulsive when your life is on the line. Your kicks make look nicer than mine, but I will break ribs when it counts while you wrinkle shirts. Have a nice day!

How long does it take?

One of the most common questions I get when I talk to folks about the martial arts, is also one of the most frustrating to me. That question is: How long does it take to get a black belt? That question sends shivers up and down my spine, and not from happiness. I can anticipate the incredulity that comes when I tell folks. In the fast food, mcdojo culture that has infected America, my answer is always too long for them.

I first start off with, " well it depends on how long and how often you train." Then I mention that for most folks training 3 times a week for about 90 minutes per class it takes about 5 years. Usually the next thing that I hear is " my friend got his/hers in 2 years." Then I usually say, "well I teach the old school way, and there are no shortcuts. It takes time and practice to get good. It is the journey that makes a person strong, NOT the destination. That is about the time that the person begins to tune me out.

Guess what folks, I dont care. There are NO substitutes for quality training. If you mention that it takes at least 4 years to finish college, nobody bats an eye, because that is what is expected. McDojo mentalities have made it so that people expect to be able to get skilled in martial arts without all of the trials, sweat and pain that come along with it. My two cents says that, short-sighted thinking like that is the MAIN cause of the loss of respect for martial arts, and martial artists. If a 6 year old told you that they had a degree from Yale, I bet you impression of Yale would go down the tubes.

Now keep in mind folks, that the Black Belt does not represent mastery. It is NOT the Ph.d for martial arts. It is the of martial arts. It means that you have a sufficient grasp of the basics.  I know in some arts, like BJJ for instance, a black belt equals mastery. Not in in the sense of having nothing else to learn, but it means that a person is an absolute expert in their skills. Wanna know the formula for mastery if such a thing exists? Persistance+acceptance of your imperfections+time. See ya in forty years when you become a master :)

An apology and retraction......kind of

Folks,

You have all heard me rant and rave about how ridiculous " Black Belt and Jr. Black Belt" clubs are. As far as my understanding went, it was basically a way to milk the ignorant of their money. Something along the lines of if you sign up for ( insert ludicrously short amount of time here) you will be a Black Belt by the end of the program. That kind of nonesense has long turned my rage into a white hot boil, and led me to rail about the loss of bushido integrity in America.

Not long ago, a man name Greg Tearny on the East Cost gave me a bit of new perspective and insight into what he does. He spoke about how back in the "good old days" there was not a universal appeal in the martial arts. It was basically a bunch of men aged 18 and up who went into a dojo and unleashed shock and awe on each other. Now that makes me smile, because that is what I remember. What he mentioned about today's martial arts reality is that the martial arts now appeal to just about everyone for a variety of different reasons. So there is a lot more art and less martial for the most part.

Now Mr. Tearney said that he has a junior black belt program to account for the fact if some one begins at 6 or 7 years old, it is unlikely that they will wait until 18 to receive their black belt if they dont receive some kind of validation the whole way. I can agree with that theory, especially with the fast food, instant gratification culture that we live in. In his mind, he can maintain the high quality of black belt standards while making sure that an appropriate amount of time has been spent learning quality techniques and philosophy.

Now, while I disagree with a junior "Black Belt" program per se, most of the problem that I have with this plan is the nomenclature. I know that there is a such thing as a junior doctor(interns) junior lawyers(paralegals) and the like, but the martial arts go way beyond occupation. I apologize to Mr Tearney for blasting the idea of a jr black belt wholesale without listening to his particular interpretation.  I disagree with the idea of anything less than a full fledged black belt, but at least I can see that he is working hard to maintain the high quality of a legit black belt.