The Moment of Truth

Bruce Lee once said (to paraphrase), "when faced with the enemy, don't look for an escape route. Be ready to lay down your life." As modern practitioners of the martial arts, are we really prepared for such an event? Is your dojo a crucible for the real world? More to the point, do we have what it takes to properly respond to a life-and-death situation?

The following is a story taken from a report by the Associated Press dated Friday, 2/23/07:

A party of senior citizen American tourists were sightseeing from a chartered van while vacationing in Costa Rica. When they arrived at their destination, they all began to off board the vehicle when gunshots were heard. Three men donning ski masks rushed the elderly group. The apparent leader of the trio held a gun to the head of a female tourist and announced a robbery, while his accomplices beckoned the rest with knives. One of the tourists, an ex-serviceman in his seventies and trained in self-defense, somehow managed to free the hostage with the help of the others and subdue the gunman with a devastating headlock/choke hold. The maneuver proved to be fatal as the robber was later pronounced dead upon arrival at a local hospital. Costa Rican authorities wouldn't charge the American and cited "self defense" as just cause for his actions. The slain robber, Warner Segura, 20, had a rap sheet which included a history of assault charges. His accomplices remain at large at the time of this writing.

Although the official statement of this good Samaritan may never become public, I can say with certainty that he did not ponder, reflect upon, or consider the possibilities of "what ifs" prior to his heroic deed.

This time, justice prevailed.

Do I Feel Lucky?

Are you learning or know how to disarm an attacker with a weapon? The featured weapon of choice in most martial-art schools is the receiver-friendly rubber knife. Most novice trainees have been shown at least a couple of basic knife disarming techniques. To be honest, some of these moves are predicated on the notion that the knife wielder has no clue how to properly handle their weapon. The way of the knife is an art. Elite military personnel take their knife fighting skills to a level that would render most McDojo self-defense techniques utterly useless. The saying "never bring a knife to a gunfight" should be a reminder that everything is relative. How would an unarmed martial artist fare against a gunslinger? Would you actually consider trying to take out somebody brandishing a Glock 22 or a .357 Magnum? The following is in part an excerpt taken from The Secret of Inner Strength: My Story, by Chuck Norris with Joe Hyams:

David Glickman, a prominent defense attorney from years ago, asked Chuck Norris to help out with a murder trial he was involved with. The story is that the defendant arrived home from work early one day to find his wife in bed with another man. The husband immediately retrieved a gun from a dresser drawer. Jumping out of bed, the lover charged him. The dutiful husband, who knew that this man was a black belt in karate, shot and killed him. Glickman's plan of defense was to show that a karate expert's skill should be considered lethal. Therefore, the husband acted in self-defense. Norris was called to the stand as a professional witness on behalf of the defense. He was then cross-examined by the assistant district attorney.

DA: Do you expect the court to believe that a black belt in karate would have a chance against a man with a gun?

NORRIS: It's possible. It would depend on the distance.

DA: How about ten feet?

NORRIS: If the gun was not already cocked and aimed, I believe it is possible.

At this point, the DA asked Norris to step down from the stand and wait in front of the jury. The DA produced an unloaded gun and showed it to the jury. Standing next to Norris, he then paced off ten feet, as if reenacting a duel.

DA: I'd like you to stop me before I can cock and fire the gun.

Acting on instructions from the DA, the bailiff shouted "Now!" Like a flash of lightning, Norris sped across the courtroom and placed his foot on the DA's chest. Norris thoughtfully pulled the full power of the kick to avoid hurting the prosecutor.

DA: My thumb slipped. Let's do it again.

This is our tax dollars at work. Norris, standing relaxed with his hands at his side, waited for the command. When the bailiff gave the word, Norris once again closed the distance at light speed, gently planting his foot on the chest of the DA before the gun was cocked. As if that wasn't enough, Norris, with the help of an assistant, proceeded to break some boards to demonstrate the power of karate kicks. The defendant was acquitted.

What's interesting is that in certain cultures the husband's actions would have been seen as totally justified. Naturally it could be argued that had the husband not reached for a gun, the adulterous black belt would have had no reason to jump him. If anyone was acting in self-defense, it was the karate guy. If your martial arts instructor is showing you how to disarm an attacker with a gun, tell her/him about this story. Remember, only Superman is faster than a speeding bullet. And of course, Chuck Norris.

Teachers Gone Bad

Do you find yourself in awe of your instructor? Or do you just show the customary respect that is normally given to authority figures such as a boss or a police officer? Do you regard your sensei as a mentor and a friend? Is (s)he approachable? If you're looking for an object of admiration or a role model in your martial arts instructor you may come up short. The truth is, instructors run the gamut from being highly qualified to woefully incompetent. Others exhibit grossly unethical behavior. I remember one distraught mother who came to me describing how her son's karate teacher was so hungover from the night before his eyes were rolling back into his head - this was happening while he was teaching a children's class! Spirits is a euphemism for alcohol, not to be confused with the spirit of martial arts. He must've got them mixed up.

In his book Martial Arts Madness, Glenn Morris likens some instructors to "violence fixated phys-ed teachers without teaching degrees." Personally, I've had to listen to my share of stories of instructors field testing their martial prowess in the street and cleverly disguising foul techniques in tournaments to win trophies. These guys actually give bullies a bad name. Realize that young students are impressionable and are easily influenced by these yarns. There are no bad students - only bad teachers, says Mr. Miyagi.

Lately there seems to be a horrific trend toward pedophilia in martial-art schools. Some of these vermin do get caught (one got busted courtesy of a hidden surveillance camera in the changing room), but keeping track of past offenders can be a tall order. In Britain, the governing body enforces a criminal records bureau check. If somebody is on that list, they can't get insurance or a license to open any club that involves children. In 1984, karate teacher Jeffrey Doucet was arrested by FBI agents for allegedly kidnapping and molesting an 11 year old student. While he was awaiting extradition at a Louisiana airport, he was shot in the head execution-style by the victim's father right in front of a TV news crew. He probably did the guy a favor, as hard-time prisoners have an established code of ethics that put child abusers on the lowest rung and mete out their own form of justice.

Finally on a somewhat lighter note, a martial arts club from my area was closed down recently when it was discovered that it was operating as a brothel during the day. Apparently the owner felt that teaching kung fu and offering "massage therapy" was providing a community service. He avoided jail time, but his probation officer is keeping close tabs on him. At least somebody is doing their job right.

Egomania

Have you ever trained with somebody who really gets on your nerves? I'm talking about the guy or gal who's so full of themselves that you're tempted to take off your belt and use it to strangle them (not recommended)! If you've been involved in the martial arts for any length of time, by now you realize that the training hall can be rife with all kinds of egocentric behavior. With the modern advent of belts, trophies, and especially titles, it's no wonder. But here's the really interesting part: traits that we're able to observe in others are likely to be a part of us as well. Projection is a term used in psychology that refers to aspects of personality or behavior that we assign to others that we don't dare to admit we actually own.

Admitting to one's own flaws requires introspection and a certain amount of gall. In the martial arts (and especially Zen) awareness is a central topic. Self-awareness is the ultimate goal of this journey that is traditionally approached through a meditation practice (mokuso). Freud once remarked that most neuroses can be traced to the fear of self-knowledge. That's an interesting indictment. Why would we be so afraid to "know ourselves"? I'm not trying to sound rhetorical here, but rather illustrate the idea that many people have trouble confronting their own demons.

Personality disorders such as narcissism are basically veiled coping mechanisms; they're rooted in fear. Fear, as it turns out, is the motivating factor that drives many people to the martial arts. Latent fear expresses itself through the human psyche in many guises, such as anger, greed, violent behavior, and envy. When a student I used to train with received a green belt after only three months of lessons, another member became outraged. "It took me over a year to get my green belt!", he argued. As it turned out, the newly promoted student did not receive any preferential treatment and in fact deserved his rank. Another time there was a student who would never admit defeat in sparring, no matter how lop-sided the match appeared. Healthy competition in the dojo is favorable, but it should never be at the expense of camaraderie. For some, the martial path becomes pathological.