Many people believe that the martial art they are learning is enough to learn fighting and self defense, yet the truth is most martial arts don’t work the way they are trained. In this Martial Arts Journey video I will be sharing my own story and observations derived from it, why many people say that martial arts don’t work and why on a big level – it is true.
The world is full of various martial arts. While their techniques and heritage may be different, they are all connected by the word “Martial”, meaning – relating to fighting and war. While there are various reasons a person may start martial arts for, most people start it wanting to learn how to protect themselves, yet too often they are promised something that they never really learn, even after years of training.
Hi, my name is Rokas, and in this Martial Arts Journey video, I will share my story, how I learned that various Martial Arts don’t work the hard way.
My first Aikido instructor mixed his classes with some Kyokushin basics and traditions, such as push-ups, endurance training, punching the bag and more. He also often spoke about street fighting, yet he never really gave advice how to act in an actual situation of self defense. The training was also very much technique focused and there were no live sparring or pressure testing during it. We were promised that by learning the techniques until perfecting them, that when the time will come, they will kick into action.
Despite this promise, all the time while training, I had doubts about my ability to defend myself, yet believing in my instructors promise, I decided that I needed to train more of the same. I started training not only with teenagers, but with adults too, around 7 times per week of regular classes. I was also often doing extra training with my friends. To boost my confidence, I asked them to punch harder and resist more, while I did my techniques, yet even when there was more resistance, it was still cooperative training, as my partners were throwing specific attacks and their resistance consisted only of stiffening up to not allow a specific technique, rather offering live resistance which would teach me to adapt.
Whether a martial art works or not does depend on what you want it to work for. It may be a great tool for personal development, or a means fitness and education, yet the word “Martial” in it’s description implies – that it Should develop effective skills meant for fighting, at least as a component. Unfortunately, most martial arts never expose themselves to enough pressure testing and alive drilling to witness the flaws behind some of it’s ideas of how it should work and why for someone it did not work. Many of them simply keep on polishing their techniques with compliant partners and hopes, that one day it will apply under live circumstances and may spend years doing so. Also, too often martial arts schools fail to address the difference between martial arts and self defense, and to teach effective strategies to deal with conflict, instead of indirectly encouraging students to expect to defend themselves physically in all situations. Of course, different martial arts have this issue on different levels, based on how it is trained. Judo and some styles of Karate, for example, do offer much more pressure testing than many other martial arts such as kung-fu or ninjutsu. Also, some schools do have seperate classes for their martial art and actual self defense. Yet this consideration of what the martial art promises, and whether does it really deliver it – is very important for all practices. While sharing my personal story, I hope it did help shed some understanding of what is implied the next time you will hear someone saying that Martial Arts don’t work.
What do you think about various martial arts failing to deliver their promise? Did you experience something similar? Let me know in the comments. If you liked the video, make sure to share it with your friends. If you want more videos like this one, subscribe to the Martial Arts Journey channel.
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To make such a huge notion as "Martial arts" don't work, you have to back that up with extreme research, not just experience and stories. Martial arts isn't perfect, and anyone that tells you that what you do in class is what you do in the outside world, is incorrect. But that doesn't mean they don't work, there are dozens of reasons why it does and why it doesn't. There is an old and extensive debate between the "art" and the "combat" and there is an author, Donn F. Draeger, who is prolific and conducts a great deal of research on his topics and constantly discusses that difference.
This should have been obvious after the first UFC fight
You're an idiot,
Martial art works ?% on streets
No need for martial arts. Get a phone, run, call the cops, and sue.
Running isn't always an option. Also you need to remember one thing there are bad martial arts schools which are only bothered about making money. A good martial arts school will breakdown there martial arts the difference life aspects of there school ie traditional, sports, street fighting, self-defense, legalities, moralities, some even will have diet plan, fitness and nutrition studies, in theory and practical work. I am sorry it sounds like they saw you coming, just took your money and ran. For me I have had good schools and good experiences Retford, UK, Tae Kwon Do (Black belt) , Cobra Kai Karate (White belt which is equivalent to the common black belt ranking) , I am also a freestyle fighter (in other words self taught) in kick boxing, Judo and Shonen Tiger Karate. I was never interested in sports or tournaments even though I was offered multiple times to enter I was more interested in the technics, traditions and self-defense.
its like learning a language, but you only learn the words and the teacher tells you once somebody talks to you it will all come to you and make sense despite you never having made a sentence or learned any grammar.
Sounds like you just had a black belt factory for an Akido teacher.
MMA is better with aikido while you are bending their arms they will puch your skull in
I some what agree with you. I’ve trained in multiple martial arts in the past. It was till my friends from other dojos and I started sparring and trading techniques in our backyards. After that I started to realize it’s not the structure of the technique that helps in actual situations but your own flexibility in using that technique. Once I was able to get to that I was able to feel more comfortable in a fight without panicking.
Before I went into pro wrestling, I learned Tae kwon do, Ju Jitsu and a few years of kung fu (mostly wing chun).
I quickly found that when I combined all of what worked for me with the wrestling training (especially how to take a slam), I was able to not only be able to defend myself i n a fight BUT to not be afraid and freeze up in a fight.
In the end, I learned that it's all about what works for you. There is no magic formula.
No confidence is his failure. You have to have the image of you fight imprinted in your mind to achieve it thinking of a defensive plan probably wont work you need a attack plan even in a defensive situation, how can you achieve it if you don't believe it. Most bullies are proactive they believe they can hurt you and most bullied people have the flight not fight thought process automatically inbuilt. The mind and matter have to work in harmony. You obviously didn't listen to mr Miagi in Karate Kid.
I love your series because it demonstrates that even an experienced martial artist may be ineffective in a street confrontation. I studied Tae Kwon Do to the Black belt level, but never felt confident in my ability to defend myself.The reason being that I had trained against compliant opponents that went along with the techniques I was trying. But when I fought against boxers I realized my style had not been pressure tested. A case in point was the miserable showing of the sports Karate students against boxers in the seventies.Therefore I developed a system that was effective against anyone because I had pressure tested the techniques and became aware of what worked and what didn't. I developed a system that was composed of the best techniques from boxing, Karate and Ju-Jutsu and found it to be effective against boxers, as well as people who had trained in Asian martial arts. Though it never received recognition outside my circle of friends, it was actually a forerunner of MMA. It encouraged my belief that martial arts should be made up of techniques that are effective. Current martial arts studios give you instruction in how to do blood curtailing yells, and an introduction to Asian culture. Many Asian arts have questionable self defense value. Which is a pity since most people who sign up for martial classes do so for self defense not to learn about what some ancient master could do. Or to be told they simply needed more practice. I challenge you to allow me to teach your viewers how to turn their sports techniques into street valuable self defense. because the techniques are the same they just have to learn how to guage distance, throw techniques in combination and how hurt a stubborn attacker.
Fighting is like anything else. The more you do it the better you get. When that panic mode sets in go for the basics
In all my years in martial arts I learned that having a passion and or talent for it cuz u love it to death makes a great warrior in real fighting situations. My sensei always wanted to spar with me even as a white belt cuz as soon as I started he noticed I could copy what I loved and also grew up rough and violent. So he chose me most of the time and neither of us held back or pulled any kicks or punches , he was surprised that i was able to hurt him , but of course he always got the better of me , also not bad for a white belt.
Jiu-jitsu in my opinion, doesn't work well in street fight, in the other hand probably it work if you have a single attacker, but if a attacker have a bladed weapon and knows how to use the knife or any blades,, and much worse if you have multiple opponents, or attackers? That is the problem, I think jiu-jitsu only works in octagon in the UFC.
You should’ve beat them up because they will no your not a punk and know how to fight so they will not try you
Yup, went through a pretty similar story, 7 years of those BS martial arts, occasionally I was reminded of how innefective it was. I would have to defend myself from times to times and my body always told me I have no chance.
I then started training Kickboxing with a guy at this martial arts school I used to learn jiu jitsu. Soon, I was already so physically superior that I couldn't take the training serious. Don't get me wrong, the average Joe was still stronger than me.
Then I moved on to a real Kickboxing school where I was exposed to the strongly developed fear of getting punched for about 6 months.
I also started weight lifting and as I gained weight, I gained confidence.
After 1 year of kickboxing, I quit due to moving for college. Half a year later, I signed up to the local boxing gym where I have been ever since. The fear of getting hit is now finally shed above average.
those aikido classes look like rag doll physics simulations
1. You use akido first…. 2. You think fighting 5 people standing still is ok 3. Nobody throws one punch it’s muiltple. 4. You trying 4 different martial arts and don’t have a base. 5. You think having a plan makes it happen that’s why people call boxing chess it’s muiltple moves .and 6 it’s you you not a fighter big fella
This is why Bruce lee said I rather throw one kick 1000 times instead 1000 kicks 1 time
no, your wrong…
I used my karate moves in a street fight… I promise…
I beaten 3 thugs using my karate techniques… the reason why I beat them because they triggered me…
they insulted me since I was a weak skinny stupid dumb kid…
until I became a martial arts nerd but I'm not a badass…
I kept on ignoring them until I remembered that I'm a martial artist… and I tested all my techniques and I didn't realize that my brain is not the one who controls my body… its my muscle… and I think thats my muscle memory….
thats my opinion about this video…
Like Bruce Lee said…
"empty your mind, be flawless, shapeless, Like WATER, because if you'll put a water in to a cup? it becomes a cup, and if you put a water in a jar it becomes a jar, and if you'll put it in to a teapot? it becomes a teapot… so if it will flow, drain, or splash, its still shapeless, so be like a water my friend. "
btw bruce lee is my inspiration…
he is the main reason why I'm now a Martial arts nerd…
I Love this Video… it reminds me that Martial arts dont work every time… so I subbed…
BJJ, Mui Thai, Kick boxing and Karate are real world fighting styles.
Low experience.
Where was your risk of beeing mugged when you spent your whole love in the gym
Try your bjj shit against Krav Maga or prision techniques.
Im going to add a disclaimer to your description. Ninjutsu is a mindset, not a form of combatives.
The Art of Perseverance is a school of thought wherein you used any and every advantage at your disposal to ensure your survival.
One word Dick
regardless of what martial art ya did, the best way to improve is going to tournaments. cause just like in the streets, the other guy wants to win as much as you.
instinct and the will to live plus not wishing to fight until absolutely necessary is the key
Not every martial artist is like that
Sparring is important. I do d wing chin for 3yrs. It didn’t lend itself well to sparring and I always wondered if it would come naturally if I was attacked. I never did find out. I also later on trained Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for 3 years (Gi & nogi). This does lend itself to sparring very well. And, I have got into a couple of situations where I needed to defend myself. It did come naturally and I defended myself successfully very quickly on both occasions. But the interesting thing is that i didn’t strike the assailants on either occasion even though it would have been even more effective and impactful on both occasions. With hindsight that was a positive as I avoided police charges. Both instances were self defence but the one instance the assailant tried to claim I attacked him and tried to press charges.
Fuck aikido! BJJ and Kickboxing work in a real situation. There is no sparring on Aikido! There is no Fight against multiple opponents. How can you be prepared for the real deal??