Some "Reality Based System" advertisers?

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I am not one of those....Lol!!! but obviously some people would like to teach other approaches to self-deference than the TMA and the Combat Sports. Is their right to do it...in a non dictatorship state always. Now If you ask me, that I am not teaching and I am not in an antagonistic state with them, I see the approach first of all in anything, either TMA, either Combat Sports either whatever else. If it is a fun based approach with good techniques and healthy mentalities, perhaps it is something there. If you hear a branch of fear lust nonsense and the instructors are insecure forget about it. Places to learn are for improvement and not for passing down complex issues. I hope this helps the instructors in everything, this is the reason why I have written this.:)...Show more

Our school holds nothing back from our students. We try very hard to be open, honest, practical, and well educated ourselves. Most of the "reality based systems" I have seen are designed to promote a franchise of some kind and are more about promoting the franchise than educating their customer. As your teacher I want you to know everything I know and how to find out more and continue beond what I have taught you. If you have a question for me and I can not give you a good answer I will find the best most reliable source I can and find you an answer. This is my responsibility as accepting a student. Many of these " reality based" instructors I have interacted with answers' to everything I asked them was Oh! that is just bull S#it. Maybe there is someone out there with a good system. We have a self defense course that is focused on self defense only. It is patterned after ones used by the military. We don't hype it though. We feel it is great though if you learn a traditional martial art with us you will eventually learn everything in it as well....Show more

Long before I joined Yahoo Answers. I would browse the martial arts section from my little phone. I would read some very good answers from you guys, and I can tell you, they changed my course as a martial artist for the better.

It goes without saying, Pugpaws always gives such great answers. I think we can all learn from him.

But today in the spirit of your question, I would like to make something known to the world.

Dear, whoever may be reading this, whether now, or five years from now.

To quote "Martial arts demystified.com"

"Most Traditional Self Defense Systems are Worthless."

Here's what most Karate or other professional self defense instructors don't want you to know - the stuff they teach you most likely won't help you one bit in a real attack. If criminals broke into your house to harm you and your family, the jump spin kick that you learn in class would just not work. Real self defense strips away the unnecessary and showy elements of traditional martial arts and concentrates on only doing the real techniques that can save your life in an ugly attack scenario."

I highly urge you to NOT believe this. Here is why.

The term "traditional" covers thousands of martial art styles. Many, many, traditional systems were employed on the battlefield where hand to hand combat was far more common. They have stood the test of time, not what some "expert" thinks. If they did not work, they would not be around, no less being used today.

The writer is confusing traditional martial arts, with martial sports "Jumping flying kick" is a technique employed in many demonstration and competition offshoots of martial arts. No serious instructor would teach that for self defense.

The writer denies the fact that every technique in his "system" has not only come from traditional martial arts, it has been used by traditional artists for centuries if not more.

The writer clearly has your wallet in mind. If ancient cultures devised systems of combat for war, do we really think we're smarter than them? How many ancient battlefields has this guy been on?

Traditional martial arts were CREATED for self defense. Would a culture go through generations of study, refinement, and training to make something they could not use? That goes against common sense.

And that is why proper instruction is the most important thing. You'll find many lies out there starting out, but cut past all of them, and leave self defense to what works, and has been working for centuries.

So there. That is what I really want any newbie who reads this to know, to not fall victim to the schemes of snake oil salesmen.

I hate those systems. The sad fact is they are EVERYWHERE on the internet. Too many people are blinded by this crap. I hope five years from now when someone Googles "Reality Based Self Defense" your question comes up.

Thanks for posting....Show more

My take is these are advertising ploys. Some may be people tat legitimately think they have something better. And it would be mo wonder since most martial arts schools open to the public do little or no real fighting or realistic self-defense. all anyone has to do is visit a few of your local martial arts schools to see that there is almost no self-defense taught. Most are full of children.

Then there are the guys that know what they are selling is no better, but know that suckers are born all the time. They know the public is ignorant about what is real self-defense and what is not. They also now that no one can learn effective self-defense using self teaching. but they know that they can sell their material for a profit, so they do.

Humans are funny in that they are always looking for that magic bullet. That cure-all pill. That no exercise/ no diet weight loss plan. And as we have seen here they are always looking for some system of fighting that they think will beat all others.

When I was younger (much younger) I'll admit I too watched for some of the same things. Life has taught me that they are no shortcuts to anything worth having. Those looking for the best martial arts will forever style hop. It is their nature. They would rather believe in a quick fix than that to achieve something of value, they must stick to the proven methods that have been around for a long time.


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I took it as such a cliché that I didn’t really think of literal meaning of that.

Well the things I wouldn’t want a layman to know is that I’m afraid of knives and guns. That I can probably handle most of them easily without a weapon, but with weapons I’m in great disadvantage. That I’m not a superman and that if you come with a smile(like with an apology after we fight), I would not see a sucker punch coming at all. That my martial training is just a skill set like skateboarding and I can make mistakes when faced with confrontation.

What my teacher would want me, the student, to know is, I’d imagine, everything they teach me. Which is in turn everything they know about self defense. If there was one thing they want me to learn right now it would be to turn more as I throw(judo).

Edit: Every time Pugpaw answers I get a feeling I should be writing something down. Such unapologetic and old school kick *** answers. Answer on good Sir. Answer on....Show more