The first step in choosing a martial arts school that is right for you is to decide what it is that you want to gain from your martial arts training. This may seem like an odd recommendation but many people start their search for martial arts training without really taking a deep look into what their primary goals are.  I have spoken to many people who have called for information on the martial arts programs we offer and the only question they have is how much classes cost.  I understand that price can be a limiting factor in your ability to train but how can you evaluate the value of training if you do not even know what benefits you can expect to receive from training.  Some of the common benefits of training in a martial art are improved fitness (including cardiovascular conditioning, flexibility, coordination, and agility), stress reduction, self confidence, focus, and discipline.  There is also the benefit of the camaraderie that is often developed with those you train with.  Last but not least is the benefit of learning a realistic and effective system of self defense.  To some learning a realistic and effective system of self defense may not be the primary goal and if so,  many different martial arts can provide many of the other benefits mentioned above.  However, if one of your primary goals is to learn an realistic and effective system this report is aimed at helping you choose one.

One of the most well known martial artist of all times is Bruce Lee.  He is known both to the general public and hardcore martial artist alike.  His contributions to martial arts are many.  He was known not only for his skill as a martial artist but also for his philosophy towards martial arts.  One of my favorite sayings from Bruce Lee is that “being truthful with oneself is one of the hardest things to do”.  Every one’s search for the truth is influenced by their experiences and perceptions and I am no different.  However, I hope my personal search for a realistic and effective self defense systems will be some help in your search also. I believe there are five guiding principles that a truly realistic and effective martial art should follow.

1. It should be proven to be effective in modern day combative situations.
2. It should take into consideration all ranges of combat.
3. It enables you to train with alivenesss.
4. It emphasizes the importance of attribute development. (strength, conditioning, nutrition, attitude, mindset)
5. It embraces the idea :absorb what is useful and disregard what is not”.  In other words it must continually evolve.

 All martial arts were an effective means of hand to hand combat at some point and time but times and situations have changed.  Many arts have not evolved with the times and are simply handed down from generation to generation without regard to why a certain technique was taught the way it was and what circumstances made it work.  In other situations the art has been altered from its original combative form and has become  more art than martial.  Two proving grounds for martial arts that we have in existence today are the military and mixed martial arts (mma)  sport competition.  The military has began even more in recent years to embrace martial arts as an integral part of the soldiers training.  Part of the reason for this is to enhance the development of the warrior spirit.  In the Army this program is known as the Army Combatives.  Part of the manual for the combatives program was written by Matt Larsen who I have had the opportunity to train with on several occasions.  Matt has written several articles where he cites situations on the battlefield where soldiers have used their training, sometimes in order to save their lives.  A large portion of this training is based on the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Another proving ground is the sport of mixed martial arts.  The most recognized competition is that of the Ultimate Fighting Championships or UFC.  The UFC grew out of the Gracie Challenge.   The Gracie family and their style of jiu-jitsu had been known in Brazil for many years. Members of the family and other Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters had in engaged in vale tudo (no rules) matches against practioners of other forms of martial arts with the purpose being to demonstrate whose art was better.  Although well known in Brazil, BJJ was virtually unheard of elsewhere.  In an attempt to spread the word of BJJ, Rorion Gracie came to the United states and laid out a challenge, welcoming those who thought their art was superior to fight one of the Gracies and if successful win a sum of money.  Some of these fights and some of the ones from Brazil can be seen in the videos Gracie in Action 1 & 2.  In 1993 the Ultimate Fighting Championship became a huge pay per view event.  It pitted style against style with Royce Gracie prevailing over several bigger and stronger opponents in a single night. The BJJ revolution had begun.

This leads us to the second principle which states that an effective martial art takes into consideration all ranges of combat.  The ranges of combat can be broken down into

1. Safe range -range where your distance from your opponent or adversary prevents them from being able to effectively launch an immediate attack
2. kicking range- range where kicks can be applied
3. punching range- range where punches can be landed
4. clinching range- range where a clinch can be initiated and short range weapons such as knees and elbows can be utilized
5. ground- range of combat where you are on the ground

These ranges are not mutually exclusive since some weapons used in one range can also be used in other ranges as well.  For example, there are some kicks that can be utilized within the punching range and some punches which can be utilized inside clinching range.  The main point is that all ranges must be considered.  The early UFC’s demonstrated the importance of the ground range and also, that most martial arts at that time did not teach the ground game.  It was for this reason that BJJ practitioners easily dominated the early mma fights.  Now every high level competitor in mma cross train in all of the ranges.  Most train stand up (boxing, kick boxing, or muay thai), wrestling, and BJJ for the ground.

This brings us to another principle and concept borrowed from Bruce Lee, “Absorb what is useful and disregard that which is not”.  This requires an open but critical mind.  Just as seeking the truth can be very difficult so can the application of absorbing what is useful.  Martial artist are normally very passionate about the art they train in and or teach and it is sometimes easier to block out a potential weak link in one’s system than to admit that the art you have been training for years may be incomplete.  Those instructors and schools which embrace the philosophy of “absorb what is useful”  continue to learn and evolve.  An example of such an instructor is Romero “Jacare” Cavalcantiwho has been my instructor since 200.  Jacare  is the head of the powerful Alliance team  has produced many individual and team champions and has also produced many top level mma fighters.  At his school in Atlanta he has a world class muay thai instructor, Manu Ntoh,  who teaches standup.  He also has in the last couple of years brought in Cobrihna ( 4 time world champion) to help teach BJJ and continually brings in guys from Brazil for camps to stay on top on the evolution of BJJ.  The results of this mindset are that the Alliance team has now won the last two world championships (2008 &2009) including 5 world champions at the black belt level in 2009.

Another thing that effective martial arts have in common is they embrace the concept of  “Aliveness”.  This is a term coined by BJJ black belt and Jeet Kune Do practicioner Matt Thorton.  What is meant by aliveness is that the majority of drills are done so against at least some level of resistance.  Yes, there needs to be some training to establish basic motor patterns when learning new techniques, but most effective training occurs when training with an unwilling opponent.  The idea of  “aliveness” is based on a principle from exercise science called training specificity.  This simply means that to maximize improvement in a cerantin activity or sport the training must mimic as closely as possible the sport or activity.  Combative sports such as BJJ, boxing , and kickboxing embrace the concept of aliveness.  Drills in these sports are not choreographed but are often done with resistance so that you must learn to adapt and flow in order to make a technique work.  Some argue that there is a difference between a “real fight” and sport.  This is true.  Combative sports do have some limitations in terms of specificity.  Sports such as boxing, wrestling, judo, BJJ, and  kickboxing do have limitations in that they do not incorporate all weapons in all ranges of combat.  However, with modification these arts transfer well to the sport of mma.  Even mma has limitations in terms of specificity.  This is necessary for the safety of the fighter.  The benefits of  “aliveness” in training greatly outweighs the negatives of the inability to act out a situation exactly as it might occur on the street. I believe this proximity is much better than no attempt at “aliveness”.

The last principle I would like to mention is that an effective art must emphasize attribute development.  One of the great things about martial arts is that through training you can learn to utilize technique and leverage to overcome a bigger and stronger attacker.  However, some arts actually teach that size and strength doesn’t matter.  I beg to differ.  If two equally technically skilled martial artist battle I will always put my money on the bigger, stronger, better conditioned one.  Anyone who is ever been in a sparring session, competition, or real fight and gassed knows that it is extremely difficult to perform in this state. I am a firm believer that an effective martial art should include some specific attribute development as well as general physical preparation.  I believe Crossfit is the best method of general physical prepartion and will transfer well no matter what art you practice.  I believe any art which does not include or least reccomend some type of conditioning and attribute development is doing a great disservice to their students.

I hope this report has be informative in terms of helping make a decision about what you want to achieve from your martial arts training.  If learning effective self defense is part of your goal then hopefully you can now make a more informed choice.  This report also explains the logic behind what we teach at Alliance and why.  Good luck with your training.