- Home
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Mixed Martial Arts vs. Reality Self Defense
Mixed Martial Arts vs. Reality Self Defense
- By Damian Ross
- Published 02/2/2008
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Unrated
Damian Ross
Damian Ross is the owner of Zenshin and instructor of Tekkenryu jujutsu and Kodokan Judo. He is one of only two people in the world to receive his teaching license from Martial Arts Legend Carl Cestari. . He holds a 4th degree black belt in Tekkenryu jujutsu, a 2nd degree black belt in Kodokan judo, a 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a varsity wrestler for Lehigh University.
View all articles by Damian RossWhich is Better for Self Defense?
What I’m about to say may shock some of you who know me. I’m mostly known for teaching reality self defense and close quarters combat. But I’m also known in the combat sport and martial arts arena for the years I’ve spent training and instructing Judo, Jujutsu, Wrestling and Karate.
Since 1975 I’ve bean able to walk in the worlds of combat sport, martial arts and reality self defense. To this day I still participate, compete, study and instruct in all three aspects of the world of martial arts.
The question today is “Which is Better for Self Defense,
Mixed Martial Arts or Reality Self Defense?”
While the reality group will say that MMA is governed and restricted by
rules and regulations and the sporting techniques will leave you vulnerable and
MMA has no sense of urgency and choosing the ground is a big mistake and will
get you killed. All of which is true, then
why is it in a real fight the average MMA practitioner would shred the average
reality self defense practitioner?
Shocked? Yes I said it. It’s sad but true, if you took the average Mixed Martial Artist and they ran into your average reality martial arts guy he (or she) would wipe the floor with the reality practitioner. The reason for this has NOTHING to do with technique or strategy and EVERYTHING to do with TRAINING and ATTITUDE.
Your average mixed Martial Artist will spend at least 1 to 2 hours a day, 2 to 3 times per week training, while your average reality martial arts practitioner will watch a video, maybe attend a seminar and train when ever they feel like it. This practice does no one any good, no matter how many forum posts you make or videos you watch.
At the end of it all, technique has little to do with it. Your willingness to commit to consistent training and to subject yourself to Spartan style methods is what makes the difference.
This goes for ANY martial artist or combat sport athlete. A Kendo practitioner who commits to doing 1,000 strikes a day with a shinai (bamboo training sword) is going to be a tough customer no matter what. The athlete who runs 5 miles in the morning and spends another 2 to 3 hours in the gym is going to give you a serious run for your money. Attitude and the will to sacrifice your body for what you believe in will go a long way.
So where does reality self defense come in?
First, if you’re going to train a little bit, this is definitely the way to go. You’re better off practicing some basic strikes and strategies instead of trying to learn submission holds and sporting techniques. Reality Self Defense training will give you more “bang for your buck” so to speak. But this is not my point.
Imagine training reality self defense like a competitive athlete, running, weight training and drilling on your training dummy and heavy bag regularly. Imagine if you approached your training in this manner. I’m not talking about finding a school or anything like that- heck a pair of sneakers and a something to hit would do the trick.
If you actually trained, kept yourself in shape you would be
one tough customer and you would have to look far and wide to find someone to
give you a run for your money. In the Self Defense Training System we give you
all you need to know to develop your complete training system.
Knowledge is nothing without skill. Skill is nothing without attitude and commitment.
