Self Defense Vs. Martial Arts

It's funny to most of us but there's a big market of DVD "masters" who are selling just what you described Brian. I own about 6 of these DVD's so you better not mess with me...unless you own 7 or more.
(Thank god I'm joking)

Cowgirl, the bottom line is you don't have to pick a hi-yah art to find good training, just a good instructor who understands your goals. And remember there are NO shortcuts.

Don't be put off by any of this, you can't have known that what you saw in that movie was still as much of a stunt as any flashy kung fu movie prior to that.

I hope that you do maintain your interest in training a martial art for the purposes of bettering your ability to defend yourself. I would also advise you that regular, long term training is far better than a short course or a few weeks at a self defense camp.

There are techniques and martial arts which provide similar training to what you saw in that movie, although it's far from as easy as it's made out to be on camera.

I'd take a look at grappling arts, such as Judo, Jujitsu, BJJ, etc. Also, take a look at the arts suggested above. Best of luck to you in your search for an appropriate martial art and remember that in terms of self defense, prevention is better than cure; it's best to avoid danger before it occurs, even if you are a trained martial artist.

cowgirl, that is just a movie and that kind of cartoonishly clean and efective martial art does not exist.

if you wanna learn stuff like that, most likely like they said above, invest like 5-10 years in a style of martial art...it all depends on the dojo that you go to , how much self defense and how much art you will learn.. of course not sure what you mean be art?.. like forms and what not?.. cuz at my dojo, we do mainly self defense in the style of karate, jujitsu and judo.. not much forms.. prob what you are looking for..

Self defense !== martial arts. Although, SOME martial arts can provide you with rudimentary self-defense skills, it's not the same thing as saying martial arts = self-defense. It depends on what martial art, what self-defense program and what your goals are:

Read:
http://tracelesswarrior.blogspot.com/2004/12/martial-arts-and-self-defense.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Martial-Arts-and-Self-Defense&id=268340
http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/#personalsafety

BTW, Jason Bourne's character is a trained assasin, and apart from it being choreographed fight sequences for the purposes of screen dramatization, it isn't self-defense, nor is it martial arts either.

Virtually every move in the non- "Hi Ya" stuff has evolved from it. Besides, having studied Shotokan, Muay Thai, and San Soo for a number of years I can tell you that "Hi Ya" was a construct of movies/tv to begin with. I and many here can teach you some basic principles to get yourself out of a jam but these don't make you a butt kicker. That will get you in real trouble real fast. And even in combative styles such as Krav it takes years of commitment to become truely good at them.

...I think we lost the cowgirl. She wants to believe the bull & couldn't handle talking turkey.

(sorry, couldn't resist)

*Disclaimer: I have no personal knowledge of your school, system or qualifications beyond what you list on your website so...

My opinion of SD courses, workshops & seminars in general is that they're worth about as much as the certificate they're printed on. Case & point:

Most people who take them aren't aggressive by nature. They're looking to gain some skills that will miraculously transform them into Jet Li (give them the edge). The techniques (some good, others laughable) are rarely done full speed w/ resistance for obvious reasons (avoid injury). Since they worked @ 1/2 speed, the new "graduates" gain a new level of self-esteem. But when the sh!t hits the fan, it's not the techniques that will save your azz. It's the mind-set, the ability to transform from [censored]-cat to tiger. That will never happen in a w/e, month or year of classes. That's why continuous training in increasing levels of stress, resistance & impact is required to alter your genetic disposission. Anyone not committed to devote a serious amount of their time isn't really concerned about SD - they want reassurance.

BTW (& this is a personal question), how do you get certified to teach SD from an organization w/o "being there"...mail order? Also interesting that you studied the "materials" of many SD experts w/o actually training w/ them.

Maybe you're a naturally tough guy having worked the doors & venues, but if so, you really didn't need to study all those various MA.

I make these points w/ several years real-life encounters & several years teaching management skills so I'm not just guessing. And I'm not a naturally tough guy - everything I have has been learned, practiced & tested. I accept that my azz can be kicked @ any moment but I won't make it easy.

I highly agree that a persons aggresiveness is a big part of self-defense. Though you can not blame a self-defense class, seminar, or workshop for someones attitude towards the attack. Aggression is sometimes very hard for people to incorporate into their mindset, and yes that takes time to learn. I do believe that Seminars can be usefull, I have seen it first hand with a woman that took one. She was attacked and she fought off the attacker and made it to safety. She had only taken one seminar, but she remembered some of what she had learned. I say if you can afford it, take as many seminars and work shops as you can. Pick and choose what you like and don't like. Some seminars might be stupid, others may be very informative. I just wanted to make clear to others that seminars and such are worth taking, it won't make you an expert but it may save your life.