Category: Self Defense

Real Vs. Practical

3/29/2019

Author: Bret Gordon

With the explosion of the internet, social media is flooded with videos of martial artists from around the world demonstrating their art. This has also coincided with the rise of MMA, which has challenged the validity and practicality of many styles and their training methods (rightfully so). There are now entire websites and pages dedicated to exposing "frauds" in the martial arts. Unfortunately, because of the prevalence of MMA they don't always get it right. A common sentiment is that if you're not training BJJ, what you study is garbage. I get it, we're all partial to the arts we study. If we didn't think it was advantageous to do it, why would we? But the terms "real" and "practical" get thrown around a lot, and in this article I want to clarify the two because they are not the same thing.

For something to be real, it means that it is genuine. What you just saw really happened, and it was not faked or contrived. That said, not everything that is real is practical. For something to be practical, in a martial sense, it must be viable for self defense or survival in a live, violent encounter against another human being with malicious intent. Therefore, it is entirely possible for something to be real but not practical. That said, practicality is determined by the context something is being practiced for. You would not judge the practicality of archery by whether or not you can fire an arrow inside the Octagon. No one denies the efficiency of a side kick to the xiphoid process, except when there's a gun pointed to your head. Context is everything.

In order to demonstrate the difference between real and practical, let's look at everyone's favorite subject: "No Touch" techniques. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you've probably been living under a rock but to summarize, there are countless videos of martial artists using "chi" to move or throw another person without actually touching them. Now, there have been videos done where independent third parties have come in with medical equipment and detected measurable effects on the recipients of these techniques that otherwise have no explanation. That said, it was not able to be replicated on someone from the outside. Does this mean it was fake? No. Something happened. There was a physical, biological response to the stimuli offered by the person executing the technique. Because of its inability to be replicated with those who have not been initiated into the school, we can conclude that the response was triggered psychologically. The power of the human mind is something we still struggle to fully grasp, and if one believes they will be affected by something, they usually are.

"Stranger Danger" Is A Fallacy

10/22/2018

Author: Bret Gordon

One can hardly take part in a martial arts class, self defense seminar or anti-bullying clinic without becoming familiar with the phrase "Stranger Danger." As kids, we're taught never to accept gifts from strangers or get in their car. Of course these are valuable lessons, but are we avoiding the real threats? It's easy and neatly packaged to say those who are threat to you are strangers, but that's not what the statistics show.

Let's break it down:

Statistics show that 93% of juvenile sexual assault victims knew their attacker (source)
85-90% of sexual assaults reported by college women are committed by someone known to the victim, half of which occur on a date (source)
Violent attacks committed by strangers only accounted for about 38% of all nonfatal violence, including assault, robbery, rape and sexual assault, in 2010 (source)
From 1993 to 2008, among homicides reported to the FBI for which the victim-offender relationship was known, between 21-27% of homicides were committed by strangers and between 73-79% were committed by offenders known to the victims (source)
Children taken by strangers or slight acquaintances represent only 0.01% of all missing children (source)

Do violent attacks happen by strangers? Yes, however as you can see, they only account for a relatively small number of violent crimes. Unfortunately, that brings up a rather uncomfortable discussion. How do you tell children that the ones they love and trust are most likely to hurt them? Yeah, it sucks, but these are the conversations we need to be having with our children. We need to teach them to be vigilant and speak up if they feel uncomfortable, and not dismiss those feelings when we're told. But are we in the martial arts community at fault too?

The Problem With Internal Martial Arts

8/28/2018

Author: Bret Gordon

The deeper I go in my study of Aiki Jujutsu and internal power, the more styles of internal arts I've encountered. Lately, I seem to have gotten myself immersed in the Chinese internal arts community and have even taken up a cursory study of Baguazhang to help expand and refine my develop of aiki. The more I watch and engage with other internal practitioners, however, the more I notice a rather unsettling trend that's not unlike the rest of the martial arts community... The complete abandonment of practical martial application.

I've written countless articles thus far stressing the importance of maintaining practical and intensive training for self protection as a large part of your martial arts study, and the internal martial arts are not exempt from this. Let's not forget that the word "martial" implies a combative context and to ignore that section of the art (which in this context refers to a skill or discipline) is to do a great disservice to those who came before us and the legacy they left behind.

While it's true that most martial arts are descended from combat systems, the internal martial arts have historically held a place of significance in protecting those of high stature. In Japan, the Minamoto and Takeda clans were charged as Imperial guards. They trained in the art of Oshiki Uchi (also known as Gotenjutsu) to protect the Emperor and/or Shogun for over 700 years according to oral tradition, an art that later became Daito Ryu - the root of all Japanese aiki arts. In China, Dong Haichuan was charged with teaching his art of Baguazhang to the guards after winning patronage by the Imperial court. Even Okinawa has its own internal martial arts tradition, Motobu Udundi, that was used for the same purpose. The internal martial arts were chosen for this purpose because of their superiority in allowing the practitioner to counter conventional fighting techniques through the use of structure and respond with devastating results. So how did the elite fighting system of the historical Secret Service equivalent become the laughing stock of the martial arts today, and how do we fix it?

Benefits Of Learning Jujutsu For All Ages

8/24/2018

Author: Bret Gordon

Jujutsu, also commonly spelled "Jiu Jitsu" and "Jujitsu," is quickly becoming one of the most popular martial arts today. When most people think of jujutsu, they think of Brazilian or Gracie Jiu Jitsu, but the truth is that is just one variation in the large pool of jujutsu systems. So first, we must identify what is jujutsu and then we can discuss its numerous benefits!

Simply put, jujutsu (meaning “gentle art”) is any Japanese-based unarmed martial art that focuses heavily on joint manipulation and throwing techniques rather than striking. The Korean equivalent of jujutsu is yusul, and the Chinese equivalent is qin na. Regardless of origin, the idea of using “soft” techniques rather than “hard” striking gives one a great advantage... Jujutsu is one of the most effective self defense styles, because it allows anyone to subdue an attacker regardless of size!

This is why it’s great for children! If an adult is trying to abduct a child, they can use their jujutsu training to break free of the hold and throw their attacker, giving them a chance to escape. Most children do not have enough power to effectively punch or kick an adult to fight them off, but jujutsu does not rely on strength. Instead, all jujutsu techniques rely on biomechanical principles that the body must follow. Regardless of size, a child can easily off-balance an attacker and throw them if they know how to (and have been practicing regularly with training partners of larger size).

The Dilemma Of Efficiency

7/15/2018

Author: Bret Gordon

There's an age-old debate in the martial arts about which type of training is "better." Now, "better" itself is a very subjective term. Better in what way? Everyone has their own definition, as well as their own personal goals they hope to achieve through the study of martial arts... So the "best" martial art is the one that can best serve your purpose. But putting that aside, there's an interesting (and rather frustrating) dilemma in the comparison of training methods. The two biggest debates I've seen are between traditional and sport martial arts, and between "reality-based self defense" and MMA. Let me first say that while some training methods are better suited for a particular purpose, all training has value. But let's say there was a way to determine which truly is better overall. That's where the problems start.

In order to determine which is better, there needs to be a level playing field, something that doesn't currently exist. You see, for a traditional karateka to prove his training is better, he has to beat the sport martial artists at their own game. He has to enter an open tournament, play by their rules and out-perform them. It can definitely be done, but at what cost? How much modification does he have to do to his art in order to do so? Doesn't that conformity already mean in that moment he's no longer performing traditional karate, but rather a version of it designed for sport? The reverse is true as well. For a NASKA competitor to do well at a WKF event, they have to play by their rules, and are therefore no longer performing sport karate.

This isn't a new concept, however. The entire existence of Judo can be attributed to this dilemma. Following the end of the Samurai era, where classical martial arts could be tested on the battlefield (although Japan had just come off a 250-year peace period, where it could be argued the devaluation of traditional arts as "combat-ready" had already begun), individual ryuha began competing with one another. When Kano Jigoro burst onto the scene in 1882, naturally his goal was to prove that his new art of Judo was better by implementing a new form competition. So what did he do? He invited all of the classical arts to send their best fighters in order to compete in a friendly match, that he got to pick the rules for. Not only that, he stacked the deck by enlisting Saigo Shiro, adopted son of Saigo Tanomo (instructor to Daito Ryu's Takeda Sokaku), to be his prized fighter (read more about this by clicking here). So in essence, he used classical jujutsu to prove that Judo was better than classical jujutsu in a Judo-style tournament. Yeah, that makes my head hurt too.

Let's extend that to the debate between RBSD and MMA...

Art May Be Subjective, But Martial Arts Are Not

7/8/2018

Author: Bret Gordon

This is going to be short, and more of a rant than anything else. I could drag it out, but I really hope that's unnecessary. People get hung up on the word "art" in martial arts, and take it completely out of context. They use it as an excuse for their material not being martial, combative or warlike (read "practical in any way"). Art is subjective, correct? Except that this interpretation of the word "art" is completely incorrect. To understand why, we must look at the root word and break it down. Of course the word "martial" comes from the Latin martialis, meaning "belonging/dedicated to Mars (or to war)." The original meaning of the Latin artem, from which "art" is derived, is actually synonymous with "skill" or "discipline."

However, considering the majority of martial artists study disciplines of Asian origins, let's look at how they write the term. In Japanese, the word for martial arts is bujutsu 武術 (in Chinese, the same characters are pronounced wushu, and in Korean it would be moosul). When you break up the kanji, the character jutsu 術 does not mean "art" at all. It literally translates to, can you guess? Skill, technique or discipline. So here again, we see the proper definition of "martial arts" being "skills/techniques of war." How does that imply anything other than all training should be combative in nature?

Thankfully, there is a growing trend towards practicality and self defense in the martial arts community... But it should've never gotten this bad. At their core, martial arts are effective means of controlling, restraining, injuring, maiming and killing an enemy. When we forget that, we end up with XMA and tricking... All physical endeavors should be respected for the effort and dedication necessary for proficiency, but as for what should be classified as martial arts? I think you know where I stand.

Taiji Can't Fight

5/26/2018

Author: Neil Ripski

The recent fight between a one-year MMA fighter and a Taiji teacher from Shanghai yet again demonstrates how weak Taiji has become and I am tired of it.

Taiji is not a magic pill that makes you suddenly able to fight, what you train is what you become and if you never train to pick up your hands against an opponent, not a compliant partner, you are not going to be able to use your art effectively. There are certainly many benefits to Taiji training without any fighting aspect involved, the health and longevity, sensitivity, and chance for self-work are all amazing parts of the art but realistically these things do not make a fighter. Nothing wrong with that, but deluding students and ourselves into thinking that it does make a fighter is a terrible crime. It breeds false confidence and unrealistic expectations and skews people’s visions of reality. Then, when challenged these dreamers find themselves being taken apart by beginners in arts that actually train fighting.

"That Doesn't Work, I'll Just Let Go!"

5/9/2018

Author: Bret Gordon

As an aiki jujutsu instructor, this is a statement I hear almost on a daily basis. It stems from both the outrageous number of charlatans floating around the internet and the overall ignorance when it comes to advanced martial arts. For those that don't know, what this statement is referring to are the wrist-grab connection drills that show an aiki practitioner effortlessly throwing an attacker without any conventional technique (to see an example of these drills, click here). This sounds ridiculous, and sometimes looks so too, but I assure you it's real. I know this because I was a heavy skeptic too, until I landed on my rear enough times to finally ask how it worked.

Before I go into the larger problem that this statement exemplifies, I want to explain how and why these wrist-grab connection drills work. First and foremost, we must understand that what is being demonstrated are not self defense techniques. They are drills meant to reinforce fundamental principles of balance, sensitivity, motion, timing and structural manipulation. Once the student learns and ingrains these principles, they begin to infuse them into conventional joint locks and throwing techniques to make them more efficient and effective. But that doesn't mean these drills require a compliant attacker either. In fact, the very premise of aiki involves receiving the force of your attacker and returning it. Therefore, you must have a committed attack to work from. The attacker must grab you with malicious intent.

The common response is that the attacker can simply let go and neutralize the technique. In theory, that's true, but the reason they don't let go is based on our natural fear of falling. Do you ever notice how when you lose your balance, you immediately reach out for something to grab onto? In order to fight this fear, the body has a postural control system that has two major functions: to ensure that balance is maintained by bracing the body against gravity, and to fix the orientation and position of the features that serve as a frame of reference for perception and action with respect to the external world. Postural control relies on multisensory processing and motor responses that seem to be automatic and occur without awareness. Our balance relies on the alignment of the vertical line. In reference to aiki connection drills, at the moment of contact the attacker is immediately shifted off their center line, giving the sensation of falling. The body's postural control system tries to correct that by anchoring itself to the only stable thing around it - the person throwing them. This gives the practitioner enough time to finish the throw by compromising the attacker's structure to the point of no return. So now that we've cleared that up, let's talk about the bigger problem!

The Importance Of Vigilance: Active Shooter Response

2/16/2018

Author: Bret Gordon

First off, I'd like to thank all of my readers and subscribers for being so patient. It's been over a month since my last article, and I wish I had something more enjoyable to write about.

For those that don't know, I live in Central Florida about 4 hours from where the Parkland shooting happened just two days ago. In this article, I am not going to engage in the "gun control" debate as the recent social media explosions have already proven everyone is set in their ways (on both sides). Instead, I want to discuss how important it is to be vigilant and proactive in maintaining your own and your family's safety.

Posted signs now litter most public venues that read, "See Something? Say Something!" That sounds great, and I believe all suspicions should be reported, but to think it's enough is simply ignorant. What happens when nothing is done about your concerns? The FBI released the following statement regarding the Parkland shooting: "On January 5, 2018, a person close to Nikolas Cruz contacted the FBI's Public Access Line (PAL) tipline to report concerns about him...Under established protocols, the information provided by the caller should have been assessed as a potential threat to life...We have determined that these protocols were not followed for the information received by the PAL on January 5. The information was not provided to the Miami field office, and no further investigation was conducted at that time."

So a concerned citizen followed the proper steps to notify the appropriate authorities of their suspicions, and not even a follow-up look was made. I understand how swamped law enforcement of all levels must be, but no one had time to make a phone call to pass the information along? But that's neither here nor there. There's no preventing it now, but I sincerely hope that steps are taken to review and fix whatever problem caused this major crack in the system.

That said, what can you do to make sure you don't end up in this tragic situation, and how do you survive one if you are?

What Does It Mean To Be A Martial Art?

9/13/2017

Author: Bret Gordon

So lately I've been getting myself in trouble, for the purpose of research, on several martial arts forums. The most recent occasion was when someone posted a video of XMA-style bo twirling, showing off their dexterity and ability. I remarked that it was "exceptional for what it is, but it's not martial arts." Don't get me wrong. It takes a tremendous amount of skill, talent, practice, dedication and commitment to able to perform what was being displayed, and there is a place for it.

To me, though, in order for something to be classified as a martial art, it should be martial in nature. This means that it should have at the very least combative application, if not actively training for combative scenarios. When training for survival and combat, efficiency of motion is paramount and simplicity is key. There is no combative application for flips, cartwheels, rolling the weapon around your neck, etc. Now, those that defend the validity of such training say that it falls into the "art" portion of martial arts. However, I'd like to demonstrate how even that is a misinterpretation of what it means to be a martial art.

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