How to find quality self-defense instruction?

[Sawamura Wannabe]

I apologize in advance for this excrutiatingly long and monotonous post.

 

Ever since I was a little kid, I have always had a very intense interest in the martial arts. Unfortunately, I was never allowed to take them. Even when I moved out and finally had the freedom to do as I wished, I still could not pursue this great interest of mine because I couldn't afford it.

 

But I suppose some good came of this poor hand I was dealt in life, as I eventually learned that Martial Arts were not all they were made out to be. Now before you all start flaming me, understand what I'm saying.

 

I'm not saying all martial arts are bad, but I think that in North America at least, they way they are taught is very poor. For example, I would imagine that in Asia, you could receive very high-quality instruction in a great number of styles and become a highly effective fighter. But thanks to the obscene ignorance and lack of respect towards martial arts in North America, if you try to learn to fight in a typical Tae Kwon Do or Karate dojo, you are likely to become a worse and more unskilled fighter than you could ever imagine.

 

Case in point, I once saw a Black Belt in Karate reduced to tears after one punch. I also once knew a guy who beat the * out of two drunken guys, but broke his leg in the process. If I weren't so accustomed to such stupidity, I would be appalled that even a single dojo exists that can promote you to black belt without teaching you a goddamn thing. Or that there are instructors out there that teach you to break your * leg when you kick someone.

 

And I don't mean to generalize all North American Dojo as poor, fradulent, and inept, but it's my opinion and the opinion of many fighters that as unfortunate as it is, it's the case for about 95% of all Dojo here. But as bleak as my situation is in regard to studying the martial arts, I am holding on to the hope that I will someday find and be able to afford quality MA instruction. But while I have done a lot of research, I am by no means whatsoever an expert. I am still very much a novice to all of this.

 

I don't know a whole lot about how to distinguish a McDojo from a real one. I know enough to avoid any school that does any tournament-related competition, requires you to sign any contracts, or charges high belt fees/promotes you just to get money and not to teach. I would also like to avoid Dojo that have any belt ranking at all as a fighter should be judged by his skill, and not by the colour of socks he wears. It's absurd to think otherwise. But I won't entirely rule out belt-ranking because it's so common. Is there anything else I should know?

 

I don't know if anyone here is familiar with the area I live in, but in case anyone here is, and knowing will help them help me, I live in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. I don't know when I'll even be able to afford instruction, but I'm hoping to know where to go by the time I can. I am considering

 

http://www.russiansystema.com

 

And Krav Maga classes at Leo Wong's Tae Kwon Do Institute. I tend not to trust TKD schools, let alone Leo Wong's so called "Institute" (I suppose I'm being harsh, but I just don't trust the place.) but maybe the KM instructor is trustworthy and just rents the space or something.

 

As for Systema, it sounds really good, in fact, if it's everything it claims to be, this is exactly what I'm looking for. I'd even say it was made just for me. But that's also one of it's problems. Something that's too good to be true usually is. Also, I find the history suspicious. I mean, it sounds good like I said, but it's also just as possible that it's all a load of * some fat Russian guys made up to scam ignorant people like me. Also, if what I read about Sambo is true, which is that it was originally created during WWII because Russian soldiers were having such a hard time with the Japanese, why couldn't they just use Systema? If it's been "declassified" since the '80s, why have I never heard of it until yesterday?

 

Also, I saw some demonstration videos and wasn't all that impressed. Although they'd need to be unimpressive for the average person to understand and be able to observe what's going on, but still... (http://www.systema-chicago.com)

 

Krav Maga is also right up my alley, but some schools/instructors are too McDojo-like for my liking. And of course, I'm open to just about anything as long as it teaches me to fight effectively. So yeah, long story short, I want real fighting/self-defense instruction, not fradulent, sporty instruction. Any help you can provide me with will be appreciated. Thank you.

[Gumbi]

I guess I'll bite:

 

First off, the reason why many martial arts schools suck in the US is because everyone wants everything NOW. Why go to one Tae Kwon Do school that takes 2 years to get a black belt when I can go to another and get the same belt in half the time? For every person out there willing to sell you a cheap black belt, there are 10 others who are willing to sell it to you cheaper and faster.

 

As far as picking a school- I'd make sure that there is some type of active full contact sparring involved, and there is nothing wrong with tournaments. Boxers, kickboxers, and wrestlers compete in tournaments all the time.

 

My personal favorites for fighting are Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling, Boxing, Muay Thai, Sambo, and Judo. All of these styles have training regiments in which you attempt the techniques against a fully resisting opponent, just like you'll find in the real world.

[Sawamura Wannabe]

Thank you.

 

And I didn't mean to say all tournaments are bad, but one of my concerns is enrolling in a school that only or mostly teaches things for competition as opposed to techniques that can be applied effectively in real life. TKD seems to do this a lot.

 

I just don't want to waste my time and money to win glory for someone's business, I just want to learn to fight. Plain and simple.

[Thuggish]

yea, i know where youre coming from. the list gumbi has is perfect- pick a striking and grappling from there and youll learn how to fight. (most bjj schools teach atleast some mt- the gracies affilieated ones seem to always do so) and they wont waste your time with fancy useless crap, * forms, or any of that other nonsense.

[John G]

Sawamura Wannabe

 

If you wish to learn how to effectively destroy / kill someone who threatens you life join the army. It won’t cost you anything, and will open your eyes to what is real, and not just the syco-babble romantic crap one gets from watching Bruce Lee and Matrix re-runs.

 

Find someone who has been there and done it, and if your lucky they will tell you to go away and think why you truly want to learn how to kill / destroy someone. Fully understand the consequences of your actions.

 

Anything else is just a dream.

[Thuggish]

the army does cost you something- many years of your life. they also teach you mostly weaponry... because wars are fought with guns.

[White Warlock]

Not all militaries are the same, but yes... the vast majority do not provide even a modicum of unarmed training. Even the special units provide mere samplings. Those military personnel who are proficient in some form of unarmed combat either entered into the military 'with' that training, or studied at a publically accessible school while in the military.

[Lupin3]

This is a good post, Sawamura. I too am looking for a school whose credentials can meet my criteria, and its not easy. Why would someone want to waste several years of their life learning an ineffective martial art? Or anything else ineffective?

 

Still, I think it may not be totally fair to characterize any school whose art ends in *do as a McDojo. Also, where do you think most the experienced Shaolin masters are teaching? China? Not since the communists and the Manchurians before them tried to exterminate them all. Many fled to Honk Kong, and from Hong Kong to the US. There are many excellent, world class schools in the US, but picking them out can be quite difficult for the less experienced. And even McDojos can sometimes have excellent instructors, even if they are sullied somewhat by greedy or overly ambitious owners.

 

As to Systema, don't believe everything you read. It was created out of Stalin's anticipation with a war against the Japanese, a war that never really came. Midway through WW2, the Japanese invaded a part of asia that bordered with and was essentially controlled by, the USSR. Moscow responded by launching the most effective blitzkrieg-like attack of the war, eliminating the Japanese capability and intention of challenging Russia for the remainder of the war. The Russian army did this not with hand to hand combat, but with tanks.

 

Also, one might wonder why the creator of Systema studied so intently the Asian martial arts. What would you really be learning?

[Vito]

Gumbi has a good list

[lyrikalgeenus]

Not be rude or anything dude...I would just like to know why a dojo that is on the tournament scene would be a bad thing...i'm at tournaments just about twice a month and what I have learned from them is incredible..dont down them until you have expirenced them first hand....no pun intended