Recently I watched a video where the host of the video
commented that he wanted a martial art / training that allowed him to deal with
a trained killer.
What does that mean, what IS a trained killer?
Is a trained killer a person with military training?
… or maybe police training?
… how about a streetfighter?
… or a martial artist?
What do you consider a “trained killer”? Do you think your
training would keep you safe against this trained killer?
Let’s look at this more closely. I have worked with many
solders over the years and I can tell you that their training (at least hand-to
hand) is NOT what people would think. Pound for pound, most of my orange belts
would best many of the solders I have trained with. Solder, trained killer, yes
but in hand-to-hand or self-defence… not really. Now if we are talking elite
level solders, ie Special Forces, etc. then that changes the equation. Their
training, while better than the average solder, is still not what you would
expect. What really sets these people apart from the rest is their mind set.
The do or die type of mindset. We will talk about this more in a bit.
How about the police. Really, they are very similar to the
military but with a focus put on subdue and restrain. BUT the level of training
they receive is, once again, not what you would expect. Trained yes,
hand-to-hand / self-defence… not really, trained killer no.
Streetfighter. Formal training or no these people have
learned the hard way. They have taken the hits and done what it takes to
survive. Trained killer… maybe. Many of these “street fights” have only been in
fights with people much less capable, and likely much smaller, then them. Many
are more bullies than anything but some can be very capable and very dangerous.
What about a martial artist? Well much like a street fighter
this really depends on their training. What martial art do they do? How long
have they been training? Do they train for fun, fitness and/or self-defence?
Being a black belt in martial art in karate, tae kwon do, akido, judo,
jiu-jitsu… does NOT make you a trained killer, though this is often the
public’s perception of a black belt. What about me, I’m a 4th degree
black belt in Jukoshin Ryu Jiu-jitsu with over 18 years of martial arts
experience! Some would say yes I would quality as a “trained killer” and others
would laugh, shake their heads, and say no.
How about UFC fighters? Most trained people are going to
have a hard time dealing with any UFC professional fighter. Trained killer…
likely. BUT what about somebody like Bas Rutten (if you don’t know who he is,
look him up)? Trained killer… YES. How many of the current UFC champs would be
able to stand up to Bas is a street fight, no rules, no referee… ? My guess
would be not many.
SO what does this all mean? Well first off “trained killer”
is a matter of your view point, relative to your training level. If you don’t
have much training, the bar is fairly low, lots of training and the bar will be
higher. Does what you train in have an effect, yes… and no. There are some
martial arts that are much better for self-defence than other but I’m not going
into that debate here. It is very possible for somebody to be in a solid
self-defence martial art style, could have a black belt and still not be able
to defend themselves. It is also possible for somebody to be in a martial art
style that is lacking and still be very effective.
At a base level, what makes somebody good at self-defence is
the same thing that makes somebody a “trained killer”… the willingness to do
what it takes to win. Don’t get me wrong, training does play a role, but it’s
not enough, if you’re not willing to do what it takes to win.
Next week I should have a new video for you!
As always is you are looking for more great videos or to learn the wonderful art of jiu-jitsu please check out our web site at www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com. There you will our distance education program so you can learn jiu-jitsu anywhere at your own pace.
If you would like to repost this blog article or the videos with in you may do so but must include the following credit "The above information / video has been provide by Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling and is used with their permission, www.tigersdenjiu-jitsu.com, www.learn-jiu-jitsu-online.com"
Cheers,
Jamie Rickard (Sensei)
Head Instructor
Koketsu Kai - Tiger's Den Jiu-jitsu and Grappling
Located at:
SMA/Patry Total Fitness
745 Development Dr
Kingston, Ontario
