Hershel Walker on "Taking the Belt Off"

[Greg Newton]

Those of us who've trained in more than one martial art have often had the humbling experience of having to take the belt off. In other words mentally you have to take your black belt off and learn how to do things in an entirely different way.

This clip has a lot of positive motivational strategies for training and being successful in combat sports. In many ways this can be applied to other things and that includes self-defense. No matter how chaotic a self-defense situation may be, if you can keep your presence of mind to see it as a human chess game, you will survive.

Hershel Walker has a very simplistic way of looking at things, but it works for him. It could work for you too.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46o0to59LIY&feature=related

[farrout]

No matter how chaotic a self-defense situation may be, if you can keep your presence of mind to see it as a human chess game, you will survive.

Technical ability is worthless without the right mindset, hence the term - paper tigers.

One can be less proficient technically, yet possess a killer instinct. This is why black belts are dropped every day of the week on the street. Some dojo where their egos are stroked, only do them a disservice.

Kill or be killed.

[Greg Newton]

Hi Steve,

John and I had an interesting conversation on this very topic. Mindset is extremely important. John told me about a high ranking Karateka who had called him up some years back, extremely upset because while she was out running, she had been assaulted and raped. I share this because it is not an uncommon story for this to have happened to very proficient female martial artists. I used to know a high ranking female TaeKwonDo instructor who this also happened to.

Part of the problem is that in the watering down of martial arts to martial sports, we take application out of the picture. Second, we don't instruct students as to the savagery or chaos that is inherent to violence. There is a certain ruthlessness you have to reconcile yourself to being capable of. Otherwise you'd better be a fast runner.

On the other hand, the person who can keep their head, rapidly process their options, and then follow through with what has to be done has the advantage.

Greg

[John Peterson]

Hey Greg,

One of the problems that I saw 40 years ago when I was going through the ranks was that there were schools teaching "NO CONTACT" sparring. In other words it was programmed into the individual to "PULL" every punch or kick. In a very real sense, having that type of training that reinforces "NO CONTACT" is worse in the real world when it comes to defending one's self than having no training at all.

Let me give an example of what I mean. In the video clip that I am about to place you'll notice that the guy that took the robber out does not appear to be in great shape BUT it does state that he is a big fan of watching MMA, So when an idiot tries to rob him what he does is what he had programed himself to do as a result of watching MMA on television. It's a perfectly executed left hook complete with stepping in to the opponent.

Check It Out: http://www.wyff4.com/news/30076862/detail.html?source=htv (it takes time to load)

My point is that the clerk never learned any inhibitions at a strip mall Karate school and because of it he could act appropriately right down to making the idiot clean up his own blood.

---John Peterson

[farrout]

Punch THROUGH the target.

Train hard, fight easy

[michael]

Thanks for the videos Greg and John.I'm going to let my 16 year old watch these.He is a 2 degree black belt in ryu kempo and his master is a student of George Dillman.He was there for over 9 years.He just went to a MMA school to try it out and most likely will be starting soon.