Powerpoint Self-Defence

 This blog is centred around the horrible fact that the soul has been torn out of todays Martial Arts. The reason for this, in my opinion, is due to the meteoric rise of Supposed Self Defence’. There is a never-ending list of people who try to make a system out of something that has no system. As with anything else, there is a massive potential to tap into revenue. This of course, attracts all sorts of vultures to pick at the corpse of Martial Arts in general. Many years ago, it was simply a fact that styles did not make fighters. This was common knowledge. Nowadays, folks brandish that statement like it is some kind of superior wisdom. It is tiresome. With it comes the superior attitude of being able to defend yourself effectively. You must study some kind of full-force, rabid killer dog system of fighting. Forget the Art. The heart of learning to defend yourself. Who needs that when you can summarise everything outside of the physical, in a few bullet points, in a PowerPoint presentation, right?

Sorry, but wrong. Fair enough, there are some individuals and organizations out there doing good work, making a difference. But they are the ones who do so without stepping on the heads of others. That is something I detest. Call out the bullshit yes. But do not write something off just because you either don’t like it, or it gets you attention to do so.
At this point, I should say that I haven’t been a classical stylist for many years. It did not fit me anymore. It is something I will return to in time. But life, work etc, took me in another direction. Partly due to the discovery of Bruce Lee’s philosophies on the subject. Check out the ‘My JKD’ elsewhere in this blog for some more on that.

Back to the topic at hand. I am all in favour of the ‘Pressure test’ mentality. I taught and practiced that way for years. I would hazard to say that many of those who practice the Rabid Dog systems don’t do much of it. They instead rely on their superior knowledge that what they do is so full on that it can’t fail. In the case of sport, MA. Yes, a lot of what they practice may not be ‘Practical’ for the street. But there are two things to remember here.

1-That isn’t what they train for.
and
2-At least they are pressure testing what they do.

MMA is the classic example for today. Let us forget the stereotypical ‘Meathead’ mentality that goes along with it these days. The guys who compete are dedicated to their training. A great many of them have a classic Martial mentality that goes with that dedication. But if you challenge the effectiveness of what they do. Be prepared to put your money where your mouth is.
Pressure testing in one environment or another is essential. Be it full gear situation drills, competition, or just taking it to the trenches when you glove up. All have their merits. But for me, there is no merit in showing hard skills coupled with some psychology and behavioural education. Then, passing it off as some kind of street survival system.

There is book after book after book on the subject of social and asocial violence, buildup, prefight indicators, and so on. Yeah, that’s all well and good, but with a little direction and a lot of dedication. You can discover what is relevant to you and your life. Not the life of someone else.
DONT BE A DICK, is always my first rule of thumb for those that wish to learn how to avoid dangerous and violent situations. If they need to be taught how to do that, quickly. Then likely they are already too much of a dick. That, or they simply need a couple of good pointers or a good club to grow with and learn. Learn the Art. Not just of fighting, or a manual on how to avoid it. But the Art of synergy, everything working in harmony. That there, is what has been crippled by modern life. Not helped in the slightest by the new wave of self-defense.

Hope you enjoyed these thoughts of mine. This is not intended as an insult. It is a personal and professional view. Those of you who are out there doing it right and fighting the good fight know who you are.

If you want to learn from a very experienced teacher. You can find out more here:

Take care folks. Walk On.