On Reality Based Self Defense

[Chris Parker]

Yeah, Richard's system (Senshido) is very typical of most RBSD systems in that it is drill and principle oriented, with very little in the way of technique. In fact, the main "technique" taught is really just a physical expression of a principle (Richard actually teaches this as a "principle", not a technique), and that is what he refers to as "The Shredder". Essentially, it is a close quarters defensive action comprised of a single or double handed clawing to the face in order to disorientate your opponent and allow you to escape or follow up with other techniques as appropriate.

Others like Tony Blauer have single concepts taught as techniques as well. Tony's is what he refers to as his SPEAR concept. This is a combination jam/offensive strive action. Deane Lawler in his R-SULT system has a similar movement, which is a combination cover/offensive strike action. There are then countless drills to explore these concepts and their applications, and this is where RBSD has it's place.

As for schools that teach people from word go, yes, they exist, but are not the main for RBSD, they instead belong much more firmly in the mainstream martial system grouping. These would include systems such as Krav Maga and MCMAP (although, to address Joab's take on things here, MCMAP is not RBSD either [nor Krav Maga, for that matter]. Both are originally Military systems, which is not RBSD, as Military requirements are very different from civilian self defence). As stated above, there is a group near me that I have had a number of training experiences with who teach from word go, but more commonly run specialist programs (which is the most common form of this type of school). Geoff Thompson, I believe runs his classes the same way, and there are training groups in most major cities (at least here in Australia).

 

[Shinobi Teikiatsu]

Joab,

I'm going to have agree with Chris' stance that you got offended when we declared that your old school was not an RBSD system, and I'm going to have to say that your behavior towards Chris, who admittedly DOES have much more knowledge in the martial arts than you, was juvenile at best.

The important thing about your school, whatever it's classified as, is whether or not you walked away feeling you could handle yourself in a confrontation. For example, there is a school near my house that I've paid many visits to, and the banner in the front says "Kung Fu" which we know in the martial arts world is about as generic as a store named "Drug Store." However when you go inside and meet the instructor, he tells you that the students are training in Wing Chun, who he learned from and so on and so forth. All the students there seem very well equipped, as well. However, they chose to use the name "Kung Fu" since it was so generic that most people would know it, and thus would be more inclined to join.

Your "professor" could have used a similar tactic. Not saying he's a trickster or anything, but it is possible, what with the rise of interest in both the MMA and RBSD over the TMA, that he used RBSD as a ploy to lure in other people to join his class.

Again, I'm going to have to agree with Chris when he says that it seems more like a modern martial system with training geared towards modern situations, rather than RBSD in and of itself. Remember this, my school trains gun defense, knife attacks, and attacks with a bat, those are all things that are based in reality, and we train to defend ourselves from them, self defense. So, using those simple words, we could define our training as reality based self-defense, however it would not fit into the actually CONCEPT known as Reality Based Self-Defense.