How should someone demonstrate self-defense concepts in a video?

[wab25]

I like to see the technique demonstrated at the beginning of the video. Then you can go into your discussion, break it down and show your variations... But I don't like having to wait through 5 minutes of chatter to see if this is a technique I am interested in. Sure I can scrub ahead... but if you are showing many variations, or what not to do, or the guy counters it and you have to counter his counter... I could scrub to some "other" technique and then keep looking.

Its like public speaking... tell them what you are going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you told them. In video form... show me the technique you are going to be working on. Then, do your thing with that technique. Then end with demos of that technique.

 

[Deleted member 39746]

See now at least the person did acknowledge it was a demonstration in the example,some dont do that. Some also dont give any context to what ever they are doing.

so they must select a partner who is inferior or not fully committed 9ver wise the vid just shows it not working,

That seems like a semi slippery slope, as they are making a video, and it might only have a 50% success rate and if they cant pull it off in the video it discredits the technique in the same way the reverse would credit it. Show you how to do it, give context to it and give some examples as nothing is 100% effective anyway.

If its just meant as a demo it can be forgiven as its meant to work for it to be a demo.

And if they were making it as a semi advertisement for their business you need to make it look good. (and not giveaway too much or else people dont need to come and pay you to teach them)



Oh remember you are time locked for videos on youtube until you get X criteria (i forgot the criteria it might have changed from videos)

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Yes it's fairly obvious truth, but we are taking about the lack of reality in self defence vids, who seem to gloss 9ver it, with possibly unconscious bias towards showing that the technique works, so they must select a partner who is inferior or not fully committed 9ver wise the vid just shows it not working,

It's a bit broad Bush, but who will a demonstrated technique work against ?

Not some one who is physically and technically superior, probably not someone who is physically superior and has developed basic skills to a good level, not someone who is equivalent physically and technically with any reliability

So that just leaves people who are inferior to you either substantially in one or the other or at least marginally in both.

Actually, the issue is true of really pretty much all training videos. That's why I mentioned a single-leg in one of my posts.

And I'm not sure saying "that won't work against someone it won't work against" contributes much.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I like to see the technique demonstrated at the beginning of the video. Then you can go into your discussion, break it down and show your variations... But I don't like having to wait through 5 minutes of chatter to see if this is a technique I am interested in. Sure I can scrub ahead... but if you are showing many variations, or what not to do, or the guy counters it and you have to counter his counter... I could scrub to some "other" technique and then keep looking.

Its like public speaking... tell them what you are going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you told them. In video form... show me the technique you are going to be working on. Then, do your thing with that technique. Then end with demos of that technique.

In fact, that's a peeve of mine. Learning theory explains that adults (not sure if this applies for kids) comprehend MUCH better if they see the completed task before the explanation. It provides the necessary context.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

What if the guy's faster than you?

If a guy is

- faster than you, he will beat you in 100 m race.
- stronger, he will beat you in arm wrestling.

What can you do? Nothing.

All techniques have counters. Only extreme speed and extreme force have no counter.

 

[dvcochran]

I just got done watching a video, made by someone who has read too many Youtube comments. It was a 9 minute video, and probably 6 minutes of it seemed to be aimed at preempting the "this only works because you're doing it slow" and "try that on a non-compliant partner" conversations.

The video had a lot of explanations of "my partner is complying, because I'm showing you slow enough so you can see it", and explanations that if his partner didn't do exactly what he expected, he would modify the technique and take a slightly different approach.

While I agree with all of this, in the end the video left me unsatisfied. For one, all of his talk about doing the techniques slow and building speed later, he never did. He only showed the slow, compliant version. On the other hand, he spent so much time worrying about what people would think, he didn't leave much time to actually demonstrate the techniques, and it really affected the pacing of the video.

Now, I'm not going to link the video I watched, because I don't want the discussion to be about that video. Just in general, if I were to do a video and demonstrate techniques, how should I do it in such a way that:

1. I can demonstrate the technique at a teachable pace
2. I can demonstrate the technique at a believable pace
3. My video doesn't feel all over the place

Here are my thoughts on the subject. Feel free to leave yours below.

• Demonstrating on a compliant partner is not the only way to demonstrate a technique. Slow-motion breakdowns are important, but you can also cut high-speed versions of the technique as well.
  
• Demonstrate against resistance by instructing the resistance. Show how you would modify it based on different responses by your partner. This sequence can be scripted, as long as the one technique is not scripted the same from start to finish every time.
• Make use of voice-over and b-roll. This will allow you to show techniques at speed while still being able to talk, as you can show them on repeat while discussing the technique. It also allows you to use slow motion capture of a full-speed technique, instead of using a slower version of the technique (although a slower, more exaggerated technique can sometimes be better for explaining). The other nice thing about voice-over and b-roll is that it can allow you to have slicker editing, make more use of different items (like a partner, a BOB, etc), and it can help you get rid of the "ahs" and "ums" from your verbal description of the technique.
• Plan ahead. Have an outline of what you want to talk about. Be very clear about which part of the demonstration you are in. If you want to show a specific throw, then show the correct technique first, modifications to the technique next, troubleshooting third, and then leave room for drills, comments, or counters at the end. Don't jump back and forth between topics, as it will get confusing.

I've been thinking about making some videos, and at some point I will. But before I start doing something like that, I want to plan ahead and make sure that what I present is the best way I can present it.

This is an area I ebb and tide with in interest. I have done very little detailed video work since the ekk!! late 80's or early 90's. The tools and software available back then were fewer and unless you had film company money could not afford much of it. It was all technical and procedural video so very little room for misinterpretation.
Particularly regarding your third bullet, what tools/software do you use? I am also thinking about reaching out to our local high school(s) to see if they have some "grad" students who could help me get started. I could make for some good laughs with the questions I have.
Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[skribs]

This is an area I ebb and tide with in interest. I have done very little detailed video work since the ekk!! late 80's or early 90's. The tools and software available back then were fewer and unless you had film company money could not afford much of it. It was all technical and procedural video so very little room for misinterpretation.
Particularly regarding your third bullet, what tools/software do you use? I am also thinking about reaching out to our local high school(s) to see if they have some "grad" students who could help me get started. I could make for some good laughs with the questions I have.
Any suggestions appreciated.

It's been a while, but there's tons of free ones. Youtube Movie Maker is a good one. Can't remember if it's free or not, but if not it's reasonably priced.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

This is an area I ebb and tide with in interest. I have done very little detailed video work since the ekk!! late 80's or early 90's. The tools and software available back then were fewer and unless you had film company money could not afford much of it. It was all technical and procedural video so very little room for misinterpretation.
Particularly regarding your third bullet, what tools/software do you use? I am also thinking about reaching out to our local high school(s) to see if they have some "grad" students who could help me get started. I could make for some good laughs with the questions I have.
Any suggestions appreciated.

I'm pretty happy with Magix' video software. It's pretty cheap. Pair that with a decent smartphone, and you can get okay results. If you want better results, the first thing to improve is the audio - a lapel mic is probably the easiest solution. You can either get a device to use the lavalier with your smartphone, or record the audio on a separate device (at the same time) and sync them up later. The latter is a bit of a chore.

Frankly, I used to love working with Adobe Premier (a friend had a copy when I was doing some work for him), and I miss some of the features. More money than I'm willing to spend, though.

 

[skribs]

@gpseymour

When I'm talking about b-roll and voiceover, I'm talking about using the microphone on your computer to talk about the footage after it's been edited. That way:

1. The audio is better because you're in a more acoustic-friendly place instead of an echoy dojo
2. You don't have to talk and do the actions, you can simply do the actions, and do the talking in post-production
3. If you mess up the talking, you simply redo the voiceover. If you mess up the move you simply redo the technique. You don't need to get both the talking and technique perfect in the same take
4. In a lot of cases it works better because you can show several angles within the same sentence

I go back to Ginger Ninja Trickster's videos a lot, and his editing is incredible.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

@gpseymour

When I'm talking about b-roll and voiceover, I'm talking about using the microphone on your computer to talk about the footage after it's been edited. That way:

1. The audio is better because you're in a more acoustic-friendly place instead of an echoy dojo
2. You don't have to talk and do the actions, you can simply do the actions, and do the talking in post-production
3. If you mess up the talking, you simply redo the voiceover. If you mess up the move you simply redo the technique. You don't need to get both the talking and technique perfect in the same take
4. In a lot of cases it works better because you can show several angles within the same sentence

I go back to Ginger Ninja Trickster's videos a lot, and his editing is incredible.

I keep planning to do voice-over. But I can't seem to shut up while I'm filming. I know you're surprised.

 

[skribs]

I keep planning to do voice-over. But I can't seem to shut up while I'm filming. I know you're surprised.

I have 21,436 reasons to be surprised. Probably 21,472 by the time I type this.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I keep planning to do voice-over. But I can't seem to shut up while I'm filming. I know you're surprised.

Go ahead and talk while you're filming. Then just remove the audio. I think pretty much any editing package will let you do that.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Go ahead and talk while you're filming. Then just remove the audio. I think pretty much any editing package will let you do that.

Oh, I can easily mute the original audio. But the video looks odd if there's someone talking on the video, and different words happening in the audio. I end up looking like one of those old kung fu movies.

What I really need to do sometime is just leave a camera set up and do a bunch of my drills and such, then go back and mine the footage for stuff worth using, and add a voice-over once I know what I'm using it for. When I go in with a purpose ("I'm going to make a video about the basic front roll"), I end up doing all the talking and explaining while I'm filming. Talking is part of how I think - hearing my own words clarifies my train of thought, so I do a better job of the demonstrations.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Oh, I can easily mute the original audio. But the video looks odd if there's someone talking on the video, and different words happening in the audio. I end up looking like one of those old kung fu movies.

But that was one of the best parts of the old Godzilla movies!

 

[skribs]

I end up looking like one of those old kung fu movies.

Won't that give you more credibility?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

But that was one of the best parts of the old Godzilla movies!

I’m not as pretty as Godzilla.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Demonstrating on a compliant partner is not the only way to demonstrate a technique. Slow-motion breakdowns are important, but you can also cut high-speed versions of the technique as well.

This is the method that I prefer and I find out that it works better. While I still couldn't go full force, nor would I, I could show the effectiveness of a technique against someone who is trying to hit me as well as avoid my attacks. It's just better to spar a few rounds and then show techniques that way. I've never demo or shown a technique's effect use on a compliant partner. This is why I have so many videos of me sparring because it made it easier for me to say. In this clip, I did this technique, then I can go into the concept teaching of a technique which is basically a walk through.

The only time I've ever had a person "go along" with a technique was when I was explaining the concepts of a technique. I think this is where many people get into trouble. Showing the concept of a technique is not the same as showing the usability or effectiveness of a technique. This is critical for me as an instructor because now I'm no longer using hypothetical scenarios. I can look at a video and tell you exactly what I was feeling, what the attack felt like, what I was thinking, what I was trying to pay attention to.

I can also tell how my opponent or sparring partner reacted and what I thought he or she was trying to do. Right now as I'm typing I couldn't tell you any of that off the top of my head, but show me a video and it will all come back to me like it was yesterday.

 

[skribs]

This is the method that I prefer and I find out that it works better. While I still couldn't go full force, nor would I, I could show the effectiveness of a technique against someone who is trying to hit me as well as avoid my attacks. It's just better to spar a few rounds and then show techniques that way. I've never demo or shown a technique's effect use on a compliant partner. This is why I have so many videos of me sparring because it made it easier for me to say. In this clip, I did this technique, then I can go into the concept teaching of a technique which is basically a walk through.

The only time I've ever had a person "go along" with a technique was when I was explaining the concepts of a technique. I think this is where many people get into trouble. Showing the concept of a technique is not the same as showing the usability or effectiveness of a technique. This is critical for me as an instructor because now I'm no longer using hypothetical scenarios. I can look at a video and tell you exactly what I was feeling, what the attack felt like, what I was thinking, what I was trying to pay attention to.

I can also tell how my opponent or sparring partner reacted and what I thought he or she was trying to do. Right now as I'm typing I couldn't tell you any of that off the top of my head, but show me a video and it will all come back to me like it was yesterday.

I think both are important. But if I want to talk about V-Locks, it's a lot easier to have a partner who is at least semi-compliant with a V-Lock, so that I can demonstrate it.

Otherwise it's like trying to get a group of players to follow your story as a game master or dungeon master in a tabletop RPG.

 

[dvcochran]

Go ahead and talk while you're filming. Then just remove the audio. I think pretty much any editing package will let you do that.

Video software has came a Long way. That's what happens when you date to the pre-digital days.

 

[Buka]

If a guy is

- faster than you, he will beat you in 100 m race.
- stronger, he will beat you in arm wrestling.

What can you do? Nothing.

All techniques have counters. Only extreme speed and extreme force have no counter.

I understand your points, and pretty much agree, but the examples aren't good. I've been to a lot of arm wrestling tournaments and watched really strong guys get beat by those who weren't as strong - but the "not as strong" knew how to arm wrestle in competitive matches. Technique, posture and proper body position in chair relative to the opponent.

In track and field one hundred meters is a relatively short race. Sometimes a person with a better start out of the blocks will defeat a faster person with a slower start. Sometimes.

I've watched Rickson grapple with guys who were freakishly strong, guys who benched and squatted enormous weight, and some of them had some background in grappling. Yet, they were like babes in arms to him. Literally.