shakran

Let's agree to disagree Although now that i think about it you really are saying about the same thing I'm saying. True mastery does transcend styles - it's just that IMO it's easier to get there if you take multiple styles rather than spending a decade or so locked in to doing only one style without realizing that sometimes whatever your style teaches might not be the best response. As an example if someone's swinging a knife at you, the standard knife disarm taught by the various American Tae Kwon Do schools will not be nearly as effective as a counter taught by a good kali school. On the other hand, a Muay Thai-style elbow destruction might be more effective at warding off a punch than something you learned in the Kali school. It's all about getting a versatile tool box.



Don't get me wrong. I think what you do is great - it's the same thing we do, and I'm sure it has the same effect of scaring the everlovin' crap out of the poor victim. However, the victim, on the rare occasions that he maintains enough presence of mind to fight back, never has to deal with a blade - at least, not a real one. That element of the actual street fight can't be included in the simulation. We've tried all sorts of crap, from using magic markers as knives (so you know where you were "cut") to using felt-lined sharkys with lipstick smeared on them (easier on the clothing). . . It's nice and sobering at the end of the simulation when the victim, who thinks he did OK against the knife, notices all the blood-red lipstick all over him from the 10 or so "cuts" he got. But even with all that, it's not 100% accurate.

I agree - in THIS case he was in the thick of battle, he's not real experienced, and he went with the wrong choice, but I'm not faulting him for that. Actually I was more troubled by his later statement: "On a side note, if it were ONE guy, I definitely taken him on, and possibly won. I’m 6’ 2” and a 230 pound weight lifter with 4 months of Jiu Jitsu practice, going at least 6 times a week (and as often as 9)."


Even ignoring the fact that he, very erroneously, thinks 4 months of martial arts class makes him ready for any kind of real fight, I think that statement shows that there's a very big lesson he should have learned from this fight that went right over his head. And that means the next time he gets into a similar situation he might just decide to go after the attacker instead of taking an available escape opportunity. I absolutely did get harsh with him on that - and if you think that was harsh, I get a lot more intense with my own students when they spout off crap like that. We're not talking about a typical male pissing contest down at the local bar to see who has the most testosterone, we're talking life and death here. The sooner you hammer in the hard facts about this, the more likely it is that he'll internalize it before he goes and gets himself seriously hurt by having the wrong attitude.


I really think you and I are saying pretty close to the same thing on this