Blog
Tongue in Cheek
I was talking to my one of my colleagues the other day about the time I had him in a guillotine choke recently and he said he can still feel his face feeling a little numb to one side. I asked why did he not tap out and he said, ‘you had both my arms trapped’. I then asked why he did not say something, he said, ‘I tried, but I was choking.’ This is what goes on in my world, I am an expirementer, not a collector of techniques.
Martial Artists don’t usually have the experience but rely on theory when teaching self defence. The information is passed onto them by people who claim to have the experience but this cannot always be verified. When experimenting with or teaching self defence in class, the Instructor usually relies on their students in a clasroom environment which can give misleading results because of missing factors present in a real and hostile situation. Realistically, we are not going to go out there to see if things work but Instructors need to be cautious when offering solutions. My colleague, being very fit and strong, who was a riot squad officer, was not going to comply nor look bad in front of his mates so that made the situation more challenging and realistic. Mr John Will made a point of this when he was training Afghan soldiers; he realised how different they responded to his moves to that of a normal martial artist.
Self Defence training has to be tailor made for the person, occupation and environment. Training for the Afghanistan soldier is going to be different to that of a young female who works late at night. Training a night club security guard is going to be different to that of a person who lives in a troubled area or country where guns and knives are prevalent. So the subject can get quite complex in the ordinary martial arts school.
Reality Based Self Defence are best taught by those 'who have been there, done that'. Time and time again, the experts say, 'on what life experience do you base your information on'. But there are good Instructors (without that real life experience) who can still pass on these skills if they have been fully trained up by the experts. However, they should do so with ‘tongue in cheek’ and not intentionally mislead people in believing the solutions are simple.
GA
You’ve Got to be Kidding!
Conversation had come up the other day can it be possible to get a Black Belt in Karate in just 6 months – you've got to be kidding, however, the answer is 'yes' if you train full time and really hard for a minimum of 6 hours per day. If you scale that down to part time training (say 3 times a week) you could probably expect Black, 3 to 4 years. If only twice a week, you could be looking at 4 to 5 years. Some systems award Black Belts just on 2 years because of smaller content in their curriculum. Ordinarily, you wouldn’t want a Black Belt in 6 months because if it came that easy it wouldn't be worth much.
We’ve talked about a Black Belt being within anyone’s reach based on the minimum hours of training and conscientiousness, which always stands. What any Instructor wants their students not to think are, they are handed out; they wouldn’t be worth much if that happens. The grading system is a step by step process like a climbing a ladder one step at a time which is easier than 3 or 4 steps at a time. Most martial arts systems use the coloured belt system in which ranks are readily identifiable within each school. It’s great to advance to the next belt but what counts most is what you do when you get that belt.
At gradings I take into account the attendance records, information by our scoring panel and the actual performance on the day. The students who are consistently dedicated and attentive usually have already passed before walking in the door and are least likely to be looked at.
Twenty years times from now you want to be able to say you have been training 20 years! The truth is many people have not done much in 20 years. It’s not how many years you have done but what have you done in those years. To quote Shihan Richard Norton, “Have you trained one year 30 times or have you trained for 30 years”. Meaning have you only learnt one year’s material and not progressed because of just doing the same old stuff, year after year? Each year should be about increasing your knowledge and skills and continually challenging yourself.
White Belt is the best rank when it comes to learning. So when you’re a Black Belt you must start thinking like a White Belt again.
GA
Alzheimer’s Disease Breakthrough
Now there is a cure, take up BJJ, and I’m not kidding when I say this. The medical profession claims the best possible chance to prevent this disease is to nourish the brain by mental exercise and maintain a well balanced diet. This disease is degenerative, incurable and terminal which may occur due to environmental or genetic factors. If it is going to happen it will occur in the later 
years of adulthood and, in most cases, when the brain no longer has challenges or makes important decisions which are prevalent when one retires and becomes mentally inactive. The symptoms include confusion, irritability and aggression, mood swings, language breakdown and long-term memory loss, and it only gets worse.
Most of us are familiar with this disease because it affects 1 in 25 over the age of 60 so it is not new to anyone. BJJ might just be the remedy because of its complexity challenging the mind like a game of chess which is just what the brain needs. It’s like a big jigsaw or crossword puzzle where you have to engage brain into gear. Any mental stimulation is going to keep the brain ‘alive’. BJJ is great for that which requires the head to constantly recite information.
Don’t forget (pardon the pun) to tell your parents and grandparents about the good news. There is a 70 year old who has a purple belt in BJJ and he travels 4 hours a day, to and from the gym, using public transport, so no excuse for anyone claiming 'not enough time'. There are plenty of other martial arts which might do the job if BJJ is not your cup of tea. For the fainthearted, there is Chess, or Crosswords, but I believe training both the mind and body to be more effective. Food for thought, anyway!
GA