Putting Other Martial Artists Down

[Bill Mattocks]

What is this a reaction to? In general, I think this forum errs on the side of indulging posters with questionable skills. Did something happen that bothers you?

I saw a thread calling out some video by some martial artist. I went and looked at it, and my first reaction was negative regarding the person's skills. Then I stopped and thought about my reaction and what it really said about me. So I did not post on the thread. I started this one instead. I realize my own guilt in this area; mea culpa. I thought I'd share that and make a public statement about my intent to try to do better.

 

[JowGaWolf]

We've all seen some 'questionable' MA skills in person, at seminars, on videos, and in books. I think everyone understands that some people are not what they represent themselves to be.

I don't think that calling them out for ridicule is a good way to go, though. In the cases where I might have done so myself, I'm sorry. I was wrong if I did that.

Tearing down someone else doesn't say much good about me or my skills. My gaze should be inward, my notice of flaws should be those I have, not those others have.

Most of us are simply doing our best here. Some of us are better than others. And yes, there are frauds and scam artists. They will reap what they sow, and do not need my help to do so.

2 cents for today.

There is nothing wrong with pointing out where someone has flaws in martial arts. That's what the teacher does to the student when teaching forms. The teacher constantly points out what you are doing wrong and then makes you do it over until you get it correct or "correct enough."

I don't have have trouble with calling people out. In my eyes, it's not so much about doing it, as it is about how it's done. To me it's like reading a lie or reading incorrect information that no one ever corrects because everyone feels that there is a highroad in not saying anything. I don't look at criminal and say that I shouldn't feel what I feel and that I should look at my own flaws instead of pointing out the criminal's flaws. I'm not the one who made the error of doing the crime.

If I see someone who does a martial arts technique wrong, then I see no problem with pointing it out. At the very least is shows in my ability to recognize when something isn't right. Will I get things wrong from time to time? Of course, but that shouldn't stop me from pointing out when I think or know something is wrong.

We are literally seeing this willingness not to correct or speak out in today's politics and we can see how that willingness to not speak up is turning out. If it's wrong then say so. If you think it's wrong then say so. Either way it'll create a good discussion about how you are correct (or incorrect) and why.

Sometimes the truth may seem like a put down but it isn't. It's just that the truth sucks sometimes. Sometimes someone seems like they are putting down another person, but it's really not a put down. It's just how that person feels. It's their perspective.

I saw a thread calling out some video by some martial artist. I went and looked at it, and my first reaction was negative regarding the person's skills. Then I stopped and thought about my reaction and what it really said about me.

Your first reaction was negative about the person's skills. Not sure why you think you should hide your negative reaction about someone's skills. You can still talk about that person's skills without putting them down. You can still point out their flaws without putting them down.

A flaw is a flaw regardless if it is ours or not. The only time you should let another person's flaw cause you to reflect on your own, is when you have a similar flaw. Ask yourself, do you look at the crimes of a rapists or murder and think. hmmmm. I should think of my own flaws and not point out theirs. Do you look at your politics in that same light? When you see someone doing something wrong do you try to bring attention to it? Or do you stay silent, ignore what that person is doing and only think about your flaws?

The only time martial arts put downs are really put downs is when it gets personal. Everything else is just a perception. Some will see comments as putdowns and others won't. If you put yourself out there on video then expect the feedback, both good and bad. For example: I put this out there knowing that some people would think that this is stupid and that it doesn't help. I don't care because I know it helps, I've seen first hand how it helps. I welcome any negative comment about it. The only time it becomes a put down when it becomes about me and not the techniques. Once I start getting. "Dude you are stupid," "you are a F-ing idiot," "you don't know what you are doing," then it becomes personal. Comments like this aren't about my techniques, it's about me. It's not about what I'm doing, it's about me.

Don't hide what you feel. Especially if you still feel that way about what you see after self-reflecting. If it's a personal attack then you can keep it to yourself. If it's an observation then share it. What you see may open the eyes of others or help them to see things in a different light or perspective. Saying what see may also be a learning experience for you where someone can respond and give you a perspective that you may not have thought about.

 

[Tez3]

If I see someone who does a martial arts technique wrong, then I see no problem with pointing it out.

The problem there though is you may be criticising the way they do something yet that is how their style does it. Take something very simple like a rising (Jodan Uke) block, in Wado Ryu we do it one way, in Tang Soo do and TKD they do it another way. You can't call any of them out because that's how they teach it, it's the same with quite a lot of techniques. How you think it should be done doesn't mean they are wrong for doing it another way. There's plenty of discussion on how to do kicks for example, do you hit with the instep, ball of foot, top of foot, shin etc. A lot of arguments happen because a video or even a description of a technique is not understand properly and there's cries of 'that won't work', when it often will. I won't post up descriptions of techniques because I'm pants at it, I find it so hard to describe how to do something, I can teach and correct it easily but I can't write how to do it properly.

 

[CB Jones]

I have a different outlook.

That MA is a professional YouTube personality. He is making money from those videos and his fame. He is not an individual just sharing videos of himself. He is seeking fame and fortune through his social media platforms.

He has put himself into the arena of being a public figure which leads to both positive and negative comments about him during discussions.....just like any other celebrity whether they be an actor, athlete, fighter, politician, etc... that just comes with fame.

Fact is negativity also benefits him because it drives more hits and views to his social media platforms....which in turn generates more revenue.

No need in feeling guilty about doing exactly what he wants you to do.....give him more exposure.

 

[JowGaWolf]

The problem there though is you may be criticising the way they do something yet that is how their style does it.

This isn't a problem. If I'm criticizing something that is the way they do something in that style, then I can be corrected. Someone correcting me means that I learn and others learn because I stated what I saw and understood.

Take something very simple like a rising (Jodan Uke) block, in Wado Ryu we do it one way, in Tang Soo do and TKD they do it another way. You can't call any of them out because that's how they teach it, it's the same with quite a lot of techniques.

These type of discussions don't come about when a person sits and says nothing and assumes that "that's how their style does it." Saying nothing doesn't promote discussion. What you say my be true. But it also may be true that it's how "they do it" is just flat out wrong for self-defense purposes or even on the most basic level, correct form, which is needed to prevent injury. An incorrect horse stance is incorrect regardless of "how they do it." Do a horse stance wrong and your knees will suffer. Ironically. A certain someone stated in a video to a student that their knees may hurt and that the student has to just work through the pain, and then the instructor talked about how has been nursing injuries for 20 years. In kung fu if you knees hurt then 90% of the time you are doing something wrong which is damaging the knees. Some things are just incorrect.

A lot of arguments happen because a video or even a description of a technique is not understand properly and there's cries of 'that won't work', when it often will.

I'm personally familiar with this because this is what my life was like for the first 4 or 5 months on martial talk. You know what happened. I showed videos that it was possible, I explained my techniques better, I learned where people were misunderstanding me. Some people learned something knew others were just happy to see I was just talk. But something good came out of it. It sparked a discussion and I shared things that I normally wouldn't have shared. Then everyone complained about me posting my videos every time so I stopped doing it lol.

I find it so hard to describe how to do something, I can teach and correct it easily but I can't write how to do it properly.

Nothing in my life is easy except for screwing up so. I might as well try something difficult. We do what we can and we try to enlighten others through discussions. If one person understands you then they may be able to show a video or explain what you are saying in a way that someone else will understand.

 

[Tez3]

These type of discussions don't come about when a person sits and says nothing and assumes that "that's how their style does it."

What though if I don't actually care how someone else does it? I have many years experience in my styles and quite a few years experience in MMA but I don't know as much as I might or as much as I want to so I'd rather stay focussed on my training and my knowledge. I won't take advice from people in videos I haven't trained with before (there's only one person I've trained with and will use only his videos) because I cannot learn from videos, I'm a person who has to 'do' and be corrected by an instructor in person.

But it also may be true that it's how "they do it" is just flat out wrong for self-defense purposes or even on the most basic level, correct form, which is needed to prevent injury.

How, though, do you know that the technique is wrong or won't work? If you watch a video the people in it may be doing it wrongly so the technique done properly will work perfectly well. This is especially true when it's not your style. Watching videos is so unsatisfactory to my mind, I don't watch them. How would I know that a CMA move is done correctly on a video? I could watch it and think 'wow that would never work' but then it turns out the demonstrator is doing a bad job and the technique works perfectly. It's a mare's nest and you can't trust videos by people you don't know doing styles you don't do.

 

[wab25]

This isn't a problem. If I'm criticizing something that is the way they do something in that style, then I can be corrected. Someone correcting me means that I learn and others learn because I stated what I saw and understood.

When I see someone doing something wrong or a little different, I like to take the approach "Hey, we do that like this, I noticed you did it a different way and I was interested in why..." This usually leads to a good discussion of the differences, and neither side has to be defensive. Many people will be honest and respond with "well, I am supposed to do it better on this part, but I am still working on it..." In my experience, I have had better discussion and learned more, than when I pointed out "Hey dude, you are doing it wrong."

One thing I learned, once I start teaching, is that people learn differently. They start at different points, learn through different methods at different rates. I have had students who can watch and do. I have had some where it takes a long while to even approach the thing they saw. When teaching a new technique, most people can learn it 50% in a class. Then over the course of a few weeks practice, they get to 75%. They work on the that last 25% for the rest of their lives. There are many people out there, that will hardly get 1% in that first class. They will spend weeks and months trying to get to 10%.

Most people can at least fake: get off the line, brush block, off balance and reap foot. I have had students where it will take weeks just to get the starting stance close, and weeks more to move the correct foot and hand first. Then we start working on where those parts go. It is really frustrating when you have a student like this, work very hard to get the first 10% of a technique down only to have some do gooder step up and show them first how bad their technique is, and then show them an entirely different version of that technique... which this student has no chance at getting. The added confusion means a longer road for the student to learn the first technique.

Sure, we could have coordination tests for prospective students... but I am not sure I could pass one of those The problem is that these issues are not only for the new guys who don't know their right from their left. Sometimes other arts, do things in different orders, or different emphasis. In my other training, I have worked hard to get things into muscle memory, so they happen without thought. When studying a new art, it has been very hard for me to do things counter to the patterns I have already learned, in order to do the new art.

In both cases, what is needed is a lot of repetition. Each time, work on the next parts that will make the biggest change. Thats where a good instructor comes in. He knows the student, and hopefully, knows what next changes will be most beneficial to that student. Each student, may need to work on different things in a different order.

In each of these situations, approaching that person with "Hey I am interested in why you do it that way..." allows for an open discussion. Knowing where people are coming from adds a lot to why they are doing it that way. I also think you can help them out better as well. There may be a principle or trick you know in your version (or even in another technique you know) that will help the other guy out a lot more, once you understand where he is. He will certainly listen to your advice a lot more than you if started with "Dude that is so wrong."

 

[JowGaWolf]

What though if I don't actually care how someone else does it? I have many years experience in my styles and quite a few years experience in MMA but I don't know as much as I might or as much as I want to so I'd rather stay focussed on my training and my knowledge. I won't take advice from people in videos I haven't trained with before (there's only one person I've trained with and will use only his videos) because I cannot learn from videos, I'm a person who has to 'do' and be corrected by an instructor in person.

How, though, do you know that the technique is wrong or won't work? If you watch a video the people in it may be doing it wrongly so the technique done properly will work perfectly well. This is especially true when it's not your style. Watching videos is so unsatisfactory to my mind, I don't watch them. How would I know that a CMA move is done correctly on a video? I could watch it and think 'wow that would never work' but then it turns out the demonstrator is doing a bad job and the technique works perfectly. It's a mare's nest and you can't trust videos by people you don't know doing styles you don't do.

I don't fear being wrong. So I never ask myself "What if I'm wrong." If I'm wrong then I can either learn from it or not. If you don't care if it's done incorrectly or correctly then people who criticize shouldn't bother you. How much do you care about criticism of how sewage is treated in Waycross Georgia with one method vs another?

How do you know that a CMA technique is done incorrectly? Because CMA Practicioner and knowledgeable people will come out and share their thoughts on what they are seeing. Some of which, may be people who you have confidence in. For example, there are people here who I have confidence in. When they share their insight and say it's incorrect then I have confidence that they are probably correct.

Some people will watch horrible videos and think that those are the best videos. You can either share your concerns or let them find out on their own.

You can tell which people like to bash vs people who are willing to highlight things that don't sit well with them. If they sound like Joe Rogan, then they are probably bashing and talking down on martial artist. If someone is taking the time to talk about what they see and the concerns that they have then they probably aren't bashing.

I'm all for not hurting feelings but not at the expense of not pointing at something that I think is wrong. I rather speak my mind and be corrected than not to speak up when I think I see something wrong.

 

[Paul_D]

I was at a multi style seminar earlier this year and one of the instructors kept taking the mick out of the Ninjutsu Instructor, asking how come he could still see him, and 'he's going to show me how to become invisible later'. It was all rather uncomfortable and embarrassing for everyone on the mat.

 

[Tez3]

If you don't care if it's done incorrectly or correctly then people who criticize shouldn't bother you.

That is a strange statement to make, I care whether things are done correctly or not in my styles, that's enough. I believe in quality not quantity. I am not going to be concerned whether all styles are done correctly or not because that would make me a dilettante. Not liking criticism doesn't come into it.

There's also the difference between 'correctly' and 'efficiently'. this is something I found out when I started MMA about 18 years ago. In karate we are taught to a technique correctly as you say, all of us whatever height, weight or flexibility issues we have so for some these techniques work better than they do for others. In MMA though one can take a techniques and perform it correctly however it may not work well for you but you can tweak it, until it does. What that means is you could see me doing a techniques in karate and approve of it's 'correctness' but it wouldn't actually work well for me then you could see me doing the same technique in MMA but tweaked to make it work for me and you would say it wasn't correct and therefore shouldn't work.

Some people will watch horrible videos and think that those are the best videos. You can either share your concerns or let them find out on their own.

I don't watch videos, I simply don't have the time to trawl through videos to see whether they are doing things correctly or not. I find it difficult to learn anything from videos, the only ones I do watch are Iain Abernethy's and that's to remind me of things I've learnt already or to expand on something I've already learnt in person. I don't understand either why I should be concerned about whether a CMA technique is done properly or not, it seems to me that I'd be poking my nose in something I'd didn't understand and would quite right be rebuked for it, rightly so.

 

[Anarax]

We've all seen some 'questionable' MA skills in person, at seminars, on videos, and in books. I think everyone understands that some people are not what they represent themselves to be.

I don't think that calling them out for ridicule is a good way to go, though. In the cases where I might have done so myself, I'm sorry. I was wrong if I did that.

Tearing down someone else doesn't say much good about me or my skills. My gaze should be inward, my notice of flaws should be those I have, not those others have.

Most of us are simply doing our best here. Some of us are better than others. And yes, there are frauds and scam artists. They will reap what they sow, and do not need my help to do so.

2 cents for today.

There are two important points to this I'd like to address

There is a fine line between criticizing someone's techniques and people "tearing down" one another. People claiming that they are something they aren't are frauds, that's just a fact. We should avoid calling them something more colorful than that, but fraud or liar isn't a derogatory term if they have been dishonest. We live in the cyber age where claims can be easier challenged and more research can be done. That doesn't mean everything online is valid, but a lot of useful information can be found if searched with some discretion. There was a time as martial artists we were uneducated and ignorant on what quality teaching and training was. As martial artist we share our knowledge and experiences with others, so we should be honest when asked our opinion of someone.

If someone is solely participating in their own delusions, believing their own lies or buying into their own "legend", that's their own problem. However; it's dangerous when they dupe others into believing their lies and deceive them into a false sense of security. As martial artists that should bother us and we should voice our opinion when we see it. That doesn't mean a student of style X criticizes a technique from style Y because student X doesn't understand the techniques. Bad techniques are bad techniques though. For example I have a background in weaponry, I can more critically analyze knife or sword techniques than I could Greco-Roman wrestling techniques. Thus I try to avoid talking out of my element and leave the Greco-Roman criticizing to those that have studied it or something very similar.

In conclusion, I think there is a proper way of calling out bad teachings when we see it.

 

[JowGaWolf]

When I see someone doing something wrong or a little different, I like to take the approach "Hey, we do that like this, I noticed you did it a different way and I was interested in why..." This usually leads to a good discussion of the differences, and neither side has to be defensive. Many people will be honest and respond with "well, I am supposed to do it better on this part, but I am still working on it..." In my experience, I have had better discussion and learned more, than when I pointed out "Hey dude, you are doing it wrong."

I agree with this. But there are some things that are wrong. Driving a car backwards on the highway into oncoming traffic is wrong. It doesn't matter what is considered wrong in the school. It is wrong and it will cause injury. If your horse stance is not correct then it will cause injury. It doesn't matter what the school says is the correct way. If the stance is incorrect it will cause injury to the knees.

One day I'm going to make some WC videos and some Karate videos showing you guys how to do these techniques and I don't want anyone to tell me that I'm doing a technique wrong because that's how I do the techniques. I say it's WC and Karate then that's what it is because that's how I do Wing Chun and Karate.

When I teach my students and they do something wrong then I tell them right away "That's wrong" or "That's not correct" or "Don't do it that way." If they feel bad about then good, then maybe they either won't do it again or recognize when they have made an error and self correct.

In each of these situations, approaching that person with "Hey I am interested in why you do it that way..." allows for an open discussion.

I can see if the technique has multiple applications that aren't incorrect. But I'm pretty sure no one is interested in seeing why I close my eyes when spar, punch, and kick. I'm pretty sure no one says.. "Hey show me how to close my eyes when I punch." Some things just are. For me it seems like there is either a plain denial or appeasement to not accept that there are correct ways to do things and incorrect ways to do things.

That is a strange statement to make, I care whether things are done correctly or not in my styles, that's enough. I believe in quality not quantity. I am not going to be concerned whether all styles are done correctly or not because that would make me a dilettante

I was using "You" in general and not personal. I know you well enough to know you care if something is done correctly or not. You have personally demonstrated this in past posts. I was just responding to your "what if" statements.

This makes sense to me. I know I can't criticize every style. I can talk about a few common techniques, strategies and concepts and criticize that. I'm with you on this one.

There's also the difference between 'correctly' and 'efficiently'. this is something I found out when I started MMA about 18 years ago. In karate we are taught to a technique correctly as you say, all of us whatever height, weight or flexibility issues we have so for some these techniques work better than they do for others. In MMA though one can take a techniques and perform it correctly however it may not work well for you but you can tweak it, until it does. What that means is you could see me doing a techniques in karate and approve of it's 'correctness' but it wouldn't actually work well for me then you could see me doing the same technique in MMA but tweaked to make it work for me and you would say it wasn't correct and therefore shouldn't work.

I understand this as well. The stuff that I'm talking about as being wrong doesn't fall into this category.

I don't watch videos, I simply don't have the time to trawl through videos to see whether they are doing things correctly or not.

I watch videos but not with the focus or purpose to see if someone is doing something correctly. When it comes to martial arts I watch the video in hopes that I'll either learn something (not actually have the ability just the knowledge that it exists), see something interested and enriching, or see something that will help me better understand my own training. For example, WC may something insight on how to deploy a technique that they have and I may be able to use that same insight to deploy a Jow Ga technique. Now when I watch Jake Mace it's to get some insight on marketing martial arts because he's good at it. But that's a business thing for me and not a martial art thing for me.

I don't understand either why I should be concerned about whether a CMA technique is done properly or not, it seems to me that I'd be poking my nose in something I'd didn't understand and would quite right be rebuked for it, rightly so.

CMA is not so unique that you don't can't recognize some things that you do understand. I wouldn't mind if you criticized me about what you think I'm doing wrong or incorrectly when I spar or demonstrate the application of a technique. Because you may be right about what you are seeing. For me as a person I'm either going to:

• tell you why it's done that way,
• say I understand what you are pointing out and that you are right
• to tell you that you aren't seeing an error and I'll follow up with an explanation or video showing me actually applying a technique
• or thank you for letting me know that I was making an error with the technique.

If I'm completely wrong then I will apologize which many of you have already seen me do. Being wrong doesn't mean that I'm stupid or incapable. It just means that I'm wrong. I don't see it as something that destroys character or image if a person is willing to learn from it.

 

[Tez3]

Driving a car backwards on the highway into oncoming traffic is wrong

It's not 'wrong' it's illegal.

CMA is not so unique that you don't can't recognize some things that you do understand. I wouldn't mind if you criticized me about what you think I'm doing wrong or incorrectly when I spar or demonstrate the application of a technique.

What I don't understand though is why I, an instructor in a different style, would want to criticise you. I don't feel the need to criticise you, I would only do that if you came into my class to learn from me and then it would be correction not criticism. For me it would be many things to criticise strangers when they train, impolite, presumptuous and none of my business. If you are wrong then it's up to someone who does your style to tell you so not me.

If you want to do Wado Ryu or MMA then I'm happy to advise to the best of my ability but I'm not going to offer advice to anyone outside those parameters.

I say it's WC and Karate then that's what it is because that's how I do Wing Chun and Karate.

When you say 'karate' what style because that's just a generic name, there's a fair few different styles.

 

[wab25]

I can see if the technique has multiple applications that aren't incorrect. But I'm pretty sure no one is interested in seeing why I close my eyes when spar, punch, and kick. I'm pretty sure no one says.. "Hey show me how to close my eyes when I punch." Some things just are. For me it seems like there is either a plain denial or appeasement to not accept that there are correct ways to do things and incorrect ways to do things.

When I was working my way through the ranks, at my home dojo... we had a guy for a couple years, who always closed his eyes when doing his techniques. One approach would be "Hey guy, you are doing it wrong, you need to open your eyes." When visiting people made such comments about him or to him, he would give them the finger, right then and there. When people took the approach of "Hey, I am interested in why you close your eyes..." or "Do you realize you close your eyes when you do that?" he would politely inform them that he was blind. Eyes open or not, he can't see anything... he finds that with his eyes closed, he gets fewer fingers in his eyes.

I met another martial artist at a convention. Very good martial artist, taught me a surprising amount for the little time we had together. But, his stances were all wrong, he was always leaning over too much. One could tell him that he is doing it wrong, because he isn't bending his knee enough. Or you could get to know him, and find out he had no knee on that leg. (his leg got blown up by a landmine, and at the time the best they could do for him, was give him a permanently straight leg)

Even if people are just plain doing it wrong, with out any excuse... they still don't like being called out on it by someone they don't know. You may have the best advice and be one hundred percent correct, but if you already offended them, they are not going to take your advice.

If you show interest in them and learn the why behind the different. First they will take your advice better. Second, it gives you a chance to offer better advice.

Now, you mentioned how you correct your students. Thats different. They are your students, you know them and they know what they signed up for. When seeing other folks though, honey gets you more mileage, and you may learn a few things and in some cases, keep your feet out of your mouth.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I consider that despite what might appear to my eyes to be poor techniques, I'm not qualified to say.

 

[hoshin1600]

Me and my best friend went out one night to play a game of pool (in the US) I think it's "snooker" in the UK. I approach the game just like MA. Correct stance, balance, arm position ect. As I watched my friend I was thinking his form is terrible, ,it's so wrong. He proceeded to beat me every game and not by a small amount.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Me and my best friend went out one night to play a game of pool (in the US) I think it's "snooker" in the UK. I approach the game just like MA. Correct stance, balance, arm position ect. As I watched my friend I was thinking his form is terrible, ,it's so wrong. He proceeded to beat me every game and not by a small amount.

So what was the worst thing that happened.
1. you lost the game
2. you were wrong about the assumption about the stance in related to pool (snooker)
3. you learned that the stance, balance, arm position ect. didn't play as big as a role as you thought it would

Now you have some insight that you didn't have before and you have narrowed the elements of what makes a good pool player. Maybe your next theory will be centered around the angle in which the pool stick hits the ball and the effects chalk has. Maybe you'll learn how to see the angles or measure the angles with the pool stick.

Did you tell your friend that his stance was wrong?

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Me and my best friend went out one night to play a game of pool (in the US) I think it's "snooker" in the UK. I approach the game just like MA. Correct stance, balance, arm position ect. As I watched my friend I was thinking his form is terrible, ,it's so wrong. He proceeded to beat me every game and not by a small amount.

This is me when I play pool. My friends will laugh at me because I hold the cue stick incorrectly. Both in how I hold it, and how I look at the table when I'm shooting. I also apparently shoot lefty, even though I'm righty. Whenever I play with someone new, I always here comments about how "you're not holding it correctly", "you must be new to pool, here let me show you how to play", and other dismissive remarks. Until I end up winning.

While pool is incredibly different than martial arts, I think the argument of "if it works, it works" still applies, even if no one understands how it works, and you're breaking every rule for how it's supposed to work. Once they get consistently better than me, then I'll start changing.

 

[JowGaWolf]

What I don't understand though is why I, an instructor in a different style, would want to criticise you.

Because your criticism may

• stop me from doing something that is harming my training
• you may have a better insight on how to deploy an application such as a sweep.
• you may have a better understanding of concepts such a baiting and counter punching
• you may have a better understanding of a technique that is similar to what I'm trying to learn that helps me fill in the gaps that I may be missing.
• you may have a better understanding of tactics and strategies related to fighting
• you may have a better understanding of how most people attack.
• you may have knowledge that is useful to me that helps me to improve
• you may see gaps or things that I may not be taking into consideration when training an application

Just because you do not train in my system doesn't mean that your insight and perception of self-defense does not apply to the system that I train. Every martial arts system has similarities and the system you train may have pieces to the puzzle in my system where my instruction wasn't as complete. In some cases depending on closely related the 2 systems are, you may actually be able to help me understand a Jow Ga technique simply because it's similar to technique that you are successful in using.

 

[CB Jones]

Me and my best friend went out one night to play a game of pool (in the US) I think it's "snooker" in the UK. I approach the game just like MA. Correct stance, balance, arm position ect. As I watched my friend I was thinking his form is terrible, ,it's so wrong. He proceeded to beat me every game and not by a small amount.

Even though you might not be a master at pool.....had your buddy claimed to have been a master at pool then proceeded to stand on the table and try to use the pool cues like golf clubs to drive the balls into the pockets of other pool tables...would you:

1) Accept that he is a proclaimed master of pool and join him

2) Realize he is not a master of pool but bite your tongue since you are not an expert yourself

3) Call him on his B.S. and tell him to get down.