FAQ
Have a question? Email me at patrickasay@gmail.com or go to the forums and post it there.
Q: What is the best martial art style?
A: There is no superior martial art. Every style has its place in the MA world. Some styles fit some people better than others. Some are geared toward sports and others toward self-defense. Some have attributes of both. There are even those that seem to be neither sport nor self-defense and just look like dancing. If I HAD to recommend one style for somebody, it would undoubtedly be the Southard Combat System. Other than that, there are many applications in many different styles that can convert to street combat.
Q: In what styles are you trained (and still training in)?
A: Japanese JiuJitsu, Brazilian JiuJitsu, Southard Combat, Taekwondo, Krav Maga, Wing Chun, Grappling, Kickboxing, Karate, and Wrestling. See the “about us” page for more details.
Q: How do I go about finding a good MA school?
A: Study these articles:
http://appliedmartialartstraining.com/articles/six_steps_to_findiing_a_great_ma_school.pdf
http://appliedmartialartstraining.com/articles/avoiding_mcdojos.pdf
If you live in Idaho and want to know where to go to find good schools, I can personally recommend you to some good Traditional Martial Arts such as Shito-Ryu Karate, Brazilian JiuJitsu, Japanese JuJitsu Taekwondo, and even some other self-defense courses. Contact me personally for this or any other information.
Q: What’s the best style for self-defense?
A: The first thing you must realize is that there are many, many opinions on this topic. I am personally biased and would recommend Southard Combat for self defense. However, I must also give a non-biased explanation as well. Short of actual street brawling, the best MA style for self-defense is the one in which you train the hardest. In other words, almost any martial art can be applied to the street as long as you convert its “fine motor skills” into “gross motor skills.” This concept is discussed in various articles and videos in this website. You also must understand that there are certain styles that are closer to the self-defense end of the MA spectrum than are others. For example, Krav Maga was invented strictly for self-defense. But as I previously mentioned, if you get good enough at any martial art then you have practical tools.
Q: How important is strength and being in good shape?
A: In my opinion, it is very important. The reality: It depends. I’ve known many seasoned martial artists at a master level who are hardly in any shape at all, but at the same time I wouldn’t mess with them any day of the week. However, they are seasoned. Maybe back in their day they were fit and in shape. Still, they are generally tougher than nails. If you are young and out of shape, I would recommend getting a good fitness program going along with your MA training. Being in good shape DOESN’T HURT. It may just open doors that otherwise wouldn’t be open due to lack of physical training. Also, there are a lot of gimmicks out there that claim you don’t need to be in good shape to win a street fight. They will spit out story after story of how this old couch potato took on five guys in a bar because he bought their exclusive, state-of-the-art self defense video that was originally taught for Navy Seals but has been miraculously leaked. If you have any sense of logic, you won’t waste your money. It is true that winning a street fight doesn’t have much to do with physical fitness, but it does have everything to do with physical ability, to which fitness can contribute substantially.
Q: Do you condone the new MMA craze?
A: Sure, why not? It’s fun! However, we must remember that it is a trendy acronym that represents a sport. Sports such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, and MMA are not necessarily conducive to self-defense. If you only want to learn self defense, don’t participate in a “combat sport.” Furthermore, MMA is not a good representation of traditional martial arts, which teach respect, discipline, peace, personal value, duty, meditation, and inner-strength. These qualities are rarely expressed in the egotistical MMA craze. You’re safe as long as you are able to distinguish between the terms “sport fighting,” “street fighting,” and “traditional martial arts.” They are not all equal in purpose.
Q: Do you HATE traditional martial arts?
A: NO! I have found so much validity in traditional martial arts. I have a black belt in TaeKwonDo and Uch-do Karate under the International Martial Arts Council. Those ARE traditional martial arts. I am STILL training in Japanese Jujitsu under Sensei Brian Eckman. I realize that, in my system, I do not incorporate things like bow-ins, ceremonies, and Katas. However, I have found myself having to revert to plenty of TMA techniques in order to teach a lot of the stuff in my Reality-Based curriculum. My style is more of a hybrid one, but I would be going against my philosophy if I was to say that mine is better than anyone else's. Yes, I believe strongly in my system. No, I do not believe it is the best out there. I hope I am not ignorant and will never be. If you ever find me contradicting myself, please tell me so I can figure it out, clarify, and make changes if necessary.
Q: If you’re not a master level instructor of any martial art, why are you teaching martial arts for a living?
A: It is true, I am not a seasoned martial artist. I am a young martial artist. I do not claim to have greater knowledge or ability than anybody else. If there is something I cannot teach, I will research it, learn it, practice it, master it, and then teach it. If for some reason I am unable to do so, I will happily refer you to someone who can. Believe me, I know people who can! It has been pointed out that I should clarify that the term "mastery" is a little different in my dictionary than in other's. I believe that a technique is mastered when it has been practiced PERFECTLY one thousand times. If one masters ONE technique from ONE martial art style, that doesn't mean they have mastered the style. That's kinda sorta how I am with the different martial art styles. I'm not a master of any style, but I am very proficient at many of their various techniques that are easily converted to the street environment, or the "high-percentage" techniques.
I insist that this website be a supplement to your MA training and not be your only source. A great martial artist is open minded and seeks to learn from more than just one style, and hopefully more than just one website and one instructor. I personally cannot provide you with everything you will ever need to know about combat and street fighting. I have become acquainted with some of the martial arts schools in the area and have found them to be very qualified to help you in ways I never will be able to. I acknowledge my limits when it comes to martial arts, and I will never claim to be what I'm not.
I have an extremely powerful philosophy. It is called "Shut up and show me!" It does not matter if you're a green belt, blue belt, 1st degree black belt or 80,000th degree black belt! I don't care. If you can't back it up, you are nothing more than a Mcdojo victim who wasted a lot of time and money. I have trained with people who have claimed to be masters of martial arts, and found them to be extremely incompetent because I found myself dominating them. What we do is but a small niche in the huge world of martial arts: Reality Based Self Defense. However, we specialize in that niche. I am qualified because of the experiences I have had in the professional fields of security, street confrontations, and my experience studying different martial art styles. Very few martial artists are in better physical condition than me (but that doesn't mean I would beat them in a fight). I am also a personal trainer, and it sometimes frustrates me when I find overweight personal trainers in a gym training somebody who is in better shape than they are. I have much more tolerance for martial art instructors because they have been around the block and have continued and excelled in their discipline, and I wouldn't mess with them. One of the biggest reasons, however, that I teach fitness as a necessary part of Self-Defense goes along the lines of the fact that Navy Seals have to be in good shape to do what they do. The people who train Navy Seals are in great shape. Most often, they are Seals themselves. My RBSD program is intense, and you need to be in good shape to excel in it. Like I always say, it doesn't take physical fitness to win a street fight, but it does take physical ability to which physical fitness can contribute substantially.
Q: What can I learn from your MA website?
A: You can learn the basic principles of various forms of martial arts. There is a very heavy emphasis on self-defense in this website. I don’t believe that a martial art is truly “martial” unless it has within it components of real-life application. If you would like to learn how to defend yourself, I will be able to teach you many of the key concepts, techniques, and principles that you will need to fulfill your desire. If you want to become a black belt in a traditional martial art, I can only provide some information based on how to find a good school and definitely some supplemental videos, articles, and other information that will guide you along the way.
Q: Why doesn’t your website focus on one martial art?
A: Because there is no superior martial art. Anybody who tries to convince you otherwise is very loyal, but also naive and ignorant. This is debatable. I also believe that the martial artist should define (and refine) the style, not the other way around. I believe this because, well, the times are-a-changin'.
Q: If you’re a black belt, does that mean that you’re “street safe?”
A: Of course not. Formal training is invaluable, but it cannot fully prepare you for the real thing, which has no referees, protective gear, mats, rules, or predictable opponents. It knows no boundaries and is very unpredictable. Formal training is a simulation of the real thing, and can therefore only take you so far. Short of going out and picking fights with random thugs, the best thing you can do is get as good as you can with the simulation and trust in your abilities. I’m not trying to discourage formal training by any means! Remember that the better you get at the simulation, the closer you will get to understanding the real thing, and will therefore be much more prepared for it than if you hadn’t trained.
Q: What is the Youth Self Defense Program?
A: It is a course designed to help our youth develop many skills appertaining to self defense. Mobility, speed, balance, strength, physical fitness, self-respect, discipline, self-awareness, and the power of technique over a seemingly stronger opponent/attacker are all attributes one may acquire through this program. The adult curriculum is more intense and is not as suitable for children, but the Youth program is an excellent preparatory system preceding the higher level of training within the adult curriculum. Although it is a youth program, all youth and teens will be treated as mature individuals and are expected to comport themselves as such, inside and outside of class. Failure to do so could hinder and halt progress. Keep in mind that physical fitness requirements exist only within the third and final youth certification.
Q: What is the difference between the Adult program and the Youth Program?
A: Intensity. The reality-based simulations and the combat psychology are not suitable for kids and teens. The martial combatives are not necessarily the reason for which the adult program is more intense. In fact, many of the same techniques are taught. The difference is the RBSD simulations and the combat psychology.
Q: Why doesn't the Youth program have belts?
A: Usually in martial arts, there are belts to distinguish rank. For our Youth Self Defense Program, there are no belts. We discourage the practice of belt ranks for children and minors for our self defense course because it is our utmost effort to teach pure martial arts and to combat the prevalent practice of watered-down martial arts in our day and age. This does not mean that earning these ranks would not be as good as if they were belts, it is just symbolic in its principle. For example, many traditional martial arts such as Karate and Taekwondo have child black belts. I've seen them as young as five years old. They may be competent for the art form, but you cannot take little 8 year old Johnny Black Belt, put him in a street fight against a grown man with a knife, and expect him to hold a candle. It does not work that way when dealing with real violence. If Johnny Black Belt's instructor teaches him that, because of his powerful black belt skills, he can defeat a street thug or two or three, he is most definitely a self-diluted Mcdojo Master/Manipulator. Children can scream and run...but that's about all they can do. There may be exceptions, but they would be very, very rare. I teach worse-case scenario street combat. Children are neither physically nor mentally mature for the full spectrum of training found within street combat. Teens? Well, that's a little closer, but it depends entirely on the individual.
Q: Do you require uniforms?
A: Not until formal testing. You may purchase them before testing (or whenever you'd like), but until then wear exercise clothes that are modest. Women, wear comfortable long exercise pants, a supportive sports bra, and a t-shirt. NO TANK TOPS, SPAGHETTI STRAPS, ETC. Avoid wearing your hair down. In a men-only group, long pants and a muscle shirt would be fine. In any case, NO JEWELRY, PIERCINGS, ETC. When uniforms are worn, they consist of MA black pants, an AMA t-shirt, and belt.
Q: Do you teach women's self defense?
A: About half (if not more) of what we teach is women's self defense. The power of technique over a stronger opponent is a strong point in martial arts, and it is a huge focus of the Applied Martial Arts curriculum.
Q: Does your school incorporate payment contracts?
A: No! We do not condone contracts. Our philosophy is that if you do not like the services you don't have to come back, but we are so confident you'll be pleased with them that we don't need those binding payment contracts. If we are good enough at what we do, we simply don't need to use them. The "pay-as-you-go" idea is not very popular in either fitness or martial arts, but we have discovered that if we are good enough at what we do, our clients will always come back. In other words, understand that you may cancel at any time.
Q: What do you charge?
A: I can't stand it when I'm looking for something on the internet or otherwise and the website or advertisement does not say how much they cost! They do that because of several reasons, one of them being that they want one of their salesmen to do the price-pitching, because they are trained as salesmen and they know how to "close a deal." That's manipulative CRAP that I don't like. I like straightforwardness and honesty.
Here's what we charge:
The Youth Program has a minimum of 5 participants in a group, and costs each of them $45.00/month
The Adult Program costs $60.00/session (usually 1 1/2 hours) There is a maximum of 10 participants in a group. How cheap/expensive it is for you depends on how many people you can round up to split up the $60.00. For example, if you have just two of you, it will be $30.00 each. If there are three of you, $20.00 each. If there are six of you, $10.00 each. If there are ten of you, $6.00/each! 6 X 4 = $24/month assuming you train once a week. Twice a week would be $48/month. That's the cheapest you can find in any martial arts school. The Adult program is more expensive because of the training, specifically the RBSD simulations, which cost a little more. Also, the reason there is a maximum of 10 students in the adult program is because of individualization. The entire point of our training program is to maximize individualization. You'll notice that, when you walk into a martial art school, there are about 20-30 students to every one instructor. The 30 to 1 ratio is not very individualized. I come from a personal training background, and I know that if an instructor tells 30 people to do something, he will not be able to monitor every one of them to make sure they are doing it right. Applied Martial Arts eliminates that. This training is very personalized and individualized.
"Hidden Fees": Because this is in-home service, the only overhead we have is car/transportation, equipment maintenance, and paper trails; we are able to make martial arts training more affordable for the masses. We do not have a lease to which we are bound to pay $1500/month like most other schools. Therefore, it is more convenient and affordable for you.
The other fees you will find are testing fees (twice a year if you train once a week and four times a year if you train twice a week). $75.00 every six months. A uniform will cost $35.00. THERE ARE NO OTHER FEES!
Oh by the way: you do not have to train to test. You may train just to train and enhance your skills, thereby eliminating all of these costs. Keep in mind, though, that there is a certain degree of satisfaction when earning something. If you trained with me for three years, without testing for certifications, it would be similar (not as bad, but similar) to going to college, doing all the homework, getting great marks and learning a ton; all without having enrolled into the university. But as far as we're concerned, as long as you're happy training, making progress, and becoming empowered continually...we are perfectly happy, and the formalities don't really matter.
Keep in mind: this is PAY-AS-YOU-GO. No contracts! You may cancel at any time, without any ridiculous cancellation fee! I give discounts if you pay by the month, which is what most of my students do.
Q: What about equipment? Do I have to buy equipment?
A: No. We provide all the necessary equipment; therefore you do not need to purchase any. However, for long-term training, you may prefer to purchase some for your home, as you will be without gear when the instructor is unavailable. Purchasing your own equipment makes your informal training more effective.
Q: How can I obtain access to the exclusive member links?
A: You must be one of my students. If you are a student already, and on the bottom left-hand side of the navigation area you can't see "member links," you must contact me so I can grant you access. I have to personally do it.