Sorry to Burst Your Bubble...

I received a comment on the Double Forearm Shiver video regarding my previous training and experience for the reason why the techniques I execute look as polished as they do. The person who sent the comment was respectful and well meaning so I will treat him with the utmost respect because his assumption is one that most martial artists make.

His comment is as follows:
Sir,
Although I agree that traditional martial arts training does not prepare for real world attacks, they are an important element of it.

Your ability to bring out the best of your close combat techniques are mainly due to talent and skills acquired in your prev martial arts training. Your execution of throws, submissions and heck even the "chop" are all neatly done, and one can tell your training before it.

I started with close combat training and moved on to krav maga and now traditional martial arts. It is just good to explore all areas.

Thiam Yeng

Thiam,
What your seeing has little or nothing to do with my past training and more and everything to do with athleticism and my current training. Many martial artists miss this point and tend to justify what they teach as a reason for my proficiency in The Self Defense Training System. First of all, let's get one thing straight, I developed and founded the Self Defense Training System and if I don't look good doing it, we have a problem. If Tony Bennett can't sing "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" there's a problem. Second I have been training people in this method for over 12 years and counting. You can even see some of them on the SDC Youtube Channel.

The Self Defense Training System is not a martial art. It is a defensive tactics training program. It's purpose is to train anyone to be the best prepared for real world self defense in the shortest amount of time. Anything else in gravy. It is clear you have chosen to make martial arts a hobby and possibly a lifestyle choice. That's great, but it's not essential for self defense.

What will save you in the street is 10% physical, 90% mental (I have an email blast from one of our Instructors, LtCol Darren Poesel USMC going out in a few minutes). The problem martial artists face regarding self defense are a few.

First and foremost, the business model for martial arts demands that customers stay involved as long as possible. In order to do that, more and more techniques are added to extend student involvement. Sport and competition are also used as a means of extending student enrollment but not as much as you think since a very small percentage (in my 9 years of running schools, less than 10% of students ever competed).

The second issue is that the techniques are there, but lost in the volumes of other techniques you are forced to learn. In Tae Kwon Do for example you learn volumes of technique, yet in sparring you may only use 5 or 6. And they are usually the same techniques everybody else is using. What separates the good from the bad are speed, power, timing and instinct...ATHLETICISM combined with good training guidance and GREAT TRAINING PARTNERS. The techniques are the tools, what makes a champion a champion is the aforementioned factors plus....ATTITUDE!!! On the elite levels of sport it's 10% physical 90% mental.

Look Thiam, at the end of the day the reason my chops look so good is because I've done about 10,000 of them in my life time. If you want to be good at something, you train it and practice it. If I want to be good at soccer, I don't practice basketball. If you ant to be good at self defense you train in The Self Defense Training System , not a traditional martial art or anything else. If you want to be proficient in close quarters combat, focus on those skills and spend the other time running and lifting weights. I have literally trained thousands of people in this manner of the last two decades and it's always been the same: Some people have a natural gift, some need to work harder at it. But unlike sports and martial arts, anyone with the desire can learn to protect themselves. It's basic and natural, not convoluted and complex.

Thanks for your comment, and as always Train honestly,
Damian Ross, CEO The Self Defense Company

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