Starting modern self defense school in NC

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Ok I get you totally

I did post in another thread about using the MA buzz words and getting into martial arts concepts which are not the same as SD really (well kinda sorta maybe ) and picking apart any art will always lead to conflicts unless you understand the art and actually know where the flaws lie ( you have seen me defend Aikido lol but I will and have said there are flaws there in )

For us here to pick apart a guys business isn't really fair (oh I do understand the why) but to me that not any of our jobs as such.

just my opinion lol

Oh I will btw argue the toss with another MA (nd I have lol) if I think they are wrong but to a SD guy no as they might not get the nuances etc

To add to my other post, were not policing or controlling him. If you notice, none of us are going om his channel or website and leaving comments or reviews for people to read. Hes coming on here with views and ideas, and theyre being confronted on here, the same as any other view.

 

[now disabled]

To add to my other post, were not policing or controlling him. If you notice, none of us are going om his channel or website and leaving comments or reviews for people to read. Hes coming on here with views and ideas, and theyre being confronted on here, the same as any other view.

Ok

 

[Tony Dismukes]

There have been a number of people over the years who have started with a relatively shallow exposure to existing systems and through dint of lots of hard work, study, and testing ideas ended up creating solid martial arts which have withstood the tests of time.

There have been a much larger number who have started with a relatively shallow exposure to existing systems and have constructed crappy new arts which lack depth, have no unifying principles, and don't add much of anything to the martial landscape. These usually fade away in a short time unless the founder is an exceptional self-promoter.

The advantage of "credentials" (ranks, teaching certificates, etc) is that they can give an outsider some assurance of what they might be getting with a particular instructor. If I know that Joe Blow is a badass master of full-contact bare-knuckle striking and he issues a teaching certificate in his art to Joe Schmoe, then I can figure there's a good chance that Mr. Schmoe may be able to offer me some good tips on striking methods. If I'm looking at an instructor who has no such credentials (or if I know nothing about the person issuing their credentials), then I won't know much about their skill or knowledge until I have a chance to see them move or interact with them in person.

Check out my YouTube channel to see sample clips of my martial arts.

Do you have a link to your YouTube channel?

I don't teach complete styles. I just teach techniques.

Yea around that area. I can give you a free lesson if you're interested.

Here is the sort of thing, more so than your lack of paper credentials, that makes me skeptical of what you have to offer...

"I just teach techniques"

Techniques are ... not unimportant, but certainly less important than tactical concepts, physical principles, training methods, and approaches to attribute development. Any good martial art is much more than a collection of techniques.

"I can give you a free lesson"

The person you are talking to in that comment has been training in the martial arts more than 4 times longer than you have. Maybe you have something useful to show him. Maybe you don't. Either way, if you have the drive to learn and grow that I would expect from the creator of a new system then I would expect you to be more interested in what you might learn from him rather than the other way around.

 

[Flying Crane]

He is not claiming to teach a specific style there by claiming that lineage so I don't see the issue if his students are happy and they feel they are learning then where is the problem?

Had he been claiming a specific style then yes I can see the point to an extent

Apart from the MA community at large do most of the general public actually know what credentials and the rest are or do they really care?

It’s in trying to understand what his own training and experience are, that might make him an effective teacher of anything, even his own take on it all.

 

[now disabled]

It’s in trying to understand what his own training and experience are, that might make him an effective teacher of anything, even his own take on it all.

I do get what your saying

I guess I just didn't wanna shoot the guy down on a forum

On the mat well that be different as then it real as it were

dunno if that makes sense

I still think that it mostly all us MA folks that look at credentials and actually know what they mean or are. A newbie looking at things well he might or might not

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I do get what your saying

I guess I just didn't wanna shoot the guy down on a forum

On the mat well that be different as then it real as it were

dunno if that makes sense

I still think that it mostly all us MA folks that look at credentials and actually know what they mean or are. A newbie looking at things well he might or might not

The view I take is that this is a chance for him to learn what markets well. He came to a group of martial artists and made statements that seemed intended to attract potential students, but had the opposite effect. That's good input for him.

And the other input might help him improve either his training (and teaching) or his marketing. Both are the kind of input I look for here, and hope he's getting. Different folks take different approaches to it, but it's all feedback.

 

[frank raud]

He is not claiming to teach a specific style there by claiming that lineage so I don't see the issue if his students are happy and they feel they are learning then where is the problem?

Had he been claiming a specific style then yes I can see the point to an extent

Unarmed combat - I developed my own unique system. It’s blend of techniques from Wing Chun, boxing, Krav Maga, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Kajukenbo, Jeet Kune Do, and so on.

While not claiming to teach a specific style, he is claiming to teach a blend of techniques from multiple styles. Any problem with that? Different styles have different types of power generation, and may not be compatible with other styles. That doesn't make either one "wrong" but they may not be a good fit. As Isiah has only 5 years(or 8 years depending on where he says it) of training, with no breakdown of how long he has trained in any of the listed arts(including "and so on"), no one what his level of training is. Would you pay to be taught "techniques" from a white belt? Does he have the depth of understanding of the techniques to offer variations that may be better suited to you based on size, physicality, athleticism or lack thereof?

When he joined here two years ago, he only claimed Wing Chun as an art he practiced, and had no experience fighting a human, only dogs. Now he is knowledgeable enough about at least 6 martial arts to cherry pick techniques (Well, 7. And so on is Korean, is it not?)

 

[Tony Dismukes]

The view I take is that this is a chance for him to learn what markets well. He came to a group of martial artists and made statements that seemed intended to attract potential students, but had the opposite effect. That's good input for him.

And the other input might help him improve either his training (and teaching) or his marketing. Both are the kind of input I look for here, and hope he's getting. Different folks take different approaches to it, but it's all feedback.

Excellent point. Let's assume for the moment that Isaiah is the next Bruce Lee or Helio Gracie. He has the talent and drive to be a top notch martial artist and instructor despite the lack of formal credentials. He just needs the marketing skills to draw in potential customers.

I'm not any sort of business guru, but part of marketing is knowing your audience, right? When he's talking to a group which includes people with decades of training, people with decades of teaching, and people with decades of applying their arts in real world settings and boasts of a "pretty good resume" that consists of 5 or 8 (not being consistent there) years of training in several arts (with no credentials or indications of who, if anyone, instructed him in those arts) and teaching "several" students, then he's not reading the room very well.

 

[now disabled]

While not claiming to teach a specific style, he is claiming to teach a blend of techniques from multiple styles. Any problem with that? Different styles have different types of power generation, and may not be compatible with other styles. That doesn't make either one "wrong" but they may not be a good fit. As Isiah has only 5 years(or 8 years depending on where he says it) of training, with no breakdown of how long he has trained in any of the listed arts(including "and so on"), no one what his level of training is. Would you pay to be taught "techniques" from a white belt? Does he have the depth of understanding of the techniques to offer variations that may be better suited to you based on size, physicality, athleticism or lack thereof?

When he joined here two years ago, he only claimed Wing Chun as an art he practiced, and had no experience fighting a human, only dogs. Now he is knowledgeable enough about at least 6 martial arts to cherry pick techniques (Well, 7. And so on is Korean, is it not?)

Ok Ok ok I was just not going to shoot the guy down I get the point lol

And as I posted on a mat I might well have issues but that real time

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Excellent point. Let's assume for the moment that Isaiah is the next Bruce Lee or Helio Gracie. He has the talent and drive to be a top notch martial artist and instructor despite the lack of formal credentials. He just needs the marketing skills to draw in potential customers.

I'm not any sort of business guru, but part of marketing is knowing your audience, right? When he's talking to a group which includes people with decades of training, people with decades of teaching, and people with decades of applying their arts in real world settings and boasts of a "pretty good resume" that consists of 5 or 8 (not being consistent there) years of training in several arts (with no credentials or indications of who, if anyone, instructed him in those arts) and teaching "several" students, then he's not reading the room very well.

Agreed. He'd be better off explaining what he can teach me to do. If someone presents me with a reasonable promise of something I can learn from them, I don't care how long they've been training - I'm interested in finding out if they can deliver. Of course, that doesn't mean I'll always pursue that training, but getting people interested is the first step. I'll use the example I always reach for, because I have specific expectations of folks in BJJ. If a BJJ blue belt tells me he can improve my side control and teach me how to stop people from escaping to the back, I'd like to get on the mats with them and find out. He might only have a year or two of training, and maybe only in BJJ, but it's really possible he knows something I don't - and might be able to teach it to me.

 

[Martial D]

C'mon guys. This guy will up your game like 30 points.

 

[pdg]

C'mon guys. This guy will up your game like 30 points.

 

[Martial D]

Agreed. He'd be better off explaining what he can teach me to do. If someone presents me with a reasonable promise of something I can learn from them, I don't care how long they've been training - I'm interested in finding out if they can deliver. Of course, that doesn't mean I'll always pursue that training, but getting people interested is the first step. I'll use the example I always reach for, because I have specific expectations of folks in BJJ. If a BJJ blue belt tells me he can improve my side control and teach me how to stop people from escaping to the back, I'd like to get on the mats with them and find out. He might only have a year or two of training, and maybe only in BJJ, but it's really possible he knows something I don't - and might be able to teach it to me.

Well BJJ is a bit of a special case, as its undergoing a 24/7 trial by fire and is evolving at the rate of bacteria. God bless it.

 

[Martial D]

This dudes youtube is quite the rabbit hole. It really says it all.

 

[pdg]

This dudes youtube is quite the rabbit hole. It really says it all.

To continue the rabbit hole analogy:

I had a bit of a shallow feel about, put my hand in something nasty and wanted a shower...

 

[JR 137]

C'mon guys. This guy will up your game like 30 points.

I just... just... I’m at a loss for words here.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Dunning-Kruger strikes again.

 

[JR 137]

Dunning-Kruger strikes again.

Those guys are pretty popular. Not with me personally though. I’ve learned all there is to learn, and there’s really not that much to learn.

 

[pdg]

Not sure where Frank got this, but:

"I've trained in JKD, Wing Chun, boxing, weapon disarms, BJJ, and various skills for 8 years. I've sparred to make sure my methods work." Do you have black belt/black sash/instructor qualifications in any of these arts?

Now, @Tony Dismukes reckons he's had no BJJ training, and I tend to trust that.

So, "trained in JKD" eh?

"I studied Bruce Lee then taught myself"

OK then.



I watched 'Enter the Dragon' when I was about 13 and me and some friends messed around in the garden.

Hey! That means I've trained in JKD for 28 years!

All bow before me!

 

[Martial D]

I just... just... I’m at a loss for words here.

The fact is, what is shown here is beyond your level of comprehension.