Teach Methods – Not Style
Teaching a Method of Defence – NOT a Style
“Mastery of a few effective techniques and principles is the best way to ensure success in combat.
“When it comes to the crunch, there is little time to think about what is happening, and certainly no time to mentally dig into a huge collection of poorly understood techniques in the hope of pulling out the one most appropriate! “
Like everyone else exploring self protection requirements I started my training in conventional martial arts in the late 1970’s, believing as most people that martial arts was synonymous with ultimate self defence.
I was excited with the new skills and challenges in karate, and classes often had up to 100 senior students, we didn’t teach children. Sometimes there were more students in one lower belt group than most instructors get in whole class now!
Over the years I gradually realised that the dress, weapon carrying capabilities, and particularly the law, have all changed since the oriental feudal times on which martial arts are based.There has also been some degradation and modification in the skills being taught due to the ’sports’ influence and ‘health and safety’.
In the mid 1990’s I began to meet up at seminars with senior instructors based in martial art ’styles’ who were also involved in nightclub security, personal body guarding and civilian defence activities. In this millenium I have experienced several more who are working with reality and not history. And one or two who are teaching things best left in a military/war environment…
They have shown us both a science and a method not a style to do things , and also an awareness of how much of your martial art is actually usable outside the training area – both from a legal and practical point of view..
We have just re-focused on using these re-revealed sciences teased out by these instructors of different styles who were dissatisfied by the answers they were being given, knowing that the mystery behind the ‘deadly’ skills aligned to martial arts must have some grounding.
This gives now gives us a very usable self-protection system for today’s world!
Consequently – many modern ‘martial art training strategies’ have been THROWN OUT as we move into a 21st century personal unarmed self protection role.
Offensive attackers, many carrying hidden, illegal weapons are really difficult to deal with both physically and psychologically, and there is absolutely NO place for some of the rubbish that is put to the general public in some training arenas just to take their money!
We still maintain a strong ‘martial’ framework to hang the discipline, training and insurance on, but the techniques based on principles are hardened up as the grades are passed to get repeatable, immediate results that most people can personally adapt to deliver. It can be made controllable or cruel!
Once people have become comfortable with the concepts and principles we work on scenarios where people are moving and interacting dynamically – not posing in fresh air or beating up on bits of static wood.
As much as physical prowess is to be admired – the mindset has to be right in that fight or flight moment – because frankly, unless you are a psychopath, you’ll be scared *|!tless!
Occasionally we expose students to the fire up, fear and adrenaline pump in an environment where there is a lot of vocal abuse, no padding, no stopping – and no referee but somehow still within the protection of an ordered environment so we can all go to work next day!
Our best winning technique?
Awareness and avoidance of the bad places and situations.
Malcolm Keith
Chief Instructor
Youshiki Goshinjutsu
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