Folks,
I am back! If you have been involved in Martial Arts for a reasonable extent of time, then you have probably heard something like this. "Master "X" once fought 5 guys with knives that tried to rob him. All 5 went to the hospital, and he wasn't even scratched." Whenever I hear something like that, my bullcrap-o-meter kicks into over drive, and I am forced to move my pen (or keyboard keys) about it. There are actually people that readily believe this type of story. Or maybe you should check out the ads in Black Belt magazine and have a good chuckle. There are more ads about the "deadliest" styles than there are sugar addicts at a Krispy Kreme.
And what is the final verdict? They are phonies, plain and simple. I actually read an ad that talked about how to kill a person within seconds. About how the moves were so simple that you would never forget them, even if only practicing a few minutes a week. So are we to believe that a legit teacher would put suck info out there so easily, even if any old criminal could read it and learn the same techniques? One of the biggest deterrents of thuggery in martial arts is the fact that it takes a significant amount of time to master.
Or how about the Krav Maga schools all over the country? News flash folks, soldiers are not trained to beat you up. They are trained to kill you. So how watered down is an art, if it was originally created to kill someone, but is now used just to beat you up? That is like taking away someone's 12 gauge shotgun, and giving them a bb gun. How about the certifications that are popping up all over the place? Will they just teach anyone their "secrets?" How do they maintain quality control? How do they decide who gets to learn his stuff? I guess it doesn't matter to them. But I think that it should, if what they claim is legit.
And while I am back on my rant, here is my favorite: How about the ad where the guy claims to have found the fountain of youth. Fountain of youth? No, I am not kidding you. Look in Black Belt magazine and watch your bull crap o meter go off the chart. As far as bologna goes, I am calling Oscar Meyer big time. If this worked, the man would be hailed as some kind of religious icon. He would be put right up there with Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, Vishnu, Allah, and all of the other deities that escape my mind at this moment. But for what I am sure is a pittance relative to the value of the product, this man is going to teach you how to slow the aging process. All I have to say is, as I read through the ads for a good laugh, I am going to need hip boots. Because the BS is piling up like you wouldn't believe..
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