reality based self defense

well lets just say he calls what he does "krav jitsu"

no that is not him, he looks way to legit.

the guy i am speaking of lives near the east coast and is part of one of the "christian martial arts" networks. basically you send them your money and they send you a certificate and a newsletter awarding you rank. they do all that based on what you TELL them you can do. then you by their dvd's and send them a video of yourself doing whats on the vid. i got sucked into one of those traps a several years ago and spent a chunk of change.

my buddy has been working with this guy for a couple of years now. the dvd's he recently received were not even instruction from the "head" of the association. i refrain from mentioning the guy's name simply b/c i try not to put people on blast like that.

if you want to know his name i can pm it to you.

learning from videos is fine if you can grasp the concepts, but as said a million times, nothing beats being in a gym or school and actually practicing.

if you are looking for reality based content, look to tony blauer's S.P.E.A.R system or the dog brothers.

krav jitsu is a label that salesmen use to sell their "style", dvd's, certificates, patches, tshirts, and seminars.

most complete dvd sets are usually costly. century martial arts used to have clearance dvd's that have good content for about 10 bucks each. they are not complete sets though. i spent less than 30 dollars (with a gift certificate) on kenneth funakoshi's shotokan set. it was great supplement to my training.

if you are going to college soon check for clubs or classes. i lived near appalachian state for a while and ran across a great judo club that was only around 20 bucks a month. and it was conveniently on campus.

if i my ask....what exactly (or with whom) do you have your brown belt with? be careful who you associate with in the "christian martial arts" circles. they are known for handing out rank with no regard for what you actually know. if you were studying with someone legit with ties to okinawa then you are lucky. i know first hand that most of the christian martial arts people make it up as they go.

as far as college clubs go. they are usually listed around campus on flyers or school newsletters. your best bet would be to ask around with the wrestling team (if they have one) or ask the phys ed coaches or professors. what school is it?

not knocking your sensei at all, he seems to be a very qualified instructor. thank your stars for that. however, i disagree with the idea of mixing christianity and martial arts. most christians dont understand the value of training and consider it barbaric. i went that route before at the church i was attending at the time. it was an epic failure, not only was there very little interest, i had a lot of opposition from deacons and such.

as far as reality based self defense goes, you have a solid base in your traditional knowledge. i find techniques and concepts from my shotokan days transfer in some way or another. the gracie defense package is expensive and in my opinion somewhat incomplete as it relates to the full spectrum personal protection. i would recommend the SPEAR system or some other complete program. if you have law enforcement or military friends ask them what their training consist of. that would be helpful in making a decision on what you spend time working on. the main goal is to use common sense and keep it simple.

i just have been around people, especially in the church i was in, that thought i was looking to turn the few that were interested in to bullies. no matter how hard i tried to explain the benefits, they just wouldnt hear it. i had a few tell me straight up that i was doing WRONG by teaching people how to fight.

i have found with a lot of people in this area have a hard time with learning to defend yourself when jesus said to turn the other cheek. it just turned into a big mess involving doctrine and the simple fact that i was instructing "punchin' and kickin' in god's house". the church was southern baptist and the pastor was very supportive but there was too much conflict in it for me to continue.

after that experience i just felt like:

1) teaching a christian martial art is complex paradox. fighting and jesus just dont mix in my opinion.

2) the general public, in this area atleast, have absolutley no interest in learning to defend themselves. martial arts classes are a babysitting service for most people.

3) people, even in the martial arts community, dont understand reality. most folks hope that if something pops off at the atm the police will swoop in and save the day. it just doesnt work that way.

dont get me wrong...... good moral values can be taught in the midst of punching and kicking. some people are even successful at using their knowledge and talent to share their religious beliefs. i for one just feel like it should be separate as they tend to get in the way of each other.

@bulleteater

this is exactly the thing i was talking about. these guys pass out rank like candy at halloween. all you really have to do is sign up and pay a membership fee. two weeks later you get a great big nice certificate to hang on your wall. i got sucked in to that several years ago thinking they really had something to offer.

after the church incident i dropped the whole "christian association" thing. i got with some military and law enforcement buddies and dove head first into real training.

most of the association groups are just marketing and money makers anyway. its a fraternity of people that decide who they like and dont like based only on what you tell them. i could join up and tell them i was a grandmaster in kill-u-qwik kwan fu and they would legitimize it with a piece of paper.

case in point.........

http://southardcombatsystem.com/about/

i know first hand that he is one of those guys that is all smoke and mirrors. he makes it up as he goes. just look at his "credentials"......

9th dan in some imaginary art
8th dan in the same thing with a different name
8th dan in lets pretend
7th dan in whatever i want it to be

all phoney certifications from his friends and colleagues.

i will admit to trying that sales pitch "look at what i can do" about five or so years ago. then i woke up and realized that the proof should be in the pudding. for many years i chased belts and ranks like a dog chases cars. when i hit a point where my instructor refused to teach me anything after my black belt, i shunned the whole system. belts are bullshit. i know of many people without "grandmaster" status that could beat the brakes off of a great majority of these fronters.