# What kind of martial arts/self defense system would you recommend to me?



## kehcorpz (May 7, 2016)

I feel unsafe outside. Maybe you heard about the incidents in Germany, like what happened in Cologne on new years eve.
People are being robbed at train stations much more frequently than ever before. I saw an interview with a police officer who said this.

But I really dont know what I should try to learn. I am 30 years old. Been working out for a few years in the past but then had to stop cause I simply developed too many aches and pains in my body. I also wasnt successful at working out. For me gaining strength and muscle mass was ridiculously hard. Later I found out I have low T. I have been on testosterone replacement since 2014 but to be honest it's not a game changer. I was expecting much more from it. 
In Germany testosterone replacement therapy is also very old fashioned and not modern like in the USA. Doctors here do not use arimidex or hcg or short injection intervals.
We have gels and Nebido and testosterone enathate 250mg (sp?).
The gels didnt really work for me, they also were annoying cause you have to apply them daily.
Nebido is a huge 1000mg oily injection you get every 3 months. WAY too risk imo. There are cases of
people getting really sick after the injection if the doc accidentally hits a blood vessel! 
You may say that this doesnt happen but I read reports from patients who have been getting Nebido for a long time and everything went well and then suddenly an injection went wrong (often for unknown reasons and the doc himself didnt do anything else than before) and then they are seriously sick. I dont know what could happen if too much oil gets into the blood strem. Maybe you can get a stroke or heart attack or embolism. I cannot risk that I'd get a panic attack even during the injection.

I get 250mg injections every 3 weeks. This way the T curve goes up and down. It peaks after a few days and then continually goes down and reaches a borderline normal level before the next injection. It's not optimal but the best I can get.
One time after an injection I had a bad reaction. When getting up I felt weak and then my vision started to get worse. It started to flicker and I had to lie down otherwise I would probably have fainted. My blood pressure was totally low.
This incident was really scary and now I am scared of every injection and this is just the small 250mg injection. If something goes wrong with a 1000mg injection then **** really hits the fan.

Important points:

1) I want to learn something which gives you results as fast as possible. I dont want to have to train for years before I can even apply something in a self defense situation.

2) I am not flexible. I cannot do high kicks. I dont know how much I could reach with stretching but I also dont know how to stretch effectively without causing an injury. When I bend over I lack at least 15 inches to reach my toes.

3) I am not physically strong.

4) I have quite a few ailments. Been to many doctors in the past without them finding a real cause or cure.
I frequently have pains in joints without real reason (no trauma or something like that).
For example I have been having pain in my knee when bending the knee for years!!! I have had MRIs, blood tests they all showed nothing and yet the pain is there.

I feel very fragile. It's often ridiculous how I "injure" myself in daily life. For example when getting up from bed I used my hands to support myself on the mattress. I was basically making a fist and then pushing this fist into the mattress to get up. This is a normal move you do in daily life.
And yet because of the pressure which the mattress applied to my fingers I now have pain in my index finger when I bend it! It's a pain in the first joint of the indexfinger.
I have been having the very same issue years ago and this pain lasted for 1 year before it subsided. Now when I make a fist and then gently push my bent indexfinger down against the palm of the hand it always causes pain in the first joint.
It's not a bad pain but it's really crazy how easily I can hurt myself.

5) I have issues with my shoulders (impingement). Been to the doc already he said that the space is too narrow and my tendon suffers from this. I shall do physical therapy. But I dont know how much this will help.
I dont know if doing MA/SD where you have to raise your arms and move them around might not make the shoulder issues worse.

6) I tried to educate myself a bit about MA/SD and tried to get an impression what different styles look like.
I watched some wing chun videos and found that it looks interesting. I also watched silat videos, also looked interesting. But I have no clue how good this is for SD.
For example I often heard stuff like "this MA/SD doesn't work against boxer,wrestlers,yadda yadda yadda".
This worries me. What if you learn something and think you are well prepared now and then you find out that your stuff doesnt work at all against a certain attacker? Just imagine the shock you suffer in this situation.
This shock alone will probably make you lose the fight.

I think that's all. Thanks for every advice.


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## Bill Mattocks (May 7, 2016)

Welcome to Martial Talk!



kehcorpz said:


> 1) I want to learn something which gives you results as fast as possible. I dont want to have to train for years before I can even apply something in a self defense situation.



Boxing.  That's the fastest.  Perhaps Krav Maga, as it deals with knife and firearm disarms and that sort of thing.



> 2) I am not flexible. I cannot do high kicks. I dont know how much I could reach with stretching but I also dont know how to stretch effectively without causing an injury. When I bend over I lack at least 15 inches to reach my toes.



I wasn't flexible when I started training in Karate, either.  I started at age 46.  I'm not that flexible now, but I've gotten better.  So will you with proper training and patience with yourself.  If you have no patience, boxing.



> 3) I am not physically strong.



Technique wins over strength nearly every time. Strength is a crutch.  It never hurts to have power and technique, but if you can only choose one, technique wins.



> 4) I have quite a few ailments. Been to many doctors in the past without them finding a real cause or cure.
> I frequently have pains in joints without real reason (no trauma or something like that).
> For example I have been having pain in my knee when bending the knee for years!!! I have had MRIs, blood tests they all showed nothing and yet the pain is there.
> 
> ...



Get over yourself.  You have lots of excuses.  Maybe you're a really sick guy, I don't know.  But it sounds more to me like you need to create excuses for why you can't do things.  



> 6) I tried to educate myself a bit about MA/SD and tried to get an impression what different styles look like.
> I watched some wing chun videos and found that it looks interesting. I also watched silat videos, also looked interesting. But I have no clue how good this is for SD.
> For example I often heard stuff like "this MA/SD doesn't work against boxer,wrestlers,yadda yadda yadda".
> This worries me. What if you learn something and think you are well prepared now and then you find out that your stuff doesnt work at all against a certain attacker? Just imagine the shock you suffer in this situation.
> ...



Ignore all the 'stuff' you hear about what does and does not work against this or that.  Uninformed ignoramuses can say anything, it is doubtful they know their *** from their elbow.

Choose an art that is taught near you, where you feel you will be made welcome.  You may have to get off your arsch and go look at lots of places.  Ask questions, look at prices, contracts, check into instructor's credentials (internet is good for that).  Sit through a class or two and get a feeling for what is being taught and how you feel about it.

Then choose one and start training.  Train when you don't feel like it.  Train when you are tired.  Train when you'd rather be doing something else.  There is only one secret to any martial art and that is to continue training.  

Be patient with yourself, don't get in a hurry - despite your apparent urgent need, great training doesn't happen overnight.

Again, welcome to MT.


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## MAfreak (May 7, 2016)

when hearing stuff like ma doesn't work against boxers and wrestlers, than why don't you learn boxing and wrestling?
wo genau in deutschland lebst du übrigens?


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (May 7, 2016)

DId you read the responses to your other thread? You're asking basically the same questions here so the answers will probably be similar. You still have not answered the questions that I put on there: 

What is near you? Whatever advice you are given won't matter if there is not somewhere nearby that teaches it, at a time you can go, and a price you can afford. 

I will leave the rest of my comments here, as you seem to be asking the same things, so my response is just as relevant in this thread as it was in that one.

With regards to krav maga, it is absolutely a self-defense system, and if you learn it from a good instructor then it is very effective. 
With what arts look impressive on youtube, it doesn't mean much. You can make any art look impressive, or make any art look ridiculous, if you know how. 
This may be a controversial statement, but IMO being skinny/not overly strong doesn't matter self-defense wise. If you know how to strike the right areas and/or perform throws/takedowns then you're good to go, even if you are skinny. 
You do need some muscle, but if you're willing to dedicate yourself to a martial art you should be willing to dedicate yourself to some basic physical training as well.


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (May 7, 2016)

I'll also go more in depth on this one, since I don't see a reason not to.



kehcorpz said:


> 1) I want to learn something which gives you results as fast as possible. I dont want to have to train for years before I can even apply something in a self defense situation.


 What is near you? Give us your options and we can suggest one.



> 2) I am not flexible. I cannot do high kicks. I dont know how much I could reach with stretching but I also dont know how to stretch effectively without causing an injury. When I bend over I lack at least 15 inches to reach my toes.


 You seem just slightly less flexible then me. You do not need to be flexible for high kicks, and you do not need to be able to do high kicks. Plus, any competent instructor will show you how to improve your flexibility and how to stretch if you tell them that's a concern of yours.



> 3) I am not physically strong.


 Unless you are competing, this does not matter too much. For the purpose of self-defense, if you have enough strength to carry out the technique, and are technically good/precise you will be fine.



> 4) I have quite a few ailments. Been to many doctors in the past without them finding a real cause or cure.
> I frequently have pains in joints without real reason (no trauma or something like that).
> For example I have been having pain in my knee when bending the knee for years!!! I have had MRIs, blood tests they all showed nothing and yet the pain is there.
> 
> ...


 If its not a really bad pain, you're not as different from people as you might think. You likely just jammed your joint, especially if the doctors find nothing wrong. Plenty of people are accident prone, and it has no bearing on martial arts.
The only parts of this that would concern me is the '1 year' part, but honestly I feel like thats a bit of an exaggeration.



> 5) I have issues with my shoulders (impingement). Been to the doc already he said that the space is too narrow and my tendon suffers from this. I shall do physical therapy. But I dont know how much this will help.
> I dont know if doing MA/SD where you have to raise your arms and move them around might not make the shoulder issues worse.


Get your physical therapy, tell the instructor this wherever you go, and they will either help you improve, or be careful not to injure it.



> 6) I tried to educate myself a bit about MA/SD and tried to get an impression what different styles look like.
> I watched some wing chun videos and found that it looks interesting. I also watched silat videos, also looked interesting. But I have no clue how good this is for SD.
> For example I often heard stuff like "this MA/SD doesn't work against boxer,wrestlers,yadda yadda yadda".
> This worries me. What if you learn something and think you are well prepared now and then you find out that your stuff doesnt work at all against a certain attacker? Just imagine the shock you suffer in this situation.
> This shock alone will probably make you lose the fight.


I can save you that shock right now: What you learn will be effective assuming the other dude is an average joe. If they are a trained fighter, it depends on who is better. If you are not mentally prepared for it, it comes as a surprise, or you freeze and f up, you will most likely lose, no matter which one you choose. Sorry, but that's reality.

This likely sounds harsh, but you have some ideas about what you need to be capable of for martial arts, which is just not true. Go to a dojo or gym, tell them what you want, what your issues are, and train. Are there pros and cons to each style? Yes. Will practicing one style over another result in you freezing up or being unable to defend yourself on 'the street'? No. Will your physical issues result in you being unable to train? Considering that I have seen someone with a missing limb train, and the amount of people I know with injuries more severe than the ones you listed here, I highly doubt it.


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## Langenschwert (May 7, 2016)

I agree that boxing is a great choice. Any good combatives-based martial art will be useful. However, self-defence is not the same as martial arts. Self-defence is a separate but related skill set that includes deescalation, situational awareness, etc. 

There are no silver bullets. You could still end up a victim anyway. However, you live in one of the safest places on earth. Regardless of your "feeling safe" or not, the chances of having to use your fighting skills are really quite small, perhaps 1% over your lifetime. Most people go through their whole lives without ever needing to throw a punch in anger. This is because most people are pretty OK and are disinclined to hurt others. Unless you live and work in a really bad neighbourhood, you'll likely be fine.

The media makes money off of making you feel unsafe. Crime is continually going down, yet people are more afraid than ever. Turn off the TV. There are very few predators out there. Train because it gives you joy, not because you think people are out to get you. Also train knowing that if you ever need to use it, you'll be as ready as you can be.


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## kehcorpz (May 8, 2016)

Hi,
boxing and wrestling arent for me. Especially boxing would be bad cause of the issue with my finger. If I had to make a fist and punch hard then the whole issue would get much worse!

I also know of a place where they teach FMA. 

I have seen krav maga on TV a few times where a reporter visited a studio and then you saw short clips where you saw some of their drills
and to be honest it didnt really appeal to me. Maybe it's effective but I dont know if this would interest me. KM also isnt really a system is it?
Is it basically simply a huge variety of drills for different situations?
System seem more interesting to me. But then again the question is what's effective and what only looks good?

No I wasnt exaggerating with the 1 year pain in the finger joint! I have been having pain in my knee when I bend it for like 1,5 years now. I got injections and simply nothing helps and the doc doesnt even know what the issue is cause the MRI is normal.

You asked what's in my area. I only know that there's a place where they teach wing chun. Other than that I don't have any data.
Sure, there will be places where they teach different MA or SDs but a huge concern which I have is how am I supposed to tell if a place is good and if the instructors
there know what they are doing?

I mean what if I learn something from somebody who's not even good at it and then what I learn sucks, too?
How shall I tell wether sombody is good or not?!

One reason why I'm insecure is because I talked over the internet with somebody who does wing chun and then I sent him a link
to a place there they teach wing chun. They had a video on their website and I asked him to look at it. And he said that in this short video
he saw ONLY mistakes and that they suck.
I cannot tell if what he says is right or not but cause of this I'm worried that I go to a place which teaches crap and then what I learn sucks too.

Is strength really not important?
Let's take wing chun for example. I have seen different blocking techniques which they have.
Now what if you're attacked by somebody who's really muscular and weighs 60 pounds more than you and you can't block his strike
simply because his shoulders are way too strong and you cannot deflect his arm?
I really cannot imagine that it doesnt make any difference for a skinny martial artist wether he fights a small person or a really strong person. :/

Is it not possible to make some general statements about which MA or SD system is more suitable for real life combat?
For example I heard that traditional karate where you only do tournaments isn't helpful in self defense.
I also heard that the blocking technique has flaws because it's counterproductive that when you strike with one arm the other arm goes back
all the way to your hip. 
The argument was that this isnt economic. (Economy of motion)

I dont do karate but this argument makes sense to me. In other fighting styles you keep both hands up to be able to block quickly.


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (May 8, 2016)

Good KM is effective, but there are also a lot of bad KM. Unfortunately without experience, it will be tough for you to tell which is which. And it is an actual system. 

With regards to the wing chun place, any chance you can link the website here? A decent number of people here practice wing chun so you can get multiple opinions on it.

For the strength question: If you are fighting someone much stronger with equal ability, you will most likely lose (assuming all else is also equal). If you are fighting someone much stronger without much experience/training, your chances are a lot higher. Strength matters, but there are ways around it, especially if the other person does not know what you are doing or that you are trained.

For the general statements about MA: there are some general statements that can be made. If you are learning sport karate or sport TKD, my guess would be that they aren't too focused on the SD aspect, so I wouldn't go there to learn SD. If you are learning 'regular' karate or TKD, that's not necessarily the case. 

For the issue you heard about karate's blocking technique, my guess would be the person who said that did not train in a form of karate very long (or had a bad teacher if he did train for a long time). There are blocking and striking systems that have your hand go back into chamber afterwards, but those are not meant to be done in a fight; there are specific reasons for it. If someone made that argument, they likely left before learning or fully understanding what the reasons for that are.


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## Langenschwert (May 8, 2016)

Strength is very important. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar. It's just not the only thing. A fight has a large number of factors, including strength, technique, tactics, aggression, luck, terrain, what have you. Fortunately, strength is something you can reliably improve. Get thee to a gym and work out at least. It could be that your physical maladies are a result of being generally unfit. I am not a doctor though. Perhaps get a new doctor. They're not gods, they're glorified mechanics and there's stuff they don't know.

When you  come right down to it, unarmed combat comes down to boxing/kickboxing and wrestling (in the broad sense of the term) in some form. They are the foundational skills of fighting, with wrestling being the most foundational of all, which is why the last person you want to mess with is a good grappler.

Now, if you're unfit and don't want to throw punches, then perhaps BJJ might be OK. It will certainly get you in shape in short order (ground work is gruelling) and smaller people are more likely to end up on the ground.

If you are truly disabled, then some kind of stick fighting might be useful (arnis, la canne, Irish stick) as if you have to use a cane, might as well learn how to use it to defend yourself in extremis.


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## Kickboxer101 (May 9, 2016)

kehcorpz said:


> I feel unsafe outside. Maybe you heard about the incidents in Germany, like what happened in Cologne on new years eve.
> People are being robbed at train stations much more frequently than ever before. I saw an interview with a police officer who said this.
> 
> But I really dont know what I should try to learn. I am 30 years old. Been working out for a few years in the past but then had to stop cause I simply developed too many aches and pains in my body. I also wasnt successful at working out. For me gaining strength and muscle mass was ridiculously hard. Later I found out I have low T. I have been on testosterone replacement since 2014 but to be honest it's not a game changer. I was expecting much more from it.
> ...


Simple answer anything. There's no magic martial art no perfect style they all have strengths and weaknesses any style can give you an advantage but it doesn't make you invincible. 10th dan grandmasters could get knocked out with good punch if it connects or if a gang of 10 attack your going to get hurt plain and simple. Anyone can beat anyone. One karate guy could beat a certain boxer but that boxer could beat a different karate guy. It's not the style it's how hard you train in that style. Take any style that you like and it help but you will be able to deal with it better than with no training


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## kehcorpz (May 11, 2016)

Hi everyone,

the video can be seen here http://goo.gl/0KHvHZ. It would be cool if you could give me your opinion on it. This guy claimed it's full of mistakes. But maybe he was just talking trash. He came across a little
weird anyway.


How would you train strength specifically targeted at SD? Do you do the same exercises and use the same principles as a bodybuilder who wants to get stronger
and then uses heavy weights and stays in the range of 5 repetitions?

Cause I definitely cannot lift "heavy". If I trained with weights which I can lift 5 times I'd cause more harm than good. But if I train with lighter weights and then do like
20 reps I'll also not get stronger.

Does BJJ only focus on grappling or does it also teach you how to fight standing and how to hit the attacker and how deflect strikes?
Is it possible to create a hierarchy and then say which system is the most complete and offers the most "solutions" for different situations?
For example from the wing chun guys (in vids which I watched) I often heard stuff like you simply mustnt allow the attacker to get into his game.
If he wants to pull you down you simply have to be faster and mustnt allow this and have to hit him and end the fight before he can do his stuff.
But then I ask myself what if you're not able to and then you find yourself on the ground and are totally lost?


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## geezer (May 11, 2016)

Ok that link was to "Tsom Tsom Wing Tzun". "Tsom tsom" is Yannis Simeonidis ofshoot of Keith Kernschpect's EWTO and his approach and physicality remind me a lot of Emin Boztepe's stuff expressed with a shorter, more stocky build ...in fact I think he was with Emin's EBMAS organization before going off on his own. So basically this is "WT" Wing Chun. That's what I originally studied here in the States, along with Latosa Escrima. WT and Escrima are widely taught in Germany and it's a good combination. 

Just one word of caution-- I've been told that that's a really expensive system in your country. But if you can afford it, it might suit you.


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (May 12, 2016)

kehcorpz said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> the video can be seen here http://goo.gl/0KHvHZ. It would be cool if you could give me your opinion on it. This guy claimed it's full of mistakes. But maybe he was just talking trash. He came across a little
> weird anyway.


 I don't practice WC, but don't really see any big issues that would concern me. 




> Does BJJ only focus on grappling or does it also teach you how to fight standing and how to hit the attacker and how deflect strikes?


 Depends on the school.


> Is it possible to create a hierarchy and then say which system is the most complete and offers the most "solutions" for different situations?


 No, because this depends on the instructor/school.


> For example from the wing chun guys (in vids which I watched) I often heard stuff like you simply mustnt allow the attacker to get into his game.
> If he wants to pull you down you simply have to be faster and mustnt allow this and have to hit him and end the fight before he can do his stuff.


 Well, it should be commons sense to fight the attacker how you are comfortable, but you still need to train legitimate ground defense, since you never know.


> But then I ask myself what if you're not able to and then you find yourself on the ground and are totally lost?


 Not if your school trains legitimate ground defense.


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## MAfreak (May 12, 2016)

looks partially like krav and kickboxing so as if they added things to overcome wing chun weaknesses. therefore its good. but some other things look like "lets break our fists on the head of the opponent".
less sticky hands and chain punching, more boxing and palm strikes would make it way more effective. but then it wouldn't be wing chun anymore.

and "you simply mustnt allow the attacker to get into his game" is said by people who don't want to train more than their system, but simultanously stating that their system isn't enough. this will limit them and one can't "simply" (best word here) avoid it everytime. wing chun guys trying to compete in an mma octagon learned it the hard way.


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## Tortoise (May 12, 2016)

kehcorpz said:


> I feel unsafe outside. Maybe you heard about the incidents in Germany, like what happened in Cologne on new years eve.
> People are being robbed at train stations much more frequently than ever before. I saw an interview with a police officer who said this.
> 
> But I really dont know what I should try to learn. I am 30 years old. Been working out for a few years in the past but then had to stop cause I simply developed too many aches and pains in my body. I also wasnt successful at working out. For me gaining strength and muscle mass was ridiculously hard. Later I found out I have low T. I have been on testosterone replacement since 2014 but to be honest it's not a game changer. I was expecting much more from it.
> ...



If you can find someplace near you that teaches American Kenpo, that might be useful for you.  The studios where I have trained in American Kenpo are willing to alter the techniques based on your strengths and weaknesses so that makes it a good fit for those of us with limitations.

Don't know that it is the fastest system, but if you are able to attend frequently it might move along fast enough for you.  No way around putting in the time.

Boxing is great, but it focuses on targets above the waist.  Those of us who are not very strong should be learning techniques that involve the groin and knees as well.


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## marques (May 12, 2016)

I think fast results in MA... is like make a lot of money working. It may happen... for some. I would agree with the suggestion of boxing. You may learn fast, one tiny part. But well learned, at least .

Don't overvalue that incidents and don't think you can 'manage' several bad guys, possibly armed. Furthermore, they are the professionals, doing or planning crime all day. We, the average guys, train a few hours a week and at the end we are likely to freeze or panic... Or to make the situation worse, if not well evaluated. Prevention is King.

To finish positive, any martial art will made you feel better with your body, generally speaking...


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## kehcorpz (May 12, 2016)

hi guys,

what's EWTO? is this a wing chun organization? if a teacher is or was in the EWTO does this mean he has to be good and can't suck entirely? would this be a good way to
make sure that a teacher is ok?

and should any good wing chun teacher also teach stuff like defending on the ground? is this a good way to quickly find out if he's good or not simply by asking this question?

what i also ask myself is how do they actually try to train you to defend against different attackers for example boxers,wrestlers and so on?
all the people in the studio only do wing chun. this means that they cannot simulate how somebody else would attack. but then how are you supposed to prepare for it?
in order to really practice this they would need to invite people from other fighting styles and then train with them but i dont think that many schools do this.

but if there werent any blatant mistakes in this short video then this means that the guy i've been exchanging with for a few weeks was just talking trash. awesome...
i directly thought he sounds a little off. does anyone of you know a wing chun teacher with the name altmeyer he was in the etwo,too? he has somehow modified wing chun and come up with his own system which he calls after his name. the guy i talked to told me that he's the best. now i'm not sure if he wasn't simply advertising.

i dont know if we have american kenpo here. chances to find it in america are probably bigger lol.
i may try to google it. but i also have to be realistic. i cannot go to any schools which are like 100 miles away.


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## kuniggety (May 13, 2016)

kehcorpz said:


> Does BJJ only focus on grappling or does it also teach you how to fight standing and how to hit the attacker and how deflect strikes?



As kempodisciple said, it depends on the school. I've trained in a few schools and dropped into a few others while doing my travels around the world. I've yet to find one that teaches striking. The whole philosophy of BJJ is bringing the fight in close and taking it to the ground where strength can be somewhat somewhat mitigated. If I get in a fist fight with someone, I'm in a huge disadvantage against someone bigger than me unless I really just outclass them in boxing. In submission grappling, grappling someone larger than you presents its challenges but it also presents advantages. What you do find is people practicing closing the distance and take downs against people (typically with gloves on) trying to strike them. This varies between schools. Some are more self-defense oriented and you'll see more of it and some are more sport oriented where you'll see little if any of that. Another variance is just how much emphasis is placed on takedowns versus the ground game. It's judo's polar opposite in this regard. Judo focuses on the take down with it varying how much ground work is done between schools.


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## MAfreak (May 13, 2016)

kehcorpz said:


> what's EWTO?



as german you will understand this evil bashing video, but it shows how in the ewto they think, they can overcome physics:






btw bas rutten shown here is one of the best mixed martial artists and coaches.


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## BJJCop (May 18, 2016)

kehcorpz said:


> Hi,
> boxing and wrestling arent for me. Especially boxing would be bad cause of the issue with my finger. If I had to make a fist and punch hard then the whole issue would get much worse!
> 
> I also know of a place where they teach FMA.
> ...



If you're keen for primarily a self defence system, look into SPEAR System, a method I think highly of. Let us know what you make of it. Decide from there if you like it or not, of course it's an individual thing


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## senseiblackbelt (May 26, 2016)

tbh if i were you id go for karate or kickboxing or boxing. there both good self defense techniques


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## Juany118 (May 26, 2016)

For people just looking for self defense I tend to suggest Krav Maga.  It has one of the easiest learning curves out there for a formalized MA.  Heck I had an instructor (took it for a bit) correct me and say "it's not a martial art it's a fighting system" because it was specifically designed to be easy to digest.  It also incorporates a fair amount of "dirty fighting" which is useful for people lacking in raw strength and, if your instructor is any good, includes stress training because all the skill in the world means Jack if you can't apply said skill under stress inna fight.


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## Don Johnson (May 28, 2016)

BJJCop said:


> If you're keen for primarily a self defence system, look into SPEAR System, a method I think highly of. Let us know what you make of it. Decide from there if you like it or not, of course it's an individual thing


SPEAR system is excellent and specifically for street self-defense.  So is Target Focus Training, and my own system, Protective Tactics 101.  

More importantly, you have already positioned yourself as a victim.  You are only 30 years old.  Sounds like you are more likely to die prematurely due to a lack of knowledge and action concerning your mental, emotional, and physical health than a violent assault.  Life is a struggle.  Time to fight for what you want.  Nobody wants to feel weak and unsafe.  Today is the first day of the rest of your life.  So life has knocked you down.  You want to learn how to defend yourself?  Start now.  Get up!

You up?  I hope so.  Right now, where you stand, bend your knees and drop your butt a bit.  Look, there you are, down again, just a bit.  You are down, but you are not out.  That's just like life, now stand up again!  Those are called squats.  Do it 20 times.  Do it again tomorrow.  As you get stronger, drop lower, deeper.  

Now go outside for a walk.  As you walk, look out at a distance.  Pay attention to what is around you, both near and far.  Now have a tall glass of water.  Do those things every day.  Start with that, everyday for 21 days, then you can reach out to me for the next step.


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## Paul_D (May 31, 2016)

Self defnce isn't about waiting until you get attacked at a train station (or anywhere else for that matter)  and then fighting back.  It's about avioding being selected as a victim in the first palce, that way the chances that you will ever even need a phsycially response are greatly diminished.  

Think about teaching a child to cross the road.  You don’t teach them to wait to get hit by a car and then stuntman role over the bonnet, you teach them to avoid getting hit by the car in the first place.   If you are interested in self defence, you need to concentrate on the 99% of skills which are non physical as these are the ones that will help you avoid being selected as a victim.

The problem with most martial artists is they only have that physcial solution, and becasue they don't have the non physcial skills, they concentate only on the point when they **** has hit the fan and they've been atatcked.


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## BJJCop (Jun 2, 2016)

Guys this is real, this actually happened last week to a good friend of mine who is a phenomenal martial artist. Studied (still does) Kali, BJJ, Boxing for 10 years onwards. After seeing Paul D's comment there I shot online. My good friend was assaulted, even with all that experience, he was absolutely messed up by a 2-3 junkies. He told me exactly how it happened, being an LEO, I went straight to support him afterwards from the goodness of my heart. He was the only one out of an *entire crowd*. To be noticed as unaware (the attackers were stealing/mugging). He had his hood up, earphones in, looking down at his phone - exactly as he described. Got approached, knocked in the face, kicked, smashed in the head. Put on the floor and was so startled, shocked, his world rocked etc. He described that there was nothing he could do, and detailed that if he had heard them, he'd of smashed them. I quote.


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## Self Defense Mentor (Jun 9, 2016)

Hello, I am new to this forum and yours was the first question to catch my eye. I hope that what I have to offer can help you.

First off, I think it is great that you are extensively looking into different types of training with an emphasis on finding a street-applicable art to study.

Now to address the matter of martial arts in the context of self defense. The most mentioned art on this thread, clearly, is Krav Maga. KM was designed by Imi Lichtenfeld for the Israeli Defense Forces. It is definitely a powerful system of defense born from a mixture of boxing, wrestling, gymnastic, and military styles. If you like, here's the link to my source, just in case:

Krav Maga Federation - Origin & History of Krav Maga; Israeli self-defense and hand-to-hand combat

While it is surely effective, I do not recommend Krav Maga to most people for one reason: it is very hard to train safely! Every training video and article that I find on it is exceptionally violent; I certainly wouldn't want to train with a friend, as it is simply too hard to train effectiveness while maintaining a sense of common decency. That creates a couple problems: not enjoying training time (which discourages training at all), not being able to train at street intensity (bad real-world reflexes), and overall it simply will not enrich your life, which is what good art will do. You should be able to have fun training to get the best of it.

As far as other, less specialized martial arts go (i.e. boxing, kick boxing, karate, wing chun), I have a few comments. First, I will not deny, by any means, that most of these arts utilize some technique that will be helpful in a street situation. Their biggest problem is that Every. Last. One of them puts you in the Red Zone, that space between you and your attacker that is within range of punches or kicks from either of you. That is the area that they operate in, where they are supposed to work. Like I said: sure, it might work; we've seen many grand masters that have been successful with them. But they DO NOT WORK SAFELY! I cannot emphasize that point enough.

I hope you want to train in a martial art that is not only street-applicable, but safe and enjoyable as well. For this, I can recommend only one martial art: Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Yes, there is a difference between Gracie and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. They were developed by the same man, Helio Gracie, in Brazil. He need a better methodology than what he studied before (which was Japanese Jiu-Jitsu), so he created his own system based upon leverage and survivability. However, "Brazilian" Jiu-Jitsu is the branch that took off as a sport, or competitive, art. That inherently grew problems, such as fighting for points verses fighting to survive. That's why the Gracie Family moved the operation into the United States: to teach Jiu-Jitsu as an art of self defense, which was its original intention.

I study with the Gracies online, at Gracie University. Jener and Jyron Gracie, Helio's eldest grandsons, have put the whole curriculum online; from white to black belt and beyond. For kids, there's the Bullyproof system, for women, Women Empowered, and Survival Tactics for law enforcement. The fact of the matter is that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is the most effective art in the world for both self defense and chaos control. That's why, last year, 16 officers from United Nations Security Force adopted GJJ in a GST session held at UN headquarters in New York.

Source: United Nations Experiences Gracie Jiu-Jitsu - Gracie News

A practitioner of almost a year, I can testify to the power and control of this art. I know that in a street fight, I will never have to throw a single punch to deescalate a situation, and I can control someone 50 pounds bigger than me with the power of leverage. Those are the two greatest aspects of GJJ, leverage and control. I might add that Helio, at age 95, was still rolling around on the mats with top MMA fighters; he could only due this through the energy efficiency and leverage of his art.

It's like Grandmaster Helio used to say: if you walk away from a fight without losing, then you've won! You don't have to beat someone up to win a fight, you just have to _survive_.

Here's the University landing page. I hope you look a little deeper into the Gracies, they truly are incredible.

GRACIE UNIVERSITY: Global Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Instruction –  Straight From The Source.

Also, I just started a blog all about self defense. If you like, you can check me out at selfdefensementor.com I am still in the process of setting up the site, but I've got a couple posts going live soon. I have a form for my newsletter you can sign up for on the site if you want to find out more from me.

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about my reply.

Cheers!


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## kuniggety (Jun 10, 2016)

Self Defense Mentor said:


> Hello, I am new to this forum and yours was the first question to catch my eye. I hope that what I have to offer can help you.
> 
> First off, I think it is great that you are extensively looking into different types of training with an emphasis on finding a street-applicable art to study.
> 
> ...



I'm a big BJJ guy and have studied the material taught through GU online and put about 40 hrs on the matts at a school teaching that particular curriculum. It's a flavor of all the same art. I love what Rener and Ryron have done, providing great video instruction, but you seem to have drunk the kool-aid a bit too much. It's all JJ... Just different flavors and Helio was ONE of the founders of GJJ/BJJ. His older brother is widely regarded as the patriarch of the family and Luis Franca and Oswaldo Fadda did just as much to develop and teach the art.


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## Chris Parker (Jun 10, 2016)

Self Defense Mentor said:


> Hello, I am new to this forum and yours was the first question to catch my eye. I hope that what I have to offer can help you.
> 
> First off, I think it is great that you are extensively looking into different types of training with an emphasis on finding a street-applicable art to study.
> 
> ...



Hi Nic,

Hmm… yeah, I have quite a number of questions and concerns about your reply… but I'm going to hold off for a moment, and instead invite you to visit our Meet and Greet area (Meet & Greet), and tell us something about yourself… for example, what is your background other than online study?

Thanks, and welcome aboard.


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## Tony Dismukes (Jun 10, 2016)

Self Defense Mentor said:


> While it is surely effective, I do not recommend Krav Maga to most people for one reason: it is very hard to train safely! Every training video and article that I find on it is exceptionally violent; I certainly wouldn't want to train with a friend, as it is simply too hard to train effectiveness while maintaining a sense of common decency. That creates a couple problems: not enjoying training time (which discourages training at all), not being able to train at street intensity (bad real-world reflexes), and overall it simply will not enrich your life, which is what good art will do. You should be able to have fun training to get the best of it.



Have you ever actually trained in Krav Maga or are you just making assumptions based on reading articles and watching videos? I'm pretty certain there a Krav practitioners out there who will tell you that they enjoy their training and that they train safely.



Self Defense Mentor said:


> Yes, there is a difference between Gracie and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. They were developed by the same man, Helio Gracie, in Brazil. He need a better methodology than what he studied before (which was Japanese Jiu-Jitsu), so he created his own system based upon leverage and survivability. However, "Brazilian" Jiu-Jitsu is the branch that took off as a sport, or competitive, art. That inherently grew problems, such as fighting for points verses fighting to survive. That's why the Gracie Family moved the operation into the United States: to teach Jiu-Jitsu as an art of self defense, which was its original intention.



I'm afraid you've bought into Rener's advertising spin, so let me offer some corrections:

Helio Gracie did not single-handedly develop BJJ/GJJ. That was a collective effort starting with Carlos Gracie, Helio Gracie, George Gracie, Luis Franca, and Oswaldo Fadda in the first generation and continuing on with many more Gracie and non-Gracie practitioners in subsequent generations.

BJJ and GJJ are not separate arts. In the beginning, it was just "jiu-jitsu" as taught by Mitsuyo Maeda to Carlos Gracie, Luis Franca, and others. (Maeda was actually a judo practitioner, but at that time some judo practitioners still used the "jiu-jitsu" moniker.) For years, Helio Gracie claimed that he and his brothers were the only ones teaching the true unarmed art of the samurai as passed down to them through Maeda and that Judo was a watered down version created by the Japanese to fool foreigners.. To the best of my knowledge it was only after his brothers passed away that he started claiming that he had single-handedly developed the art by improving on what Maeda had taught to Carlos.

When Rorion Gracie moved to the U.S., he trademarked the name "Gracie Jiu-Jitsu" and threatened legal action against other family members who used that term. Eventually the trademark was overturned in court after a court battle with Carley Gracie who was teaching in the U.S. under the "Gracie Jiu-Jitsu" banner before Rorion was. In the meantime, "BJJ" became the default blanket term for the art since most instructors didn't want to deal with litigation threats.

Every school and every instructor of BJJ has their own emphasis. Some focus more on self-defense application, some focus on vale tudo/MMA, some focus on pure grappling competition. Many include all three aspects. Rener and Ryron emphasize teaching the combative aspects first before moving on to the pure sport applications of the art, but they are far from the only teachers to do so. I myself teach the same way, although my rank comes through the Carlson Gracie lineage.



Self Defense Mentor said:


> I study with the Gracies online, at Gracie University. Jener and Jyron Gracie, Helio's eldest grandsons, have put the whole curriculum online; from white to black belt and beyond.



Actually, they're only up to blue belt stripe 3 at this point. They've stated their intention to eventually have lessons for the entire curriculum up through black belt, but at the current rate of progress it will take them years to get there. (BTW - it's *R*ener and *R*yron.)



Self Defense Mentor said:


> A practitioner of almost a year, I can testify to the power and control of this art. I know that in a street fight, I will never have to throw a single punch to deescalate a situation, and I can control someone 50 pounds bigger than me with the power of leverage



I would caution against overconfidence based on spending a year drilling some video lessons with whatever buddies you have available to train with. You've barely scratched the surface of the art and you aren't really to the point yet of knowing what you don't know.


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## Self Defense Mentor (Jun 10, 2016)

Thanks for everyone's input! I'd like to address a couple responses, so bear with me.

When I talked about Gracie Jiu-Jitsu I understand that my summary was very generalized. Of course, I know that many other practitioners were just as much, if not more, involved with developing the system as Helio was, I just put him up as a good representative of the art. Also, I agree with you guys that GJJ and BJJ are so similar it's hard to even tell them apart. I was just thinking about the philosophical standpoint in training--not very substantial, I know, but I feel it's an important aspect of self defense. Thanks so much for correcting me, I wouldn't want to mislead anyone.



Tony Dismukes said:


> Have you ever actually trained in Krav Maga or are you just making assumptions based on reading articles and watching videos? I'm pretty certain there a Krav practitioners out there who will tell you that they enjoy their training and that they train safely.



I definitely don't mean to come off as an expert on Krav Maga, and surely not a hypocrite who has _only_ read or watched videos. I have trained for a few short months locally with a small group that has experience in a couple different arts. I certainly don't have a great amount of experience myself, but yes I do read and watch a lot trying to learn. If you think my post is misleading I'll definitely edit it to reflect that (if I can, I'm still trying to figure out how the forum system works). And you're quite right, their names are spelled with R's, I don't know how I missed that. As far as the curriculum goes, that is absolutely my fault; I'm afraid I really misrepresented their system with that. I apologize for the discrepancy.

As far as my experience in GJJ goes, I plan on taking my blue belt test in another month or so. While I would not regard myself as an authority on it, I feel that I have a quantifiable base in it--at least enough to share my thoughts on the subject.

The bottom line: I really appreciate your comments and for pointing out the holes in my argument. That's truly invaluable for revealing the truth. But I hope you keep in mind that I am also an MA practitioner and learner just the same as everyone else. I am merely pointing out what I think and trying to gather some feedback from everyone else, because I realize that I am inexperienced and in need of training.

Thanks again.


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## Tony Dismukes (Jun 10, 2016)

Self Defense Mentor said:


> I definitely don't mean to come off as an expert on Krav Maga, and surely not a hypocrite who has _only_ read or watched videos. I have trained for a few short months locally with a small group that has experience in a couple different arts. I certainly don't have a great amount of experience myself, but yes I do read and watch a lot trying to learn.



So this local group included some Krav Maga training?

Anyway, my point is that any art _can_ be trained safely, although how you do that can depend on the art. As far as whether an art is *fun*, that's a subjective thing which varies with the individual. I love doing BJJ, but some people don't enjoy it at all.



Self Defense Mentor said:


> If you think my post is misleading I'll definitely edit it to reflect that (if I can, I'm still trying to figure out how the forum system works).



The forum gives you a short time window to edit posts after making them - just enough to hopefully catch typos. After that, whatever you wrote is permanent.



Self Defense Mentor said:


> As far as my experience in GJJ goes, I plan on taking my blue belt test in another month or so.



I don't know if you saw the announcement earlier this week. GU will no longer be awarding blue belts through online testing. The material from the initial 36 lessons will culminate in testing for a "combatives belt" (white with a blue stripe)  for demonstrating the combatives curriculum in accordance with their technical standards. Testing for blue belt and higher will have to be done in person at a Certified Training Center(CTC) and will include live sparring/rolling. (This update also affects students who attend the Gracie Academy in person. Previously they just worked on the Combatives program through white belt and only started sparring when they reached blue belt. Now they will have to complete the Combatives curriculum and then get 6-12 months experience with live sparring/rolling before they test for blue.)



Self Defense Mentor said:


> But I hope you keep in mind that I am also an MA practitioner and learner just the same as everyone else. I am merely pointing out what I think and trying to gather some feedback from everyone else, because I realize that I am inexperienced and in need of training.



That's cool. You'll definitely get some feedback from the folks around here. Hopefully that feedback won't be too harsh.  Just a heads up - I know you're enthusiastic about what you're studying, but you will probably get better reactions if you focus more on asking questions and commenting just from your personal experience rather than opinions you've gleaned through reading. This forum has a fair number of members who have been training for decades in a variety of martial arts. I myself have been training for 35 years (about 16 or 17 years in BJJ), and I'm far from the most senior person here. Some of them get grouchy when people make hasty generalizations about their arts based on limited exposure.


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## kuniggety (Jun 10, 2016)

Tony Dismukes said:


> I don't know if you saw the announcement earlier this week. GU will no longer be awarding blue belts through online testing. The material from the initial 36 lessons will culminate in testing for a "combatives belt" (white with a blue stripe)  for demonstrating the combatives curriculum in accordance with their technical standards. Testing for blue belt and higher will have to be done in person at a Certified Training Center(CTC) and will include live sparring/rolling. (This update also affects students who attend the Gracie Academy in person. Previously they just worked on the Combatives program through white belt and only started sparring when they reached blue belt. Now they will have to complete the Combatives curriculum and then get 6-12 months experience with live sparring/rolling before they test for blue.)



I actually hadn't seen that yet. I think it's a good move on their part. It might produce some grumbling but I think in the long run it will keep the expectations more aligned with what most other BJJ schools expect before handing out a blue belt.


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## kuniggety (Jun 10, 2016)

It's too late to edit my last post but I went and found the announcement (i.e. Actually read my e-mail) and saw how it was really connected to bringing Rickson Gracie on board. He was vocally opposed before to what Rener and Ryron had done to the blue belt. He always referred to a blue belt as a "tough guy" who earned the rank through the trials and tribulations of sparring. I wonder if Rickson will push the system any in his affiliation. My old school where I earned my blue belt, Axis, was a Rickson Gracie affiliate school. I remember hearing rumors before I left of him pushing a white belt with blue stripe as a step gap to blue since it typically took a person a couple to few years to earn a blue belt in his affiliation.


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## Juany118 (Jun 12, 2016)

My only issue with Mentor on BJJ is that any open hand art is going to put you in the "Red Zone".  Once you get a "non-ground fighter" on the ground BJJ certainly comes into its own but until you get them down, you are in the Red Zone.

There is also another issue, not just with BJJ but any art that gets you into trapping/grappling range, that I see but _Tony_ can feel free to correct me if he feels I exaggerate.  Kali and WC both spend a fair amount of time in this range when open handed.  When doing the Medio and Corto Hubud drills in Kali (12-6 strike and elbow strike respectively) I see fellow practitioners all the time being outside of effective striking range.  It gets on my nerves a bit because, especially with the Corto Hubud, if you are not in the actual striking range, with elbows practically nose to nose, you don't have the proper spacing to appreciate just how narrow the window is for a check or gunting.

What's the point of the above?  People from different cultures have different ideas of personal space.  As an example the average accepted personal space in the US is 4 feet, compared to 2-3 feet in Europe.  If you chose BJJ be sure that you can overcome this issue.  Its certainly doable BUT its something that imo still needs to be considered.


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## Chris Parker (Jun 12, 2016)

Hmm…

Okay, I was trying to be gentle and a bit accommodating initially, rather than take your incredibly flawed initial post to pieces… but Tony has done a bit of that already (bit odd… we're kinda switching positions there… hmm…), so… 



Self Defense Mentor said:


> Thanks for everyone's input! I'd like to address a couple responses, so bear with me.
> 
> When I talked about Gracie Jiu-Jitsu I understand that my summary was very generalized. Of course, I know that many other practitioners were just as much, if not more, involved with developing the system as Helio was, I just put him up as a good representative of the art. Also, I agree with you guys that GJJ and BJJ are so similar it's hard to even tell them apart. I was just thinking about the philosophical standpoint in training--not very substantial, I know, but I feel it's an important aspect of self defense. Thanks so much for correcting me, I wouldn't want to mislead anyone.



GJJ is BJJ… not "so similar it's hard to even tell them apart"… Gracie Jiujitsu, very simply, IS Brazilian Jiujitsu… it's just not the only form. Saying "it's hard to tell them apart" is like saying it's hard to tell the difference between Shotokan and karate. You don't want to mislead people? Don't prematurely put yourself out as an expert or reliable source when you don't have the experience or knowledge.



Self Defense Mentor said:


> I definitely don't mean to come off as an expert on Krav Maga, and surely not a hypocrite who has _only_ read or watched videos. I have trained for a few short months locally with a small group that has experience in a couple different arts. I certainly don't have a great amount of experience myself, but yes I do read and watch a lot trying to learn. If you think my post is misleading I'll definitely edit it to reflect that (if I can, I'm still trying to figure out how the forum system works). And you're quite right, their names are spelled with R's, I don't know how I missed that. As far as the curriculum goes, that is absolutely my fault; I'm afraid I really misrepresented their system with that. I apologize for the discrepancy.



So you have basically no experience with much of anything you're critiquing or commenting on? To the point that the very little you have some tiny experience with, you go ahead and misspell the names of the teachers, and misrepresent what's actually taught? This is leading in one direction, and you might not like it much… 



Self Defense Mentor said:


> As far as my experience in GJJ goes, I plan on taking my blue belt test in another month or so. While I would not regard myself as an authority on it, I feel that I have a quantifiable base in it--at least enough to share my thoughts on the subject.



No. You're barely out of your swaddling clutch. You have little knowledge to share. You can certainly comment based on the fact that you have a very small amount of experience, but everything you say should be prefaced with that fact.



Self Defense Mentor said:


> The bottom line: I really appreciate your comments and for pointing out the holes in my argument. That's truly invaluable for revealing the truth. But I hope you keep in mind that I am also an MA practitioner and learner just the same as everyone else. I am merely pointing out what I think and trying to gather some feedback from everyone else, because I realize that I am inexperienced and in need of training.
> 
> Thanks again.



Here's my feedback for you.

You're a 19 year old kid. You have, by your comments here, a "couple of months with some guys who trained in a few things" (paraphrasing), so no coherent or formal education at all, combined with a short amount of online-only training with the Gracie's system. Yet, remarkably, you've decided you're already in a position to be offering advice to complete strangers here and with your blog (read the one post you have up already, by the way… frankly, you don't know what you're talking about, as the entire post is based on an incomplete understanding of the situations presented, as well as an incomplete understanding of the tactic you advise…), have named yourself "Self Defense Mentor", and aim to appear informative. You're not.

Really, you admit you know you're inexperienced and in need of training… but you still want to present yourself in that fashion? Can you see how that will come across to people who have been involved in this area far longer than you've been alive, let alone how long you've been "training" and reading? What is wrong with just being a student, just learning? What's the need to be seen as some kind of authority, when you're so clearly not one?

Frankly, my recommendation is to change your name on the forum, deep-six the blog site. They're only going to lead to issues.


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## Tez3 (Jun 12, 2016)

Self Defense Mentor said:


> while maintaining a sense of common decency.



Ooo do they rip each other's clothes off then? haven't tried KM, perhaps I should be looking for my local place to train.......... just to watch you understand so I get a better sense of the style.


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## Self Defense Mentor (Jun 12, 2016)

Tony Dismukes said:


> That's cool. You'll definitely get some feedback from the folks around here. Hopefully that feedback won't be too harsh.  Just a heads up - I know you're enthusiastic about what you're studying, but you will probably get better reactions if you focus more on asking questions and commenting just from your personal experience rather than opinions you've gleaned through reading. This forum has a fair number of members who have been training for decades in a variety of martial arts. I myself have been training for 35 years (about 16 or 17 years in BJJ), and I'm far from the most senior person here. Some of them get grouchy when people make hasty generalizations about their arts based on limited exposure.



Duly noted. Thanks for the tip, I'll do just that.


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## Kenpoguy123 (Jun 12, 2016)

Chris Parker said:


> Hmm…
> 
> Okay, I was trying to be gentle and a bit accommodating initially, rather than take your incredibly flawed initial post to pieces… but Tony has done a bit of that already (bit odd… we're kinda switching positions there… hmm…), so…
> 
> ...




Yeah I have to agree with all this why call yourself self defence mentor when you're barely a white belt


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## Tez3 (Jun 12, 2016)

Kenpoguy123 said:


> Yeah I have to agree with all this why call yourself self defence mentor when you're barely a white belt



To be fair though you don't get belts in self defence.


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## Tony Dismukes (Jun 12, 2016)

Kenpoguy123 said:


> Yeah I have to agree with all this why call yourself self defence mentor when you're barely a white belt


To be fair, when I was 19 years old and barely a beginner in the martial arts I was offering ill- informed lessons and advice to my friends and family based on the little bit I had read and experienced, with not much understanding of what I didn't know. If the internet had been around at the time I might have done what Nic is doing now, so I can't be too judgmental.


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## JR 137 (Jun 12, 2016)

Tony Dismukes said:


> To be fair, when I was 19 years old and barely a beginner in the martial arts I was offering ill- informed lessons and advice to my friends and family based on the little bit I had read and experienced, with not much understanding of what I didn't know. If the internet had been around at the time I might have done what Nic is doing now, so I can't be too judgmental.



Me too.

I think it's more of a case of when you know a little bit, you think you know way more than you actually do.  Then once you start learning a little bit beyond the basics, you come to the realization that there's sooo much you don't know.

I was 19 when I started.  After white belt, I thought I was so much smarter than the average bear.  After 4 years of that, I earned my black belt.  I started consistently training with the black belts in black belts only class and realized I didn't know doo-doo.

I'm back at colored belt (4th kyu) after a 15 year hiatus.  This time, I know more than most equal ranked students, but not much.  But now I'm smart enough to know I'm just barely scratching the surface.  Pretty sure I'll be doing that for quite some time.


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