I know it's not exactly Rokas' or Rob's lane, but I think it's important to note that the comparing of the bullshido guys to Tony Robbins or Gary V might give folks the impression that the mainstream self-help industry isn't also made up of con artists. Those guys are also full of shit, just slightly less dangerous. That said, this was a great conversation - the grocery store scenario is a great way to explain how these cons work.
@@ChuckSeville All I know is I can’t hear the name without thinking of the Whose Line Is It Anyway? episode with the Scenes From a Hat segment asking for “Other gifts the Wise Men could have given baby Jesus”. One of the examples was Wayne Brady claiming, “With this series of motivational tapes by Tony Robbins, the Messiah will lead his people!” The other example I remember was Ryan Stiles declaring, “The Child will derive hours of entertainment from this, the novelty singing bass!”
You should do a chart of categories for fake martial arts masters (like goofy fool, predatory behavior, cult leader, and criminally violent just to name a few)
Great video Rokas and Rob! I learned a lot from the video and it’s scary how rampant that kind of behavior is in martial arts. Speaking from my own experience of being excommunicated from the people that I knew for close to 20 years, to then be unfriended on Facebook and dropped was a really big eye opener to the cultish behavior that was right in front of me. Thanks again and keep up the hard work. Be safe, be well, keep training hard!
My favorite thing about kungfu is that you’ll see random so called masters who’ll get taken down by people with no training then see some random old guy who does this a hobby or to work actually doing impressive displays of his arts
My favourite thing about people talking bs about kung fu is how none of you will ever go to schools near shaolin or wudang and call out somebody, to teach you a lesson of humiliation
I'm surprised that Frank Dux didn't make it on any one's list. I will say this though even though Dux was a fraud at least because of him we have one of the greatest martial arts movies of all time. Maybe that was his saving grace from making a list lol. Any ways great episode loved the collaboration between both of you.
See, Aikido has gotten a lot of crap, but since leaving and training other styles I realized I definitely learned to roll, I definitely learned some wrist locks, and I DEFINITELY learned to breakfall. These guys are delusional and I feel bad for the students
@@manlyadvice1789 yes there is. Aikido gets a lot of shit from people that have no experience with it, they just don’t understand what they are seeing. Aikido teaches you to blend with incoming forces and redirect it, not using muscular strength. Both judo and jujitsu rely heavily on strength. Aikido is definitely something that takes much longer to be proficient in, judo and jujitsu doesn’t take that long to be able to use it fairly well, so you usually don’t see many people with aikido skills that can actually be used real world.
I studied under Prather's people and was gang stalked by some of their goons when I pointed out the harm that was done. The social anxiety and trauma that left on me was significant. I have never joined another dojo from a lack of trust for these reasons.
It’s fascinating how often people talk about trauma these days. Most of my life people would have called what you went through stress. Not necessarily a bad thing to change how we describe things. I just think it’s interesting.
Wait - did you just suggest that Gary V and Tony Robbins are safe people to listen to? Cause they're pretty close to as bad as Fabia and all the others
Loving the video so far Rokas! My question is why would George Dillman even agree to the Nat Geo special? Did he really think the “no touch knockout” was gonna work? Is it a case of “all publicity is good publicity?”
Dillman supposedly did testing with some University . People hooked up to machines. Guess he got some good results. So to your question I think yes he does believe it.
Well some guy on Stan Lee's superhuman did the same thing his name was Tom something I think? Called "The Human Stun Gun." Basically same no touch knockout concept, same stooges etc. Basically the producers set up some type of machine and it did register "something." Which is why I believe they aired the episode lol Edit I googled it his name is Tom Cameron and he was called the human stun gun by Ripley believe it or not.
I love that your thumbnail is a fake blue belt. Like who would lie about being a blue belt? You know someone would, but I’m just saying it’s a good lol.
Ego is a huge problem in MMA. Too many people trying to knock out sparring partners or people who train just to go out and get in street fights on purpose
Once upon a time George Dillman was a ranked and respected martial artist. He was Mohamed Ali's body guard for a while too. He was a legit stunt performer and a legit person. He was Elvis' Sensei for a bit. I have no idea what happened in between him getting with Pricilla Presley and what we see today that turned him into a bizarre Dragon Ball Z-Esque Larper. But I'd love to know the story sometime.
Maybe getting those bodyguard jobs had more to do with being convincing than having the skills? As to Elvis, I love what he's helped change in society, and how he brought folks to karate, but he was at best an ordinary beginner, and easily exploited.
@@29maurice Dillman had some legit skills in the ring. The problem with the film is that the presenters rightly disapprove of what Dillman represents now and retroject that disapproval into his past. History shows plenty of people who were very skilled in all sorts of ways and who eventually went off the rails. Their end doesn't mean that their beginning wasn't genuine.
One of the most interesting things is you can see him doubt, if he really should say the secret flaw to his death star powers. The momment he try to process he is a fraud and his ego goes in his defense, even at the cost of giving a free cryptonite present to his imaginary enemies on NATIONAL tv... like if superman was so insecure that prefers to not look weak never at the cost of making himself useless. Yeah that moment really saved me alot of things in my life.
Between the two of y'all's videos, it's made really rethink a lot about martial arts schools. I feel bad for some of my friends who have dedicated decades to something that might ultimately be bullshit. In many cases, they are still competent fighters, but theyre not as good as they could of been if they hadn't been sucked into the cult.
What I learned from a leftist security services work where we often work at bars and deal with drunken ppl, that if it gets physical (often de-escalation works best but some times it doesn't) non ammunition of former combat sports training my coworkers had really helped in a street fight. Sure it helps a little with strength and reaction time. But when it comes down to it there area few issues. 1. And most ppl don't realize that, humans usually don't want to do real damage to others especially if you are sober and the other is not, so you for sure don't just want to tage a swing on a person. 2. Street just doesn't go by the rules of martial arts or any kind of combat sport for that matter. 3. Fights don't just stop, so you gotta have a plan and technique to go a step further and salve the situation. We have training in a very simple technique that relays heavy on basic wrestling thing to have like a self defense that won't do damage to the other person, but it is very basic and anything beyond that won't even find usage in a real conflict.
Every Judo Dojo is like this by necessity. The reason Judo is so legit is that you absolutely cannot teach it without pressure testing. Any technique that isn't effective has been discarded decades ago. All that remains are effective and intuitive combat forms.
I’ve also heard it’s a bad sign if a martial arts school/instructor goes seeking students. The philosophy is that if a school/teacher is actually good, then potential students will come to them, not the other way around. Edit- I’ve been given food for thought in the replies.
@karaoconnolraliasraidra But that is the problem, it is a philosophy. In the American context - and this film is almost entirely American - there are people who make their living by training others. This applies to Martial Arts and to Sports, Pilates, Yoga etc. These people aren't necessarily known to the wider community, so if they wait for people to find them, they may starve. Once a martial artist is established and well known, then they will pick up students without a problem. In China and Japan and Okinawa it was not like this, at least in the past. In the past, of course, martial arts were not open to everyone. Chinese Arts belonged to families or villages (e.g.; Chen Tai Chi), Okinawan Karate also might belong to a family or community. Japanese Arts originated in warfare and were linked to specific warriors who were - usually - in service to a particular Lord and his family. In each of these instances, the art would only be passed on to a limited number of people, either family/village members or to other warriors in service to the same lord. In those historical contexts, the teaching was restricted and there were incentives not to spread the teachings. In the modern context, even excellent teachers with legitimate background may need to teach publicly in order to support themselves and in order to maintain their art.
@@charleshayes2528 I see. I hadn’t stopped to consider the differences in culture and eras. Maybe it’s better to say good teachers will gain positive word of mouth.
@@karaoconnoraliasraidra I absolutely agree! However, the word of mouth may be restricted to an "in-crowd", so that the Karate community may know who to go to to get advanced teaching in Karate but may not know anything about who to trust in HEMA. Thankfully, this is becoming less common and the walls between various arts are more transparent. But . . . the average non-Martial Artist might have no idea who to trust with the teaching of their children.
I had to leave that dojo 2x. First I left and did some Aikido. I enjoyed my Aikido school but saw weaknesses in the training and it was bad for my back health(breakfalls daily unlike occasionally in Karate). Then I went back to my old dojo and after a few years it got toxic again. Lucky I had about 90% of the system ( Goju Karate ). At this point I had my schools and students. I went my own way.
The bowing is not cult....it is culture. However the cult part was more how we trained and with who. They acted as of they had the only answers. Also they tried to control the questions too.
I love these discussions, because I practice martial science/arts for two primary reasons: 1) to prolong my life (longevity) and 2) to minimize self injury ... outside of that, there's no reason to focus on harming others but self defense is an important need so a vital 3rd reason to learn. I know the meaning of a McDojo personally because my very first Taekwondo school was run by a fraudulant grandmaster which my new (legit) Taekwondo master made me aware was a total sham and would "kick his ass if [he] ever sees him in person." Nothing but respect for Master O of Kyung Ki Taekwondo. I love what Rob is doing and everyone involved in this ongoing necessary project to enlighten people to make better decisions about who they choose to learn from. Bravo.
Your discussion from about 25:30 - 37:00 is so profound. Everyone should listen to that carefully. I sort of fell into a semi-cult in my early 20's and after I looked more deeply at it, and abandoned (most of) those ideas, I really studied critical thinking, social pressure, and how to resist being lead astray by charlatans. Most important journey of my life, by far. Later, I had the experience of training under an Aikido sensei just as he was making the transition from really skilled martial artist to a Narcissist with delusions of godhood. One day after a seminar he sat down at the front of the class and his students sat around him like so many kids marveling at a magician. One asked “What do you think is the most important thing?” He replied with one word, “truth”. Being more analytical and skeptical than most people, I wanted to ask “What do you mean by Truth? Are we talking about natural truth? Spiritual truth? Social truth, like integrity?” I got as far as “What do you mean…?” when he interrupted me and scolded me, calling me a troublemaker. I nodded and shut up, and at the first opportunity went to the dressing room, changed my clothes and never went back. Over the next few years the other people I was studying with came to realize what a douchebag and a charlatan he was- and a very dangerous one, because he truly was a gifted martial artist. The more I go through life the more I realize that the old saw “ power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” is one of the wisest things ever said.
If you do a martial art and don’t spar and not sparring like they do in aikido then it’s pretty useless, even when I did king fu we would spar each other and test what worked.
You know, mentioning falling in the trap of a cult, i was passing through a rough time in my life so i wanted ti learn yoga so i searched for the best teacher or institute for that, so i found it, found the most organized and the biggest institute in my country and it was n still one of the biggest around the world so i went in and the yoga is like made into levels so i started the first program and looking at all the other members and specially the advanced students and they looked like they were under a spell of the guru, and the guru is in india and teaches online, i realized they were a cult and i researched the institute and also found out that i was right it was a religeous cult, but they still taught the best meditation and yoga techniques so i stuck around learned what i wanted and got out and they tried to contact me a lot later on but i resisted going back and building on what i learned from them i started researching and teaching myself the rest of it
Glad you put this out Rokas- cult behavior is fascinating. Hassan’s book uses his B.I.T.E. model. I pray you are healing from your injury. Please update us and let us know how you are….
"I know the Dim Mak. My hands are registered as deadly weapons in 4 states. My dad was a CIA operative but I never met them. He killed so many guys in Vietnam." lol
Great video Rokas. If you want to see Aikido techniques working with fully resisting ukes right from the start, without using force, come to Portugal and train Portuguese Personal Defense. Vitor Gomes studied kickboxing, Muai Thai, BJJ, JJ, Aikido, etc and altered the techniques to work in the modern world. For me Vitor Gomes is the portuguese Bruce Lee. For forty years he perfected the techniques and made them work in street scenarios. They train for controling the oponent. In todays world we have laws to follow and we can't hurt people unless we are atacked by more than one. Proporcionality defense. We can't use brutality. In Lisbon you can sparr with Hugo Silva and check it for yourself.
I remember buying an Ashida Kim ninja book and even as a 12 year old girl who’d taken some martial arts, Tae Kwon Do at the time, I was like wow this dumb and goofy as shit… I’m totally buying this! If I remember correctly he had one bit of useful info in that people usually don’t look up. Other than that it was all absolute b.s.
The ones I laugh at the most are when the students participate in the fraud. Anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together can clearly see they are going along with it in the hopes people will believe it to be legit. Then when they get called on it by an actual trained fighter, the excuses as to why it didn’t work are hysterical.
I'm about 4 minutes into the video and hoping that John C. Kim of Chung Moo Quan infamy makes the list. That dude messed up a lot of his students and instructors. I'm sure in for a great video nonetheless.
You know, its odd. John C Kim was one of the biggest martial arts frauds ever...yet he's hardly ever mentioned. I actually found where he learned...turns out he was kicked out at about mid way to Black Belt.
Take a look at "Dr" Soke Rod Sachornoski. Master of Jujutsu, Judo, Karate, Bujutsu and a never ending pile of arts. Also known as the guy who takes full power shots to the nuts
The truth of the matter when confronting those who are in a cult (regardless of the type of cult) is that their indoctrination is built on three things, contingency, redundancy and conflict. As a being that grew up in a cult the most important of three to be aware of when attempting to help someone in a cult realise, is the conflict aspect. In religious cults there is always a "them vs us" mentality. Anyone not with us is against us. They expect to be mocked and ridiculed and attacked. This mentality is also very prevalent in the martial arts cult of personality garbage. So the best way to approach these people who are indoctrinated, is with kindness, charity and understanding. By getting them to ask themselves the questions and by being non confrontational about it, you have your best chance to not trigger the contingencies and redundancies. Where the approach is effective, the cultists essentially "defuse" themselves. If you don't push back where they expect you to push back, if you don't rise to their bait, if you are charitable instead of ridiculing, they really don't know how to respond. You also circumvent the "the world outside the cult is cold and hostile and the only safety is inside" kind of mentality or variations of that so often seems people want to remain. There are fundamental aspects of cult mentality that it is important to learn about so you can avoid the pitfalls when talking to people in cults of any kind.
McDojoLife is a cool channel, I like the humour Rob uses when covering this stuff that and his coverage is solid. Yep the Cult of personality has become a big issue in general it's not just the Arts these days, I say that as somebody that is expressly not pleased with general direction this stuff has gone in overall. The take about not liking certain legitimate Martial arts personalities I'm a bit split about, As you can still be an exemplary martial artist, but the have personality of a rock and the ego of hot air balloon which can lead to people saying stuff that they just shouldn't and deservedly should be called out for as it's all about staying humble. Not talking about you Rokas, you seem like the kind of guy that is just constantly chill so yeah.
The best way to con a person is to actually know what you're talking about. As 80's wrestling bookers would often say, "If I say A and B and both are true, why would you believe C is bullshit?". If you base your con on the exaggeration of truth, or build up legitimate accolades, the appeal to authority will set in.
Ok, so two things here! First, Rokas, as always, a great video. However, I cannot believe that both you and Rob didn't include Bryce Dallas as the #1! So much worse than Hydrick! Even worse than Kalah! Please, either or both of you, investigate Bryce Dallas, founder of Konigun Ninjutsu! Easily the most outlandish, dangerous, and destructive Martial Arts fraud!
Rokas' guest misspoke in how he used the term excommunication--unless he meant it in a loose metaphor. Excommunication as used in the ancient sacramental churches is not cultish but medicinal and, very significantly (going against his definition), all communication and interaction does not necessarily cease--often only denial of the sacraments, the reception of which implies solidarity of belief. Nobody is going to drive you away from attending a Divine Liturgy, prevent you seeking private counsel with the priest, or make a scene over you attending parish socials just because you are excommunicated unless there are aggravating circumstances. There are automatic excommunications for certain sins that make you ineligible to receive the Eucharist, for example, but you may participate in all other aspects of a worship service.
Some thoughts: 1. Watching way to many Rokas and Rob videos to actualy know witch names will come up in the list. 2. I've trained Aikido for a short period as class at Uni. Something was alwayas "off" about it. Now I'm sucking at Judo (again, thanks, Rob, Icy and Seth for inspiring me to go on this fantastic and bruised jurney) and it feels great. 3. Sad reality, eaven if You have CPR/firtst aid certified instructors we won't be able to save every one. I lost two off my friends, one from heart attack (congenital defect) after a warm up in kick boxing class, and second from brain aneurysm pop during wrestling trainning. There was a swift reaction from CPR trained professionals in both cases, but there were not able to do anything. 4. Sveikinimai iš Lenkijos Rokas! Sorry for TLDR comment.
Great video Rokas I have a story about Idan Abolnick. In 2012 he came to the company i was working at to give a demonstration. He started off with a BS story about arriving in South Africa and how he killed 3 hijackers at the airport. I was doing Aikido at the time and i mentioned it to him. He then proceeded to tell me how useless Aikido was and how i should come train with him. One of his instructors hit me really hard with an open palm strike to my chest (totally unprovoked - presumably trying to show how good his Krav Maga system was). The Krav Maga demonstration was actually quite good, but i was put off by their arrogance. I actually agree with him that Aikido is useless in a real fight, but i am always put off when one instructor mockingly states how bad another martial art is.
That was a super interesting listen. Some real crazy characters in the Martial Arts world! I thought the 'ignorance is bliss' idea you started to elaborate on was really interesting. I think anyone who has crossed over from a TMA to a combat sport has experienced this thought process. It kind of reminds me of the scene in the Wizard of Oz when they look behind the curtain and find that the wizard is a fraud. When you have this kind of realisation nothing's ever the same again. It would be cool to hear you do a deep dive on this topic.
I'm friends with Ashida Kim. Yeah, the stuff is fantasy, but I always loved his undying obsession with martial arts and in a way it shares that fire. I don't know why I adore him, he's a genuinely nice guy. Anyone worth their salt can see what is fake and I doubt they fall for the Dim Mak, and then begin to interpret this guy like I do. He doesn't run a school. Otherwise, I'd be like wtf man.
The guy next to Bruce Lee n George Tillman is jhoon rhee the father of American tae kwon do and there are more pix of them than this I'm sure Mr dillman trained Ali's 1st wife in karate back in 60s 70s he was great tourney competitor though I'm not into the no touch thing my self
1:40:50 RE: Yashida Kim: " The delusion is what is making him happy in life. And most of the time there's nothing wrong with that- except for the fact that he's teaching people utter garbage." I loved your Discussion of how being skeptical and analytical can isolate you sometimes, and "Flowers for Algernon." Great book. I can _so_ relate. There was a movie made of it, too simply called "Charly". Don't know how strictly it sticks to the book, but it sounds similar. You guys have a way of casually dropping really profound nuggets, _much_ more profound and actually useful than any of the gurus in martial arts or, alternative health ideas, or religious leaders who are trying _so hard_ to be profound, and _think_ they're succeeding at it. I'd love to talk to you some time. Do either of you live anywhere near Denver Colorado?
Great video Rokas and Rob. When me and my wife were looking for a studio for our 5 years old to learn Ju-Jitsu and found a place we book a trial lesson to see if he would like it and had a long conversation with the Sensei and he explained everything, that all instructors had a DBS check (criminal record check what is mandatory if you want to work with children in the UK even if the parents are present at all times), where qualified instructors by the Governing Body and had first aids. But even with all that information, we decided to do our own research into the school and their Governing Body because we wanted to be sure if it was a safe school for our son. Now I practice there too but I always keep my own critical thinking. Most of the guys there dont like BJJ and it is not good compared to our Ju-Jistu but this week I told them I started going to BJJ to see how it was and Im enjoying both.
James hydrick was exposed a couple of times wasn’t he? James Randi went on the show what’s my line (or something similar) where he demonstrated his pencil and page turning the second time and told them to scatter foam packing peanuts around the table so many blowing would move them. Hydrick made up a story about the foam and the lights causing static that stuck the pages together or some such thing after he failed to move a page over the course of the show. Ah, I see he went on to mention this.
Hi Rokas, great to have you back. Congrats to the marriage :) when you're done with Flowers for Algernon I have another book recommendation for you. You mentioned that your critical approach sometimes makes you miserable and that it influences how you see people. I can wholeheartedly recommend "HumanKind" by the historian Ruter Bregman. It's a historical outlook on the human nature and it's core premise is, that homo sapiens are morally "good", meaning friendly, social, altruistic, helpful, happy, etc. I'm admittedly biased since I studied history, so this book is my jam already, but it really is one of the best explanations on human behavior I've ever read and it heavily influenced how I see people and the world. To me it proved that being critical and being positive aren't opposites, but the same thing, since it's often way harder to believe in the good in people and assuming the worst is an easy way out.
I had this argument for years with a friend when we were younger. He would argue that humans are inherently evil, and I would argue humans were inherently good. Really smart guy, hard to get the better of him even though biology brings us a lot of evidence. I've gotten a more nuanced outlook but I still argue that while humans are capable of both, most of us are inclined toward good.
At roughly 1:00:00, totally agree. I have a student, and never rose above purple at my highest. Made that clear from the off, and demand I'm not called sensei or sifu. I haven't earned that title yet in my eyes.
One thing he forgot about talking about the grocery store comparison is refrigeration, of course, you can go get a warm soda in the store, but do you really want a warm soda on a hot day while running errands? Plus for those of us with control issues buying six means we're probably drinking six. Thinking like that is exactly how I gained 60 pounds, why buy the smaller more expensive one when I can get six times the amount for pennies mrore?
Rokas was condition to believe what he believed I think cults do the same thing like jws or other cults will tell one thing then other that matches but different way just like marital arts so yeah good job guys
I had ALL the Ashida Kim books when I was young (all the ones then in print ...luckily he hadn't done his erotic book just yet), and I remember taking them super seriously! LMFAO!!! EDIT: OMG, that's amazing. Where are all the Ashida Kim students with THEIR MCDojos!? If Frank Dux can have students and schools, why not his guy?
I see the value of warning people against cult type behaviour and in pointing out that skill in martial arts doesn't necessarily make someone a guru or teacher anymore than being able to fix a flat tire gives someone the skills to fix a relationship. However, I see three problems with this video. First and foremost: the ambiguity of the title. "Fake Martial Artist" can mean that someone fakes their ability as a martial artist, their fighting ability or grades, it can also mean someone who teaches a fake martial art - such as those guys who claim to be the sole inheritor of ancient Egyptian fighting arts which have been handed down from the Pharoahs. The first person may practice a legitimate martial art but they aren't a high ranking exponent. The second is a scam artist. Then, there is the problem of accusing someone of being a fake because you don't like their art or because they got beaten by someone else. There are examples of skilled MMA and other "realistic" fighters being hurt because they were attacked unexpectedly and with an unorthodox techniques and the same thing has happened to relatively high ranking Karate teachers and I know of at least one Sambo teacher. This does not mean, necessarily, that their arts were either "fake" or useless, but that their training had focused on using their skills in a particular context. Boxers tend to fight boxers, Karateka spar with other Karateka and so on. This is why there is a resurgence of interest in Kata, because certain highly qualified sensei, such as Patrick McCarthy have researched and have argued that Karate and Kata is not intended for the battlefield or even the stand up "fair fight" but for dealing with the unexpected surprise attack by the equivalent of a mugger. If, however, the Karate you have learned is geared to a fair fight at modern sparring distance and using large techniques, you may fail in the close-up sudden encounter with a mugger. (I appreciated Rob pointing out that there is not just one "Karate" and this is not just a matter of different styles, but of different emphases.) This brings me to another point, related to the above. Martial Arts, literally means "military arts" or "arts of war" - if you assume that this is the only meaning of the term today, you will be led astray. Arts that used to be useful, such as archery and swordsmanship, are no longer battlefield arts (usually) and other arts were never intended for the battlefield - if people like Sensei McCarthy are correct. In Japan there is the clear recognition that "Martial Arts" is a complex term and can cover old school (koryu) Samurai systems, originally intended for the battlefield - loosely "jutsu" - the adaptation of those same arts for the extended period of peace of the Tokugawa era - the original "Do" schools and the later developments of those into recreation and sport, so that modern Kendo is related to both of the older streams but is not identical with them in either purpose or context. Thus, it is kind of pointless to ask "is Kendo practical?" Nevertheless, the Japanese would say that it is a martial art. In the same way, Ueshiba's Aikido was and is a Martial Art (in the Japanese sense) whether or not it is or is even meant to be - effective. There is a need to distinguish between the person and their role as a Martial Artist. Their character or lack of it is not the same thing as their art (or lack of it.) There are stories of highly accomplished masters of martial arts who were kindly people and others who were sadistic and brutal. Some famous masters liked to drink to excess and over eat. Some died young and others lived to an old age. None of those factors tell us anything about their actual skills. So, while it is absolutely right to warn people against investing too much trust in their teacher, sensei or sifu, that is quite different from "fake martial artist". A person could be a wonderful person and hopeless at martial arts, another could be a brilliant martial artist (within their context) and be absolutely horrible as a person. This film risks confusing the issue. Dillman is a case in point. I think the disapproval of what Dillman now is has coloured your perception of him as a person and what he has done in the past. He was not always into Kyusho-jutsu and was a skilled karate fighter, as well as a relatively high dan grade in his original style. Originally, his exploration of Kyusho points was connected to a desire to understand Kata and why the old masters valued it so much. Whether you accept it or not, weak points are a genuine aspect of traditional martial arts and Kyusho is an extension of that, based on the medical paradigm which would have influenced the original founders of Karate. (Yes, modern medicine might dismiss traditional Chinese medicine, but the Okinawans didn't have our knowledge.) While the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) explanation of how the body works is not accepted by the West, much of the phenomenology (what happens and what they saw happen) is sound. So I have texts on vital points that explain some techniques based on modern medical principles, such as concussion, shock, pain compliance and so on. This does not mean that kyusho can impart magical powers, but that strikes to vital points may indeed work. (Making them work in combat is another issue.) One practitioner of Tai Chi even pointed out the scientific basis of the supposed "death touch", in that a strike to a certain part of the body will damage the underlying artery and this can cause the arterial wall to break down over time. There is a risk that this can lead to stroke and death, even years later. I am deliberately not identifying the techniques nor the target area, since these comments are public, but I have confirmed this with doctors. We also know that blows can damage the underlying organs and that death can result sometime later, this would give rise to the myth of the death touch - but not because of Chi or psychic powers but just due to the nature of the human body. I am not supporting Dillman or the wackier end of the Martial Arts, but to discredit the whole topic because of the extremists is foolish in the extreme! Even within the realm of the more conservative arts, it is clear that many ancient warrior systems had a sophisticated practical understanding of how the human body responds to events. While their explanation for how the body worked was erroneous, the basic skills were sound. Finally, this entire video is utterly American in focus, both in its good features - such as warning people not to be gullible in their submission to cultic leaders, something that is not limited to martial arts in America - and in its bad features. While I agree that we should not assume that the leader of the McDojo down the road is a fount of all wisdom, the criticism fails to acknowledge that many of the martial arts being practised did not originate in America. Both China and Japan were and are Confucianist and hierarchical. The titles used for teachers of martial arts in these nations refer to this sense of hierarchy and the expected respect that is accorded to the teacher. In that context, the role of a Sensei or Sifu is akin to that of a father and respect for one's father is not restricted to their professional skills. I am not suggesting that this is "right" or "wrong" (Patrick McCarthy has spoken about the potential negative effects of such a mindset.) What it does mean is that there was an accepted code of conduct within martial arts schools and dojos and the early Western Students absorbed this. When I was a boy, many Western Karate teachers were quite hard and even brutal - because they had attempted to adopt the behaviour of their teachers without understanding it or its context. Not all bad behaviour is criminal in intent, it may just be the result of poor teaching. The best teachers I had - as a teenager and young man in the UK - did attempt to be good role models and to be mentors and to give guidance, but they did not pretend to be gods or infallible. BTW I do not know why "mentor" is such a negative word for Rob? It has a perfectly good meaning and can be used quite properly of those who have taught you and led you into deeper development. I am 69 years old, retired and I still think of the man who first trained me in my chosen profession (when I was 22) as my mentor. I would value his advice at any time. However, unlike the "fake" gurus you refer to, there came a time when I was no longer under his tutelage and he would sometimes ask my advice. The teacher-student relationship can go far outside the impartation of narrow skills without becoming abusive. In Japan there were and are institutions (the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, the Kokusai Budoin,) that oversaw/oversee Japanese martial arts both nationally and internationally. So the situation is not entirely a free for all, as it appears to be in America. In Eastern Martial Arts in general, there is more emphasis on lineage - who someone trained with and who their trainer was, all the way back to the founder of the art. There is also an emphasis on the Dojo where one trained, for example, the Kodokan for Judo. This meant that there were some safeguards, in that your teacher or Sensei was supposed to be part of a system - a family tree, if you will. BTW the correct plural of "Hall of Fame" is "Halls of Fame" not "Hall of Fames". These things seem to be entirely American and reflect the obsession with celebrity culture that is typically American and that may be the true cause of some of the problems you identify, rather than martial arts per se. (Look at how people will take advice from online influencers and youtube personalities.)
Well, now I know what chatolic priests have in COMMON with fake martial art masters (sadly) ; -- Most of them are pedo's or at least abusers ! When I was much younger , I have been learning Wing Chun ( --it is good only for defense - ) for some time . Teacher was legit and decent guy ; he gained the knowledge of Wing Chun when he was living in China for ten years. We had light sparing ewery time we trained (and I am sooo much grateful for that becouse most of martial art schools don't do that, but SPARING is like a simulation of a real fight where you can FEEL yourself, FEEL your opponent, FEEL real (unexpected) strikes and punches . I think that only with sparing (in any martial art) you can REALLY learn how to use (and improvise) special techniques in a practical, real way! Also I trained wrestling, both styles (Free style and ofcourse Greek-roman style) , and i COULD imagine that without real, hard sparing, more like real wrestling matches, but on 70 - 80 percent of strength , wrestling competitions and tournaments would be just like those poor karate and taekwondo (show) tournaments (both of these martial arts were real competitive full contact sport wit real fights like Wrestling, Savate - French boxing, Kick boxing...) ... and then in the late 70's Karate and other Asian martial arts JUST stopped to be competitive combat sports, - they "softened" like those "pillow's" (protective gear) that is wrapped around their whole body 'n' head, what "fighters" 😂😂!!! Oh yeah, that guy, Edon? A real bastard, spineless freak !!
At the 14 minute mark: THIS! I did martial arts for 15 years - started when I was 46. Ostensibly, I left because my knees and shoulders were giving out. But another reason that I left is exactly what you are talking about: I had some great teachers, and some not-so-great. Some of them were students of Dillman - I kid you not. But all the "masters" believed that they had the right to tell me how to live my life, and I had an obligation to obey. FFS I was older than a lot of them!
Piano teacher here. I find it very interesting to see the parallels between the world of martial arts instruction and music instruction. Fake teachers, con artists and the like. I've seen music instructors take advantage of the fact that most of their clients don't know the first thing about music or how to practice, the terminology, etc. and will put zero effort into helping students progress. No curriculum, no goals, no notes, no homework. Just milking the clock and collecting the checks. Basically music McDojo teachers. What is frustrating is that teachers like this wouldn't exist without the demand. Just like many parents sign up their kids to a McDojo because they want them to have "the experience" without having to work hard or learn self discipline, parents also sign up the kids for music lessons that are specifically watered down and "fun", i.e. no practice, no study of technique, no theory. Just easy feel-good times and constant affirmations of the child's "brilliance". This is a great way to ruin a child and give them a horribly false sense of self confidence, setting them up ultimately for failure. I've seen this type of instruction widespread at almost every level of institution except for university. They actually have to have curriculum and standards there.
My first Bujinkan teacher was a student of Prather's (not involved in any of the weird stuff) back when I used to train. For me the 5th dan (sakki) test isn't that big of a deal. I know it's weird to a lot of people, but I know many people who did it because that's what they do, and aren't weird about it at all. It's all the other stuff about Prather! That stuff is bat-shit crazy, and so far beyond not-ok.
You guys are dead ass wrong. George Dillman is the greatest hand to hand combat master EVER! In ancient Greece, even Achilles had a wristband that said "WWGDD?".
A further comment. I am no fan of Ashida Kim and am not defending him, but what does a person's height or weight have to do with their worth as a person or their functionality as a martial artist? I am not suggesting that Kim is a good martial artist, but there are many examples of smaller persons who were good martial artists. Historically, many Japanese and Okinawans were, on average, smaller than the average American or even the average European, but the skills of the first Japanese martial artists to come to the West were highly impressive. In my youth, I did Kendo and the best Kendoka were not necessarily the biggest. R.A. Lidstone was a relatively small man and yet was a highly accomplished Kendoka, as well as being an expert in a variety of weapons and worked as a stunt arranger, under the name of Charles Alexis. I assume that you are aware of the research that shows that taller men tend to get appointed to senior management positions more ofen than shorter men. This is due to a mistaken perception that their physical dominance reflects mental competence. Instead, these taller men are often promoted beyond their ability. Of course, this does not mean that all tall men are incompetent. Instead, it is meant to point out how our perceptions of worth are skewed by irrelevant factors.
Nice example about the lay- out of grocery stores : OLD NEWS !! Just as there are such things as functional martial arts, there exist some very effective strategies when shopping. The simplest strategic move is : Don't go shopping while your hungry. These days it's also possible to carry clean drinking water in refillable stainless steel flasks. That way you don't need to go out feeling thirsty . Both those strategies makes it much less tempting to buy items on a whim. 🤫🤫🤫🤫 The point I'm trying to make is : use common sense. Also as a general guideline : extraordinary claims require extraordinary proofs.
Count Dante's techniques saved my life! I have "The world's Deadliest Fighting Secrets" there are real moves in there! I used the throat technique made the guy💩 and piss himself. So I don't know what the hell y'all are talking about. Dante taught Street Fighting! There are no rules!
Sounds like youve both been burned pretty bad from mc dojos. There are real kung fu schools out there. But sadly theyre few and far in between. But try to find one. Theyre invaluable with the training than any sort of mma gym ive been to. Good luck
Of course there will be "those 'somewhere' in the comments that still believe in him!" That's just culture. This guy is not really predicting anything. It's just something that's going to come naturally.
I dont wanna be that guy but regarding the book, Flowers of Aldronon or however you spell it but, Simpsons did it with Homer and a crayon although I never read it and I’m sure it came out before or whatnot and it’s not like Simpsons has a monopoly on the idea but yeah, just wanted to use that meme. 🙂
Of course anyone can fall victim of a cult leader. Trump is a perfect example. I think back in the day martial arts was popular and the classes were filled with people who have never had a fight and never will. So in that situation you can teach whatever you want. We did not know any better. The thing I learned was that some of the icons were just bad ass dudes. LIke Seagal, I did a seminar with him. Aside from any training that dude could kick most peoples ass. Then as followers of a style we associate his abilities to the martial arts. They just were bad asses. We didn’t really know that the stuff was ineffective. I was in a job back then where I had to fight in the street. I never used the things I learned in martial arts. It happens to damn fast. Back then it was all blocks of strikes and returning a strike. Bas Ruten (sp) talks about bouncing and is an example of the truth. Shit happens so fast maybe some wstuff comes through that you learned, but not much. The cult of Lee was a huge influence. I studied for a bit with Chris Chan, and sure it helped but how many times do you fight a coat rack. I think the story of Lee and a stunt man fight is what I am talking about. Sure some small dudes can learn ways to overtake a big dude, but if he is a bad ass like Seagal you are toast. BTW Seagal is a silly joke, but I stand by his ability as a MAN to kick ass. He is huge for one thing. Anyway. Real fights rarely are gonna be won with Karate or so on. Sure it may help, i.e Kicks. Also, the biggest lesson a person can get is getting your ass kicked. Getting beat up is something that was the most important thing in my training. So many martial arts student have never been hit in the face. MMA changed everything.
The Truth campaign actually manipulated stats quite a bit, they admitted that in their opinion it was ok to lie if it was for a good cause.... Just ironic to hear them referenced in this context..😂
