Integrity

Have you noticed the lack of integrity in the martial arts these days?

Have you noticed all of the high ranks around the U.S.? Have you noticed how young some of the people are who have the highest ranks in the history of the martial arts? And how many of them claim to have made up their own system?

And these people are promoting other people so fast, the belt they are getting promoted from is still stiff! Just like the society we live in, the martial arts world has but flash ahead of substance.

I know one fellow who once told me that his system only goes up to a black belt - but he now has a 7th degree black belt in that same system! I also know a man who had a 2nd dan when I first met him, and two months later, he had a 5th.

Look at all the red belts. Look at all the black belts, all the black and red belts, all the red and gold belts. Look at the lists of various types of grand masters. Grand Master, Great Grand Master, Imperial Grand Master, Supreme Grand Master, Eternal Grand Master, and of course, Great Great Grand Master.

I once visited a school, and saw a fool sitting on a throne. A THRONE! The material demonstrated by these clowns will make you sick, if you know what to look for.

The Combat Jujutsu Center for Practical Self Defense uses the license method for promotions. We have left behind the kyu dan method of promoting. Why? The kyu dan system has become a mess. White, orange, yellow, purple, blue camouflage, green, brown, red, black, and black belt degrees one through ten, people promoting themselves, without having a clue as to what any of it means.

Then we have the certifications. Certified in WHAT? To throw a kick and a punch? These people are in it to make money off of you, period. Yes, you pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year for information that will not, and can not, work. Then you seem shocked when you learn that your instructor ran a video shop for the past ten years, after he told you he had ten years teaching as a great supreme eternal grand master in your beloved style.

Now, the new game is to co-sign for another instructor. Let's say I have a black belt in XYZ art, and you have a 4th black in ABC art. We both co-sign for each other in each other's arts, and now we each have rank in both systems. Why not, we are buddies anyway, right? And by the time you have figured this out, these two have made out like fat rats.

The bottom line is that many instructors will tell you whatever they need to say to take your money. You need to ask questions, and verify the answers. What rank are you? Who promoted you to that rank? How long have you been training? What age bracket are you in? And most important of all, how many styles do you know? If this person tells you he knows Jujitsu, Kung fu, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Greco Roman Wrestling, Krav Maga, and maybe a few others, you are being lied to.

So be careful, ask questionsk, verify facts, and use some common sense. Also, do not take people who claim to teach self defense at their word. 85% of these people have never been in a real situation. In fact, if you get close to them, they don't smell like street at all, they smell more like a candy factory. If you are interested in learning self defense, make sure your instructor is qualified, lest you spend your time and money learning block-punch, structurally slow, two beat, dojo ballet.

Question: How do you get a black belt in two years?

Answer: With a credit card!!!