OK, this is really long. I apologize in advance.
1) AVOID CONTRACTS. IMHO the places that make you sign contracts are going to screw you over and get their money whether you like it or not. If you decide this isn’t the
thing for you, they will say: “Too bad, so sad. Pay up.”
2) Avoid fad martial arts. Do some research. Find something that’s actually useful and realistic. Humans have been beating the snot out of each other for thousands of years, so there’s no “totally new, radical, extreme, unstoppable system” out there.
3) Find the right style for you: Many people who are seriously into MAs have tried more than one. This ties into 1 and 2 above. Lots of people beat their chests and proudly proclaim with religious fervor: “My MA is better than your MA”. Well, maybe for them, it is the best thing they’re seen, and more power to them. This is like the 9mm vs .45 debate. You can argue the various merits of one system over another forever, and probably both sides will have valid points. People do MAs for different reasons. I’m guessing that if you are reading this, you are into it for practical, real world application as opposed to competition, health or spiritual reasons. All of those are valid reasons (they need not be
mutually exclusive), but what is YOUR primary reason? The problem is that a lot of what is taught out there is more geared towards the latter three and not the first one. Plus, there
are a lot of “instructors” who just want your money.
3a) About women: I agree with Glamdring. If you are female, finding the right style is especially important, because while men often have enough strength to “power through” and use raw physical strength to make up for sloppy technique, women usually do not. This means that technique is much more important for women than it is for men. This also applies to small men. If you are female, don’t go to “women’s only classes”. Although it
might be intimidating, spar with men, because the odds are pretty good that if you ever have to do this for real, it will be against a man, not another woman.
4) Burnout. It’s great to be enthusiastic, but too much, too fast leads to injury and disinterest. Steady progress can be achieved but comes over time. This leads me to...
5) Have realistic expectations and the proper mindset: It can often be frustrating when you don’t feel like you are progressing fast enough, and you can also fall into the trap of feeling like you are invincible after a few lessons too. If you’re doing this for self defense, understand that nothing is ever 100% effective against 100% of your opponents 100% of the time. In this regard, I think that MA competitions are a good thing. They allow you to test (to a certain degree) a subset of your skills against an unfamiliar and uncooperative opponent. Just like IDPA shooters test their skills at a match, martial artists can test and improve themselves as well. Some people will disagree and say that competitions are
unrealistic and breed bad habits, but I would counter by saying that it is the only realistic alternative. Who is getting better training: someone who only practices their super lethal
kata in front of a mirror, or someone who actually goes toe to toe with another opponent? To use the IDPA analogy: the participants are not getting any return fire, etc, so it’s not
exactly totally realistic, but there aren’t many alternatives unless you want to get really serious and use Simunitions. This leads me to my next suggestion...
6) Be diverse: MAs are great, and shooting is great, but being proficient in both is best. I firmly believe that knowing the strengths and limitations of both is important and while
this might seem like an obvious point, it’s often overlooked by many martial artists who view the two as incompatible. Even if you are not a shooter, don’t own and/or don’t want to own a gun, have a proficient combat shooting instructor take you to the range a few times and demystify guns for you. Who knows, you may end up enjoying it. There are many martial artists out there who have absolutely no familiarity with firearms and that
ignorance combined with an overly inflated opinion of their own capabilities is a potentially lethal combination. The reverse is also true of shooters with no MA experience. Understanding empty hand techniques, OC, blunt weapons, edged weapons and firearms is important if you are truly serious about self defense. Some MA enthusiasts look down on firearms training, which they view as “cowardly”, just as many firearms enthusiasts laugh
at martial artists and say “Hell, I’d just shoot the bastard, like in the movie Indiana Jones”. I think both points of view are misguided. Also along the same lines, be open to ideas
from other MA styles.
7) Regarding street clothes and techniques: I am a big Judo/Jujutsu fan. Clothes, especially winter clothes, are GREAT for Judo techniques. I have had critics say stuff like: “Nobody wears big stupid white gis on the street... blah blah”, and they promptly shut up when I choke them out with their jacket. I have found that this works really well with denim jackets. Wearing any kind of coat or jacket makes many throwing techniques possible,
which is what Judo is most famous for. Of course, when standing on an icy sidewalk pretty much any sudden movement is going to be bad for either party, good thing Judo incorporates ground fighting (always has, even before it became the latest fad). Wearing gloves and mittens does create problems with getting a good grip. The gun in the pocket technique is a valid one (I like hammerless J frames for that reason), but what to do when lethal force is not an option? There are many variables and possible
scenarios, but the bottom line is that I have not found street clothes to be a significant impediment to executing techniques, from either the bad guys perspective or mine. As long as your clothes are comfortable and loose fitting you shouldn’t have too much trouble executing most MA techniques, with the possible exception of high flying kicks of the TKD flavor. I have heard of guys tearing their suit jackets executing Judo style takedowns, but with a little tailoring that could be fixed. Also, in my experience, when it’s -20 outside, the scumbags tend to stay indoors. YMMV.
What about summer attire when the BG is wearing a tshirt or no shirt at all? Unfortunately, I can’t just say “no shirt, no shoes, no service”. Of course, there are plenty of alternatives and it requires a change in tactics. The thing I like about Judo is that it
really is well thought out once you really study it in depth. There are techniques involving the gi and there are ones that require no gi at all. There are Judo kata that were originally designed to be performed in armor, which is really interesting and useful for those of us that utilize modern body armor. The self defense kata in Judo have been criticized as being overly simplistic, but that is what I really like about them. They are deceptively simple, but
effective when you understand them. I like the KISS principle. Lots of people fall for the flashy stuff, but we all know the simpler it is the better you will be able to perform it under stress.
Contrary to popular belief, Judo does incorporate striking techniques, however, many dojos completely ignore that part of the syllabus because they are overly preoccupied with
competition, where striking is forbidden (along with a couple of particularly dangerous throws/takedowns). That is unfortunate, because when it is practiced in totality, it really is a complete martial art, as opposed to a martial sport. What is ironic is that in most of the striking arts, throws, footsweeps and strangling techniques are normally forbidden in tournaments, while in Judo it is the opposite. In contrast to striking arts, Judo competitors
do not wear any protective equipment in competition, not even groin protection (ouch). It can be a little rough, it is an art that definitely does not appeal to the Tai Bo crowd.
This is not to say that there is nothing else to be learned. One of the more interesting things I learned from a mixed martial arts/BJJ guy while trading ground grappling ideas is how to do choking techniques with a tshirt. I suppose those guys know a thing or two after all (even if their takedowns are weak... heh heh... just kidding, you BJJ people... calm down... take deep breaths...in through the nose, out through the mouth...).
Take care.
Semper Fidelis,
Tom
