In the
early, mid-90’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu became the “big thing” that everyone wanted
to train in, a large part due to the success of Gracie Jiu-jitsu in the UFC.
Don’t get me wrong, the Gracie’s are REALLY good at what they do! Rickson
Gracie is one of the guys I am really impressed with because to me he really
carries himself as what a true martial artist’s character should be like; at
least from what I’ve been exposed to. Now you see Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
everywhere! Though I was young, I was aware and seeing the beginning boom of
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, and the wave of interest transfer from stand-up Kenpo,
Gung-Fu styles having most of the interest of the people that enrolled, to
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taking most of those students.
Now the “up
& coming” boom is Reality Based
Self-defense. There’s a problem with this stuff though; it’s a phrase
that’s being abused like “organic” is in our food. Is it really organic if it’s
a processed food? Is it Organic, if it didn’t come from the ground or a live
animal? Did you know that some things are being allowed to be called “organic”
because they passed certain criteria, though they don’t really fall into what
the mass population thinks of as organic? People need to apply this same type
of questioning towards “Reality Based Self-defense”.
First of
all, what is Reality Based Self-defense, especially from those that are
teaching it? Some of these Reality Based Self-defense teachers are calling what
they do “Reality Based” because the training is not centered on sport
combatives, or tournament fighting type training. Others, say it’s reality
based because they used it in their military experience, or it comes from
military training. More call it Reality Based because it doesn’t come from a “traditional”
martial art – basically anything that sounds Asian…except for some reason
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu; oh wait, because that was proven to work in competitive
cage matches, UFC, or the ring (wait isn’t that evidence based on sport?). Again, I’m not knocking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
because that stuff has its effectiveness. What I’m knocking is what most people
use as a basis for thinking it’s effective…basically basing it off of things
like the UFC. Further more, you’ll have guys call their stuff Reality Based
because it “works for anyone no matter, what age, size or gender.”
Now here’s
where I offer some food for thought. People watch these guys do their thing,
and see it work in demonstration. They package it in such a way that it taps
into your innate need for survival, to get your blood going, to get you
motivated to want to do it. But they don’t point out the “x-factors” that make
it work for them. I’m sitting here with the TV on next to me playing a DVD of
this well known Reality Based Self-defense teacher teaching his thing, and just
can’t help but think: “some of that works, but a LOT of it ONLY WORKS FOR HIM!”
Now in some cases, it’s even worse, where they’ll try to deter that statement
by having his instructors or assistants do it as well, and it works for them.
My answer, well yeah, they’re just like you! Built like you! Aggressive like
you! As strong as you! Even “come from the same mold” as you! – fellow military
or law enforcement background with an ego.
The REAL reality to their Reality Based
Self-defense is that it works for any age, size or gender under certain
conditions. First of all, when they say size, that’s so unspecific! Size is
usually based off something that someone can measure with their eyes: height
& weight. But it doesn’t mention something that isn’t measurable by looking
at someone…their strength. A lot of people think I should be able to easily
bench press my weight because I’m “big” to their eyes. I can’t! Others think
that one of my best friends who is tall and lanky has no strength, but I’ve
seen the guy wrestle guys my size and pin them down back in high school, and
even hold me in a bear hug and I can’t break his grip without using technique.
Other times you watch these teachers and you realize it works for them, because
they’re aggressive people, they were “raised” in the military for crying out
loud!
REALITY is that the people who really
need self-defense, are the ones you see depicted on TV as nerds, as weaklings;
people who don’t look like nerds, but just don’t quite carry themselves with
any confidence; the nice guys & girls. People who grew up abused in some
fashion, also need self-defense! So how can one say it’s Reality Based, and
works, if they can’t get the REAL victims to be able to defend themselves.
The reality
is that there are so many variables to people, just as there are different
types of people, that you can’t box everything in and say that what you do
works because it fits any size, gender, or age. There’s more to a person than
just size, gender, and age, and there’s more to making self-defense work than
that, it’s personality & attitude. I just tried what this guy is teaching
on my 10-year-old son. It didn’t work for him. Why? Because he doesn’t have the
strength to deal with MY weight & strength. I mounted him, he held my
wrists (as if I was to stab him in the head) at an arm extension of greater
than 90 degrees and he couldn’t hold me up the more weight I put on him (just
like the guy did in the video). But yet that’s what the guy was saying WILL
work! Sorry his arms collapsed, and we call that arm extension a bridge, and my
son can hold that position very well from a standing position because a portion
of my strength and weight is still being expending holding me up. So I can
slightly agree with him on that.
The point of this post is this, if you ever
look for a self-defense method and it is being promoted as “Reality Based”, ask
if it really works because you can see it being done by various types of people
– people of different walks of life, different personalities, different levels
of strengths. Don’t buy into the hype that it works because the guy is
ex-military, has tons of law enforcement or security experience. Look at how he
moves. Is it based on strength, & personality? Or will it work for the ones
who really need it, and doesn’t require an athlete’s strength, and a person
with an aggressive demeanor.
I have a student who is going to
turn 60, doesn’t look at all athletic, and sometimes still carries himself with
a slouch whom I’m EXTREMELY proud of! He is my best student, not because he’s
the most impressive to watch, because sometimes…he’s not. He’s my best student
because he has shown the most growth throughout his time with me. He’s
dedicated to train and better himself. He can knock you out with one punch. And
he’s grown to have more confidence in himself. He didn’t have to get stronger
to do so. He just ingrained the technique. He didn’t have to sacrifice who he
is, & become an aggressive person, he’s still a nice guy that I trust to be
around even my 2-year-old. To me that’s what REAL self-defense is, and that’s
not just because I’m teaching what I teach, or that it comes from James
DeMile’s stuff.
I’ve had the honor and privilege to
learn from Jesse Glover (Bruce’s 1st student), and do a few
workshops with Steve Smith. These great teachers teach stuff that works when
you see their versions of my 59-year-old student in their groups having the
same effective results, and still being great people! And they’re not the
macho, egotistical types either; that’s how you know what’s taught there is
also Reality Based Self-defense!
Don’t believe the hype! Question!
Always think about who it is that you’re looking for training for, whether it’s
yourself or your child. It has to be able to work for who they are, right now.
There can be growth and change as they train, but it doesn’t mean sacrificing the
core of the good of who they are.
