Why aren’t gang members afraid of karate black belts?

Have you ever wondered why gangsters and tough guys make fun of karate students? Even black belts? After all, don’t you know that these people are highly trained fighting machines capable of breaking bricks and boards with their bare hands, capable of executing flying double kicks, and possessing the ability to disarm an attacker armed with any weapon? It is not like this?

Let me tell you a story. This is a true story and shows when and under what conditions gang members and street fighters respond to martial artists in the way I have described…

…and when they don’t.

Another instructor contacted me about participating in a small charity fundraiser he was hosting to raise much needed money for a local organization. His academy was demonstrating some skills at a local mall and was inviting other schools to join him in this worthy cause. The only problem?

The mall was in a great setting from the city center, over an hour away.

Not that this was a major problem, but it clearly wouldn’t be a promotional activity for my own academy. However, it would allow my students to see perhaps part of the world in a different light, considering that most of them were born and raised in the quiet little semi-rural area I now call home.

During the festivities, I noticed that some people were watching the different demonstrations that the different schools presented. They were clearly wearing the “colors” associated with some well-known gangs and had the telltale scars and signs of those who have seen combat: raw, real-world fights with no second place.

I alerted my students to their presence and suggested that they observe the reactions of these individuals during the different performances. I told them not to worry about the trouble as it seemed the gang members weren’t there to fight or cause trouble as much as they were to gather information. In short, they were investigating the “martial arts guys” to see if…

1) Was there something they could useand… 2) They had nothing to worry about…

…the mentality of true survivors.

My students were amazed at how these seemingly untrained “street fighters” could tell the difference between a good martial arts technique and one that would kill you. They saw gang members shake their heads or yell “oh please!” In response to what we knew were techniques invented by an instructor who had never really “been there”. The students also watched as the gang members bowed reflexively and touched their chins with that thoughtful, questioning look that said, “there’s something here I need to pay attention to.”

The point of the story is that a black belt can fool himself, he can fool most of his students, but…

…they are going to NEVER fool an experienced fighter. Regardless of whether that fighter was trained in the heat of war or on the fighting streets of today’s big cities.

If you really want to know how much more is below the surface when it comes to really mastering this thing called self defense, you need to read the book. “The Karate-Myth”. It goes into much more detail about what is missing from most karate and self defense programs and what you need to truly be safe in today’s often violent world.

So why aren’t gang members and street fighters afraid of most martial artists, black belts and karate students? Simple. They’ve seen your stuff.

And, it is obvious to them that…

…you haven’t seen theirs. Because if you had…

…you would change the way you train and the way you view your techniques!