Note: All of this post comes from my perception and understanding of what I read of Mr. Miller’s book (see bibliography at the end) and it is highly recommended the reader, read the book in its entirety for clarity, knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. Know that this post is merely the tip of the sword on his material, all a critical body of knowledge any self-defense instructor must know and understand in order to teach the individual self-defense. At least in my eyes!
Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)
Not the length/size but the qualifications so that it may be packaged, presented, sold, tested and awarded in machine built on societies product packaging machine. We as a species especially in the America’s make the assumption that what can be measured can be improved. The problem with black belts it has noting to do with one’s applied ability but how one studies and memorizes for the testing processes.
The complexities of modern martial defense applications are very easy to test and grade the practitioner but to measure success in applying those very same complex applications is hard at best and totally inappropriate and inapplicable to reality at worst.
This is why what is used, taught and tested in dojo around the world are fundamentally irrelevant and arbitrary in nature with nothing what so ever to do with getting the job done in an aggressive, adrenal and violent world that is the basis for both martial arts and self-defense.
What is, then, measurable of a black belt? It is the doing of things, it is survivability into situations where you either survive or not. This cannot be measured and tested or even laid out in a curriculum/syllabus for study and testing.
To try and test one for the ability to do the very things that would result in survival is something no dojo can do if for no other reason that ethics and danger to the practitioner and their training partners.
In martial arts teachers and students not in a profession, military and police, etc., have yet to realize that when under the pressure of the adrenal stress conditions of aggression and violent reality simple works and the complex fails. Again, the unspoken and unrecognized reasons why the industry rewards complexities through the secret or advanced techniques taught to the higher grades as a natural progression of the simplistic ‘beginner’ techniques taught to novices. In life, this is the exact opposite of real life.
That is why the great question presented in Rory Miller’s new book on principled teaching of self-defense goes to ask the question about how one would measure the black belt requirement of “doing.”
Rory Miller wrote, “In martial arts (except for sport arts) things tend to be judged by how they looked, not what they did. The karate sensei judges the alignment of the forearm and the stance and whether it looks right - and looks have little to do with how much kinetic energy is delivered. When a kinesthetic things is judged visually, that judging will always be arbitrary.”
Just think about that a minute then look at how one visually and arbitrary assumes a technique is powerful from how they muscle it and tense in performing techniques then think about how power, energy and force is applied in a real attack. The trouble even with this question is that most of them, if not all, don’t have any experienced reference to base an assumption or perception or manifestation of that kind of power.
Miller, Rory. “Principles-Based Instruction for Self-Defense (and maybe life)” Amazon Digital Services LLC August 2017.
Bibliography (Click the link)
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