Mr. Rawles:
Having done this (being involved in running a professional [martial arts]
school) for ten years, and having studied twice that long, here's my
$1.83
(two cents, adjusted for inflation). First, what does your gut tell
you about the place and the instructor? If you get an uneasy feeling,
listen to it, and back off a bit. It may be that the guy exudes an
Alpha-dominant energy, and that's what's making your hair stand on
end. Then again, it might be your rip-off alert/ BS detector going
off.
1) Take a couple of days to think it over, and:
2) Ask for references.
Talk to students away from the school; talk to parents at the school.
If this guy is any kind of sensei, sifu, professor,
or whatever handle he hangs on himself, his students' parents will
overwhelm you (to the point your BS detector may begin giving false
readings!). Kids in today's world crave the structure that society
used to provide as reinforcement for parental structure. Sadly, society
today denigrates parents' best efforts. Your children will thrive in
a good school;
3) Does the school have a children's program? Private
instruction? Specialized classes? While the art of aido (drawing
and striking with the Japanese sword) has a great esoteric appeal to
me,
it is not of any particular immediate value, as I rarely carry a katana
with me. An HK USP, now that's a little different story. This brings
us to;
4) Does the school teach a rigid style, a system, a hodgepodge
of many styles, or do they teach movement and the underlying principles
contained therein? In other words, are they going to waste your time
with a lot of semi-mystical crap about chi-force coming from
your tantien,
or do they explain that the power you gain comes from leverage generated
by your strike aligning with your center of gravity, and timed with
backing mass, body alignment, and relaxation/tensing at the time of
impact. Again, do they deal with the esoteric historical context of
the Far East, or the reality of the world and Newtonian Physics? (hint,
folks: it's all about leverage and timing).
5) Does the school teach
self-defense? This may seem like a redundant question, but again, if
you're studying Japanese swordplay, you'd better be carrying a Japanese
sword! Obvious, yes? Did you know that International Tae Kwon Do emphasizes,
in fact encourages use of the most difficult technique in any given
situation? That many "sport" karate schools teach students
to break contact immediately after "scoring"? I have had
personal experience with both. This is not how you learn to defend
yourself, if that is your goal;
6) Be an informed consumer. This means
a couple of things here: What do you want from the experience? We had
a special class for home-school kids, and it became the nucleus of
their social life (a lot more useful than dodgeball in the future,
as well). Are you interested in learning to fight, to improve your
reaction response, to get your butt back in shape with something a
little more useful than step-aerobics? Or does the Eastern influence
of many styles provide you with a new perspective on your world? When
Bruce Lee talked of "style with no style" he wasn't advocating
an anything-goes attitude; rather that one should not be constrained
by traditional techniques. "When one is bound by tradition, the
one must serve it, when tradition is bound, then it is our servant".
7) Does the system fit you, as it should, like a suit of clothes. Not
only will different fashions look and fit differently on each individual,
but also, the last time I looked, clothing, like people, came in different
sizes and widths. I'm 6'/250 lbs...for me to try shaolin wu shu is
almost a guaranteed trip to the emergency room...grappling, however...
and,
8) If self defense is your pursuit, does the school teach a brad
range of technique(notice, technique, as in broadly applied, NOT technique(s),
as in a new one for every situation). Bruce Lee's analogy to water
was only partially complete: water, like motion, exists in a constant
state of transition, from solid (ice, rigidly applying the same motion
to whatever comes, whether appropriate or not, the beginner) to fluid
(constantly seeking its own level,moving all things to that level,
the intermediate student) to a gaseous state ( where it expands to
its volume, true mastery of motion...the technique is formed by the
attack). Don't think this is important? I can almost hear the grapplers
grumbling... Okay, you've just slipped behind your attacker, and nabbed
him in a perfect naked choke...now what do you do about him comapdre who's
immediate plans are to stove in your head? You can only wrestle one
guy at once, and all too often, bad people come in bunches...About
martial arts, Zen, and bushido being antithetical to Christian views:
Poppycock! Bushido, at its core, is founded in the ideal of devotion
of one's life, in every moment and every way to a set of values and
principles, defined in the heart of each man. Zen is the pursuit of
oneness with the Universe (i.e. God, the Divine and Benevolent Creator,
and all His Creation). At its core, you'll be learning to beat people
up. In the process, hopefully, you'll be learning about yourself. If
that is part of the journey that doesn't rest well with you, then maybe
this path is not for you. I, however, rabidly endorse martial arts
training for EVERYONE!!! By the way, I'm not in the business anymore,
so I'm not trying to gin up customers.
One final thought on selecting a dojo, and probably the area of most
dissatisfaction, ultimately: never forget when dealing with ANY school
that you are in charge! You are the consumer,you are the customer!
The school, and its instructors are making their living by providing
a service to YOU!!! Be clear on this. You do not have the right to
dictate what the school will teach (unless you're running it) but you
do have a right to be told, in clear and certain terms, what is expected
of you, and what the organization you're dealing with will deliver.
Assert you rights as an informed buyer, and don't go in for that Shiloh/
servant manure manifestation. This is the 21st Century America, not
feudal China or Japan.
Study that which is practical, but remember not all things fit. as
Niestchze once observed "If the your only tool is a hammer, you
must treat all problems as nails". Techniques are either useful
(fit the situation at hand), not useful (fit, but not necessarily THIS
situation), and useless(or, you've got to be kidding!?! I paid you
to show me this?!?). More than whatever you study, you MUST practice
until you reaction comes without conscious thought involved. Therefore,
find something useful to practice, as practice DOES NOT make perfect;
it only makes PERMANENT what is practiced. Study hard, learn well,
live long, and keep The Faith.
OBTW, Teddy Roosevelt practiced jujitsu in the White House, moving furniture
from the Main Floor Living Room, and installing mats! Bully! Regards, - Bonehead
Hi Jim!
My name is Frank, I'm an Aussie guy living up in Queensland, a survivalist
and a Christian by belief in Jesus. As a regular reader of your blog I came
across the recent post "Eight Letters Re: Selecting a Martial Art and
a Dojo". I was surprised to see the lack of mention about karate and
the fact that its only mention was in reference to it being a "hard" martial
art, with the inference that a law abiding Christian should perhaps not pursue
such a path. I have studied karate for some years now and it is definitely
a decisive and effective form of self defense, but one that most all of its
practitioners rarely if ever use outside of the dojo. The reason for this
I learned is that training in traditional karate gives a person an 'air'
of capability that is obvious to the average punter in the street and tells
them in no uncertain terms to "look for a softer target... or else"
I know this sounds arrogant, but it's true, and I have met many practitioners
of the 'soft' arts and they just don't seem to carry this tangible warning
around with them. They will allow total strangers to stand close, "in
the danger zone" and rarely seem to be aware of who and what is going
on around them. These are the basics of karate training. Personal protection
through awareness and keeping threats at a manageable distance. To me self-defense
should not rely fancy wrist locks or nifty grappling techniques, although I
have learned these. Because the reality is that once an attacker has you in
their reach, or the ground, you are in real danger of getting your eye poked
out or your spine kicked in. Karate works well because it works at a distance
and relies on speed and precision of attack, and believe it or not, a great
deal of training is devoted to "getting out of harms way", to avoiding
an attack by retreating. But if attacking is unavoidable, a quick fist into
someone's nose or a kick to their groin will knock them off balance for several
seconds and allow you to get away from a dangerous situation. This is all that
matters, avoiding a dangerous situation.
I believe Karate has been downplayed over the last decade due to the perceived
fashionably of the myriad of other arts. This and the fact that we modern western
people have grown lazy. Karate training is very demanding physically and injury,
though usually minor, is unavoidable. But that is the world we now face, a
world full or stress and danger. I see karate fighting as an invaluable tool
to carry with me through life, to protect myself and my loved ones. Violent,
aggressive, yes! But thoroughly decisive against one or several unskilled attackers.
Best wishes and I'll see you when were together with the Lord. - Frank H.
Dear Jim:
I trained with a school that had a traditional martial arts progression,
but more importantly, also did PRACTICAL self defense. It became
very obvious after a couple of years of training that much of the
martial "art" or "sport" was not directly relevant
to surviving on the street. High kicks, spinning movements, complicated
katas and the like, all look impressive, but have little
practical value in street clothing, on uneven ground, against a surprise
attack
- you shouldn't be spending valuable time on these unless you are
so wealthy you don't have a day job.
If it isn't something you can see yourself using right away after you
learn it, it's probably too complicated to work on the street without
years of training to ingrain your muscle memory. The real litmus test
is whether you learn SIMPLE gross motor movements that you can duplicate
without very much training, and under extreme stress.
If they teach elbows, knees, eye gouging (and biting when appropriate)
in the introductory class, then you know you have a good school! Even
better - do you get to practice all the skills, half speed, Force on
Force with a well-padded instructor? (Yes, even the eye gouging on
a fully visored instructor, but not the biting!) Ground fighting is
critical too, if that is ignored, you do not have a complete training
regimen.
The best proponent that I know of this practically-oriented philosophy
is Tony Blauer who
has refined it to a high level.
I have taken just a short seminar with him - very impressive. Jump
on it if you get the chance.
Perhaps even more important for gun carriers, is integrating
hand to hand techniques with drawing, moving and shooting skills, and/or
knife
or pepper spray,
You may not have much luck finding a practical school out in the boonies,
but for those in larger metros you can find a few truly practical schools,
in a sea of traditional martial artists. Regards, - OSOM
James,
I was thinking further on martial arts and believe it is possible and indeed
preferred to incorporate shooting survival skills into your martial arts
regime. Progressively more difficult skills could be added, as you become
more proficient in your studies:
Consider the use of martial stances in firearms training. The "Horse Stance" taught
by many arts is very similar to the FBI "Combat Crouch" and the
modified "T-stance" is a strong or weak side forward stance, which
could be combined with a two hand Weaver grip to make a very stable shooting
platform. Ritual katas, or a predefined set of martial arts movements -which
helps improve technique and body awareness can be combined with pistol draw,
tap and rack drills or rifle to pistol transition practice. Rondori
or sparring "free
practice" could be combined with weapons draw, disarm or weapons retention
drills. Muzzle awareness should be stressed. [Solid plastic training] Red guns
could be used due to safety concerns. Advanced students could "ratchet
up" their
stress training, by substituting soft pellet or paint ball guns (with face
masks or
goggles) into their firearms drawing or retention drills. - Terry in the Northwest.
Dear Jim,
Jiu Jitsu and other grappling arts are an excellent choice for defense and
fitness. As noted author Steven Barnes (who is belted in multiple forms) told
me, one can grapple in training repeatedly, but it takes only a few blows before
practice must stop to prevent injury.
I have found the Kung Fus to offer an excellent balance of striking and grappling.
While much of the mystique is no longer relevant, there are certain mindsets
and processes that do go along with a school of training. A lot of the newer
forms are simply refined and more limited derivations of earlier styles (Such
as Kung Fu). Why limit oneself to part of an art?
Quite a few schools have oriented their philosophies more in line with the
West, and incorporated Christianity into the structure. While not Christian
myself, I approve of this because it makes the arts more accessible to Western
mindsets, and still provides a necessary guiding philosophy (necessary when
we're discussing the ethics of potentially maiming opponents).
I studied for several years Song's
Kung Fu, and can
recommend it to anyone in the Illinois area. Master Song is one of the most
competent yet truly modest men I've ever met, and provides an excellent program
with good explanations of the principles. His teaching is aimed at defense
rather than sport, and in fact, advanced students wishing to compete have to
take an extra course to learn competition rules to avoid disqualification or
injuring opponents.
Generally, Tae Kwon Do in the US is taught as a sport. There's nothing inherently
wrong with learning it, as it will improve fitness and teach good balance,
etc, but it will be of much less effect in a no-rules brawl.
I agree with others who have said that a few good moves well rehearsed are
adequate for most circumstances. To that end, the Marine Corps manual on combatives
is excellent, covering a handful of grapples, strikes (including common military
weapons such as knives, sticks, shovels and helmets) that can be learned quickly
and studied in short time each day. It's practical and concise. Also, the Marines
now have a dedicated martial art they are teaching. I haven't seen a lot of
it, but I assume it will run on the same practical principles.
If one can find a school that doesn't over-stress the mysticism, Indonesian
Pentjak Silat and similar forms are absolutely brutal and designed for multiple
opponents. There isn't much in the way of restraint or low-end force; these
are styles to kill with. The disadvantage is that they are predicated on having
all four limbs functional. The Kung Fus are adaptable for temporary or permanent
disability including wheel chairs.
It is a combination of these two forms (Silat and Shaolin Kung Fu) the Freehold
forces use in my novels.
One of the best hand to hand weapons to learn is short staff/cane, as it's
societally acceptable for almost anyone to carry a walking stick. A stout piece
of rattan (light) or cocobolo or maple (heavy) is a devastating weapon in the
hands of someone determined to use it and with some basic training in checks,
blocks, hooks and strikes. Since I occasionally need a stick for support anyway,
I practice regularly with one. Worst case, stick like things are very common
either lying outside ("sticks") or in most buildings (brooms, handles,
etc) and readily obtainable. Actual walking sticks run from $5 rattan at Farm
and Fleet stores to pricier carbon fiber or fiberglass sticks with metal heads
from Cold Steel. - Michael
Z. Williamson
