What do you think of this site?

[Corporal Hicks]

Hi, I recently came across this self defence site, and some of the things that are printed on the page not only infuriated me but also put doubt into my mind about how effective Martial Arts really are in self defence situation. After reading this what do you think? I personally think, this guy is just trying to sell his product and is using these means, what about you?

http://www.street-selfdefense.com/

 

[loki09789]

Looks no different than the Combatives claims about self defense focused training vs traditional/multiple goal training (character building, fitness, forms, fun, self defense, tradition, self esteem....)

It, ideologically sounds the same as the SCARS system stuff that, on the surface, looks like old kill and tear Kenpo.

The question is this: where is any force continuum, awareness, police reporting .... other skills for effective self defense in his program? Or, is it just another simplified 'art' so that you can learn 'faster'?

 

[Ceicei]

You know what's ironic...

The guy basically writes off almost all other martial art styles, and looks down on books/videos/seminars (claiming proper moves cannot be learned that way), saying the best way is to learn from a master instructor. Yet he puts out his own video. Why would his own videos be better than direct training with a competent, live instructor who might have experience under his belt?

He also mentions that "it has to be effective regardless of the body type of the attacker" and "designed to defeat a much larger and stronger attacker". This guy knows how to sell his stuff with persuasive words. With absolutes like that, I would be wary. I would like to emphasize there are no absolutes nor guarantees with any martial style.

However, I do agree with the "adrenaline dump" and fear effect. If that issue isn't addressed by the time the martial artist reaches advanced study, then hopefully it will be by black belt time.

- Ceicei

 

[Nightingale]

he's got a couple of good points. He's got a couple of bad points too.

A lot of what's taught in commercial schools, McDojos in particular, is quite useless.

The thing is... its all in the way things are taught. A few years back, a student came into the school I was training/teaching at. She'd just moved from out of state and was looking for a new school, and ours was nearest.

In talking to her, we discovered something shocking... she'd never done self defense techniques with a partner. Never worked on an actual body. Only worked "in the air." because her prior instructor had told his students that the techniques were "too deadly" to work with others.

Would the techniques actually work if used in the street? I don't know. the problem is, she didn't know either, because she'd never been given the chance to try them out, even in a controlled environment.

Yes, a lot of the stuff taught by many schools is useless... but this guy's video training isn't the solution.

 

[MJS]

You know what's ironic...

The guy basically writes off almost all other martial art styles, and looks down on books/videos/seminars (claiming proper moves cannot be learned that way), saying the best way is to learn from a master instructor. Yet he puts out his own video. Why would his own videos be better than direct training with a competent, live instructor who might have experience under his belt?

You know...I read the article and was thinking the same thing myself. All of the other videos that are out there say the same thing, and yet this guy is making it sound like if you buy his tapes, you'll be able to learn all of these things.

Mike

 

[MJS]

Hi, I recently came across this self defence site, and some of the things that are printed on the page not only infuriated me but also put doubt into my mind about how effective Martial Arts really are in self defence situation. After reading this what do you think? I personally think, this guy is just trying to sell his product and is using these means, what about you?

http://www.street-selfdefense.com/

First off, I'll start by saying that no video anywhere, put out by anyone, can actually replace the quality instruction that you'd get from a live instructor. IMO, tapes are good as a reference point ONLY, NOT to learn off of! Learning off of a tape is no different than Daniel from the Katate Kid learning from a book!!

Now, back to the question. I think that the guy brought up some good points, however, I dont think that his style is the end all-be all of self defense. I do think that it is important to train realistic though. Now, before anyone says, "Well, I train in X art and its realistic!" Sure, it may very well be, but there are things that you have to look at.

1- When doing SD techs. is your 'attacker' giving you resistance, or just standing there? Aliveness is the best word that comes to mind here.

2- Are you doing things that are simple, quick, effective, to the point, or doing flashy moves that should IMO, not really be done at all?

3- Are you covering all the ranges of fighting? Punching, kicking, clinching, grappling?

4- When sparring, are you working on that adrenal stress training that this guy talked about? Sure, one of those padded suits is expensive, but in the long run, think about the quality of instruction that your students will get if they can really do punches, kicks, etc. full power! You're going to get a different feel to your defense and attacks when the attacker is really trying to hit you.

5- Are you looking at ways to always improve on things, or are you assuming that the things that you've been doing and that have been passed down for the past X number of years will actually still work? Things are always improving and people come up with new ways of doing things.

These are just a few things that I came up with, but I'm sure that there are more. As for the tapes....I wouldnt spend the money.

Mike

 

[Cruentus]

Positive: Some of what he says is correct. Particularly what he says about most martial arts schools not preparing you for a real situation.

Negative:

- He is far to general, in my opinion, on a lot of things. For one...his own credentials are not mentioned. Who was this "master" or this "friend" that helped him to develop his system, so the public can verify his credability?

- This goes along the lines of being to general, but some of his claims are clearly fantasy. To promise that you can, "learn how you can defend
yourself in virtually any situation, quickly and easily..." is pretty empty and fantastic as far as I am concerned.

The above 2 are strong signs of his self-defense tapes being fraudulent.

Concerns:

- although he may be correct about a lot of problems in martial arts, there is nothing to verify that he is qualified to address these problems. One would be foolish to not call the number and attempt to get some more background information on him before wasting money.

- He rebukes "traditional" martial arts, yet him and his "master" helped him formulate his program. So, what seperates his program from being a watered down version of a traditional art? Why can't one get the same info through their martial art?

- He makes the mistake that most martial artists do; he fails to seperate (at least in his ad) the categories of martial arts. In other words, your local Kenpo school may be there to teach you self defense, but may also be preserving a tradition (Ed Parkers), helping you to keep in shape, build attributes, and bring you mental discipline as part of their package. If you have the ability to categorize, then you can answer questions like, "Can I use this in a fight?" You can recognize whether or not your doing a movement that is preserving a traditional fighting style, or whether it will be helpful to you in self-defense. It's not that all traditional martial arts are bad, its just that most are giving you self-defense as part of a total package. It's those students that can't recognize the difference between sparring friendly techniques and street friendly that end up getting their asses handed to them. Anyways, long story short, he fails to recognize this.

btw...I wrote an article on this issue that explains what I am talking about more thoroughly in MT magazine, last months issue! :uhyeah:

In a nutshell...it may be a good program, but there are some things that are major red flags. If I were thinking about it, I wouldn't order it without further investigation.

PAUL

 

[Cruentus]

but also put doubt into my mind about how effective Martial Arts really are in self defence situation.

This is good...doubt is the brother of faith. I think that everyone should question there training, and should be all the time asking, "Am I doing what is effective?"

I wrote a fairly sizable article for MT mag last month. Plz excuse my plug, here, but remember I have no financial interest in if you subscribe to the mag. or not. Anyways, get the magazine. It is all about properly categorizing your martial art(s), so that you can adequetly address what is useful for self-defense, and what is not.

PAUL :asian:

 

[Cruentus]

One more thing...

Endorsements by strangers who have no credability (and whom we can't even verify if they are real or not) are meaningless. It is one thing if your endorsed by a well known instructor, it is another if it is by "Richard Jorandby, Juniper, FL." Who the hell is that?

Another warning sign of fraudulent material.

 

[markulous]

I was reading that article and agreed with a lot of his ideas(how well he adapts those ideas I don't know) then I got about half way down and he said this:

You'll learn all this quickly and easily, regardless of your athletic ability... in a way that's fun and exciting to practice. You'll be able to use these techniques the same day as you get the videos!

That right there is a huge red light that this guy is full of it. He's saying "Hey who cares if you weigh 300 lbs and can barely walk, if someone fights you on the street that same day when you go out to buy a cake, you will take him down no problem!"

 

[Gentle Fist]

I was reading that article and agreed with a lot of his ideas(how well he adapts those ideas I don't know) then I got about half way down and he said this:

You'll learn all this quickly and easily, regardless of your athletic ability... in a way that's fun and exciting to practice. You'll be able to use these techniques the same day as you get the videos!

That right there is a huge red light that this guy is full of it. He's saying "Hey who cares if you weigh 300 lbs and can barely walk, if someone fights you on the street that same day when you go out to buy a cake, you will take him down no problem!"

My thought as well... just without the cake reference...:ultracool

 

[8253]

looks like any other self defense site i have seen. just a little bit more lengthy