Recently I had the honor of working on a video shoot for a good friend and “Reality-Based” martial arts hero of mine, Demetrius Barbito, owner of the Center for Self Preservation Training (C.S.P.T.) in California, USA. Demi has produced numerous high quality Martial Arts videos that I have had the privilege of assisting with, so when I got the call to help out on a Counter-Knife video I jumped at the opportunity.
It was in the weeks leading up to this particular shoot that I got to thinking about all of the negative conversations I have had surrounding the training of knife tactics in the realm of martial arts. Occasionally I find myself in a conversation with someone that is absolutely appalled at the idea of training to fight with knives. I am sure you are probably familiar with these people. These are the people that will tell you that you should never pull out a knife in self-defense because “it can be taken away from you and used against you.” Ironically, these are the very same people that will tell you that you can’t disarm an attacker who is armed with a knife because that would be “complete suicide!”
Of course, there is some degree of truth to both of these statements but the problem is that these statements don’t take into account the “training factor”. I don’t care if it’s knife, counter-knife, sticks or empty hands; properly trained tactics, trained regularly, and methodically will increase the odds of survival. And that is what “Reality-Based” training is about. SURVIVAL.
It’s no secret that I don’t particularly care for traditionalism in martial arts. I’m not out to attack any particular art or to tell you that your art is rubbish, but I will say that I have yet to find a traditional art that holds up when a confrontation goes REALLY bad. When faced with extreme violence and multiple armed attackers you cannot take the time to find your inner chi. You have to completely unload on your attackers with everything you have in your arsenal.
Now I realize that there is probably someone, somewhere, that is screaming that they thwarted an attack once using (insert your art here) and they never once feared that their art was going to fail them. But let’s be brutally honest. Either the attacker wasn’t hell-bent on gratuitous violence, or they dropped any thought of form or kata and simply unloaded on their attacker(s) with everything they had. I would tend to believe the latter is most likely the case. For the sake of argument, let us assume that the stars were aligned and somehow you miraculously pulled off a flying roundhouse and immobilized your attacker, was it kata and spiritual harmony? Nope. It was almost definitely muscle memory. A physiological response and a little bit of luck. Not that I don’t believe in luck! On the contrary, I believe that luck works in favor of the prepared. But I don’t believe that it is wise to rely on traditional arts to prepare you for mortal combat.
Now that I have completely angered and alienated a huge demographic within the martial arts community, allow me to try to bring a little bit of harmony back to the community as a whole. Yes, it is true that I do not particularly care for traditional arts, but that does not mean that I do not recognize their inherent values. I have spent nearly 20 years involved in martial arts, almost 15 of which have been entirely rooted in traditional martial arts. Traditional martial arts served as the basis for developing my balance, striking, and kicking skills. And let us not forget that traditionalism teach an individual self discipline, personal development, and a very real sense of self worth. I have said it time and time again, if you are looking for something to help you gain self-confidence or improve flexibility, then traditional martial arts is the direction for you. However, if you are looking for something that will prepare you to face anyone, anytime, under any circumstances, then “Reality-Based” martial arts is the only way to go. It was, after all, “Reality-Based” martial arts which taught me to strip down what I had learned in the dojo and eliminate all but only the most direct and effective methods. This is something that is typically lacking in most traditional schools. Think about it, when was the last time you walked into a Karate studio and witnessed the instructor going one-on-one with his/her students in a full-contact setting? And when was the last time you set foot in a dojo and witnessed two people going at it with rattan sticks and Sharkee training knives? How about pepper-spray? Firearms? I didn’t think so.
Whether you call it Counter-Assault Tactics, Self-Preservation Training, or Jeet Kune Do Concepts, “Reality-Based” martial arts focus on facilitating escape through any means necessary. Believing that you can afford to NOT train with edged, impact, and improvised weapons is not only irresponsible, it’s DANGEROUS. Let us not forget that it is not only our own safety that we must be prepared to defend, but that of our loved ones as well. You must be prepared to enter any and all confrontations as though your attacker has friends and they all have weapons. Anything less than your total commitment to ending a confrontation expeditiously and without regard for your attacker’s wellbeing could very well result in your death or that of a loved one. It’s not my goal to use scare tactics to convince you to change your fighting style, it’s simply a matter of presenting the cold, hard truth and hoping that you will take an honest inventory of your training and abilities, and take the proper steps to rectify any gaps that might exist in your repertoire.
Regardless of where or how you train, the most important element must always be REALITY. Without this, you are just doing kata, and a kata is just another “martial way”. Self-preservation training uses “no way” as a way. You have to have empty hands skills, the ability to fight with sticks and knives as well as firearms and pepper spray. Moreover, you have to train them in a manner that ensures they all work together towards a common goal of self-preservation. When it comes to training, you are either training to preserve your own safety and that of your loved ones, or you are training to preserve tradition. What are you training for?
