WTF, is Reality Based Self-Defense?

  I love to keep track of the latest Nonsense that's being promoted as “Self-Defense”. It's been in the market for a few years now, but I (really) hadn't given it much thought. I had a female ask me what “Reality Based” Self-Defense was supposed to be? And how was it different from any other Self-Defense? After ceasing my gut wrenching laughter, I informed her that it was NO different, and that it's just a marketing/advertising slogan. RBSD (Real Bull Shit Definitely) is just the latest way for persons with limited martial art's experience to to promote themselves as being knowledgeable.

    

  Just as with Reality TV, the only reality is that someone's getting paid to act like an ass-hat. After having this discussion, I decided I'd see what the latest that this “Reality” (world) was offering, and I was (unsurprisingly) disappointed as usual with what I found.

    

  I would estimate that 80-95% of these websites offered a Tattoo covered guy with muscles and a no-sleeve shirt on (to display the “tat's” I guess?), ranting about how “Traditional martial arts make you learn a lot of nonsense that doesn't work”!

   

  Despite all the complaining about traditional training methods, I saw an awful lot of the same old “sparring” nonsense being pushed as (somehow?) being the way to learn how to protect yourself. These same fool's tout that They have determined the best way to teach someone how to defend themselves (yet utilize numerous versions of the same things that everyone else uses).

     

  From a purely legal standing, the vast majority of these idiots are advocating illegal tendency's. In virtually every instance that I've found, these individual's are promoting manors of defending one's self that would cause the user be arrested in many municipalities.

The really sad part (IMO) is that there are numerous (often “ex”) police officer's who are teaching this trash! If you've read any of my own commentary’s regarding L.E. Officer's (as students), take that times 50 when they're the instructor's! The vast majority of what we are teaching student/officer's, is how to perform what they were shown in their dept. training, correctly.

    

  These idiot's only appeal to the young, physically fit, male student. Mainly because everything they teach is strength based. Although they often feature female student's (or at least scantily clad Pictures of females, LOL), try to find one that could perform the taught methodology (effectively). Better yet, find anyone who could do/use it when they're 55+ yrs. Old (against a 26 yr. Old Male Aggressor).

   

  These people are only going to appeal to a limited number/market of student's. Frankly (IMO), they can have that market. That group is rarely seeking long-term study (which is what's required for any level of proficiency in RyuTe). In any event, That group is likewise the least in need of learning any form of martial arts training.

    

  What I've seen (and experimented with some student's who have actually participated in this stuff) is almost exactly what one would see on the televised matches. None of it takes into account the lack of rules (in a real confrontation) that will influence an outcome. Nor does it consider the legal consequences of the performance of those actions which are taught. The very thing that they complain about traditional martial arts as being it's deficiency's, are it's own very weakness.