http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/streetfighting.html http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/knifefighting.html http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/martialarts.html just so none of us gets ouselves killed one day go here and go to knife fighting street fighting and the martial arts ling or just read every link
Only checked a couple of pages of this massive site - but a lot of common sense seen in this brief scan. This guy writes well, and freely admits who he is going to upset. Consider it carefully, and if you think he is a fool worth ignoring then good luck to you. I was impressed by this brief look.
I think if this guy researched some of the non-sporting styles such as Matsubayashi Ryu, he may have another opinion.
FYI ... "this guy" is Marc "Animal" MacYoung, an ex-LA street rat with 34 yrs. of training in.... Karate, Wing Chun, Baqua/Hsing-I, Five Family Gung fu, Boxing, Western swordsmanship, Kali and various forms of Pentjak Silat. He and his wife now teach their own style.... Dango Jiro which draws a bit from all these styles and this web site and his various books (10 I believe) & seminars teach street survival and this "No Nonsense Self-Defense" ( a combination of formal martial arts techniques and principles and his real life experience, supported by research into the areas of psychology, criminology, sociology and legal use of force) ... pretty basic stuff really
All very impressive. But reading his articles it seemed like he was saying "if you learn anything other than what i do, your wasting your time." In truth, all your training, whether "no nonsense self defense" or "shotokan karate" will be of use to you in a self defence situation as long as you can react to the situation. I know, im most likely to get flamed for saying this but if my opinion grates with anyone else's, thats to bad.
Is that so? I never got that impression from reading his stuff. I don't agree with 100% of it .... but would rather formulate an opinion about him and his 'method' after taking one of his seminars. What looks good in print has to stand up in practice. Then I can pass a rational judgement.
"reject, negate or ignore them at your own peril." As he says about his ideas on self defence. To me, very much, "if you dont do what i say, you dont stand a chance".
He's trying to sell himself. It's like a self defence Mcdojo. Except he won't give you a black belt. A major hole in his "stuff" is that he's saying that SD teachers and MA schools tout that they have the real "self defence", but he's saying the same thing about himself. I really have no interest in what he's saying, a lot of it is true, but it's nothing I didn't already know. I mean come on, I don't go to a bar precisely because I know that if I go it and something starts, shots are gonna be fired and I might get hit even if I didn't start it. I know my MA training will have limited street value, but his method doesn't seem to be any better. After all, you have only so many options when you're staring down the barrel of .45.
This website and many threads seem to be about axe-grinding. Most martial arts instructors I have met are very sincere and very dedicated. My advice is NEVER rubbish anyone else's techniques unless you have consistently proved them wrong at first hand. In 40 years of practice I have few rules: Always check out the lineage of all teachers - Anyone can give him/herself a 9th dan but they can't falsify a lineage of masters - the longer and more prestigious the better. Test out the instructor and his/her students - does this stuff work?? Does this style and this sensei suit me? Finally, once you have found a suitable art and teacher, stick with it!! Never expect quick results from anything worthwhile and don't skip from one martial art to another. Ten years of any good martial art will prepare you well as a student. Finally, finally, never trust any instructor who struts, poses and tells you to lose your own ego - while he boosts his own. Ignore the flash dojo and big talk - if the person is hollow so is the teaching. Seek out a modest person whose power effortlessly overwhelms you.
You sound like the old guy in a Kung Fu movie. "Seek out a modest person whose power effortlessly overwhelms you". I disagree, instead seek out a good teacher who can teach well and does so.
Marc McYoung just seems passionate about the martial arts and their place in self defence. Just like many others he is probably like this because he is bored to tears of people going on about how great their MA is without actually pressure testing it or its students. It is difficult to start comparing arts because ultimately it is down to the individual's responses at the time that will win. As for effectiveness of system I think he is trying to point out that much that is taught as "self defence" is useless, because it has not been pressure tested and neither has the student. This is highlighted in his article concerning knife fighting. As for your attitudes towards the man himself, does it really matter? You don't have to like your teacher to learn from them, especially as you're only learning from a written source. So I'd say take a very good look at what you have been learning and how much real life experience you have to judge it against.
all of it (no nonesense) seems overly critical to me. and there seems to be a lot of chest beating....not to mention a little fear culture. He sounds like the very cults he speaks against....yet i am sure he knows what hes talking about, its just from his prespective and no one else's.