Thursday, May 29, 2014
Charlatan "Self-Defense" Instructors (a RANT)
11:47 PM | 
Posted by
szorn
I have been involved in the field of personal safety, self-defense, crime prevention and martial arts for approximately 24 years. I have trained with numerous instructors in various styles, systems, and training methodologies. I have earned numerous black belts and have attained well over a dozen instructor certifications. I have had the privilege of training men, women, teens, and children from all walks of life to include airline personnel and law enforcement officers from around the world. I don't post this to brag as I will be the first to admit that I don’t know it all. I want people to know that I am a perpetual student, always learning and trying to improve the knowledge and skills that I possess, not only for myself but for those I may someday have the privilege of teaching…those that may someday be forced to rely on this knowledge to protect themselves or their loved ones.
As I surf the net I am often angered and agitated by some of the nonsense that I see being passed off under the guise of “self-defense”. Why should I care? What does it matter to me if the charlatans of the world want to take advantage of unsuspecting people that want to learn how to protect themselves? I will tell you why it matters to me...because I was once one of those unsuspecting people. I was taken advantage of by instructors claiming to teach "self-defense". I invested many years in training, travel, as well as hard-earned money into the belief that I was learning to protect myself. Unfortunately, that just wasn't the case. While I was learning to improve myself physically and mentally, it had little to do with my personal safety or the safety of my loved-ones. In fact, most of what I had learned was essentially useless in that respect. Eventually I realized I been brainwashed into believing something that just wasn't true. Fortunately this realization came BEFORE I was forced to find out that what I had been taught most likely wouldn't work in real life and in fact may have even made things worse.
I have spent every moment since learning as much as I can about crime and violence and what people can do to protect themselves. I do this because I despise those that think they can take whatever they want by means of force or the threat of force. I also do this because I despise those that take advantage of people's fears by telling them what they want to hear or by trying to sell them something that likely won't work in order to make a few bucks. I am often blunt about my opinions in this matter. Sometimes I offend people and most often it's those instructors in question. It's not my goal to offend people but I can't stand to watch others be taken advantage of as I once was. I refuse to apologize for that. I am a student and instructor of personal safety because I believe that good people have the right to feel safe and secure in the world they live in. I do this because I feel it's important to provide people with the knowledge and skills to keep themselves safe, so they don't have to rely on others...those that unfortunately can sometimes be unreliable. I do this because there is no better feeling than knowing that someday the information I passed along could ultimately save a life or at the least prevent someone from becoming a victim. I do this because there are already too many people out there passing along misinformation or just downright dangerous material.
I can never make any guarantees about what I have to offer. I can't tell people that they will be given the be-all-end-all to personal safety. I can't tell people that they will never be forced to face a dangerous or scary situation. I can't tell them that they will be prepared for every conceivable scenario. I can't tell people that I have all of the answers. However, I can make some promises. I can promise that I will to everything I can to make sure that what I pass along to them has been shown to work more often than not. I can promise that if I don't know the answer to a question or a scenario I will do everything I can to acquire that answer from someone that knows better than I. I can promise that I care more about their safety than making a few bucks. I can also promise that I will continue to study, research, and train in order to make sure that what I am passing along will provide those that apply it the best options under the given circumstances that they may be forced to face. The question is...how many of the charlatans of the world can say the same thing?
As I surf the net I am often angered and agitated by some of the nonsense that I see being passed off under the guise of “self-defense”. Why should I care? What does it matter to me if the charlatans of the world want to take advantage of unsuspecting people that want to learn how to protect themselves? I will tell you why it matters to me...because I was once one of those unsuspecting people. I was taken advantage of by instructors claiming to teach "self-defense". I invested many years in training, travel, as well as hard-earned money into the belief that I was learning to protect myself. Unfortunately, that just wasn't the case. While I was learning to improve myself physically and mentally, it had little to do with my personal safety or the safety of my loved-ones. In fact, most of what I had learned was essentially useless in that respect. Eventually I realized I been brainwashed into believing something that just wasn't true. Fortunately this realization came BEFORE I was forced to find out that what I had been taught most likely wouldn't work in real life and in fact may have even made things worse.
I have spent every moment since learning as much as I can about crime and violence and what people can do to protect themselves. I do this because I despise those that think they can take whatever they want by means of force or the threat of force. I also do this because I despise those that take advantage of people's fears by telling them what they want to hear or by trying to sell them something that likely won't work in order to make a few bucks. I am often blunt about my opinions in this matter. Sometimes I offend people and most often it's those instructors in question. It's not my goal to offend people but I can't stand to watch others be taken advantage of as I once was. I refuse to apologize for that. I am a student and instructor of personal safety because I believe that good people have the right to feel safe and secure in the world they live in. I do this because I feel it's important to provide people with the knowledge and skills to keep themselves safe, so they don't have to rely on others...those that unfortunately can sometimes be unreliable. I do this because there is no better feeling than knowing that someday the information I passed along could ultimately save a life or at the least prevent someone from becoming a victim. I do this because there are already too many people out there passing along misinformation or just downright dangerous material.
I can never make any guarantees about what I have to offer. I can't tell people that they will be given the be-all-end-all to personal safety. I can't tell people that they will never be forced to face a dangerous or scary situation. I can't tell them that they will be prepared for every conceivable scenario. I can't tell people that I have all of the answers. However, I can make some promises. I can promise that I will to everything I can to make sure that what I pass along to them has been shown to work more often than not. I can promise that if I don't know the answer to a question or a scenario I will do everything I can to acquire that answer from someone that knows better than I. I can promise that I care more about their safety than making a few bucks. I can also promise that I will continue to study, research, and train in order to make sure that what I am passing along will provide those that apply it the best options under the given circumstances that they may be forced to face. The question is...how many of the charlatans of the world can say the same thing?
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About Me
- szorn
- -27 years training in personal safety -Multiple martial arts black belts -Multiple instructor certifications -Certified law enforcement trainer -Crime Prevention Specialist -Previous self-defense trainer for one of the country's largest airlines -Child safety specialist -Certified Fitness Trainer -TACTIX Fitness Trainer -High Intensity Training Specialist -FAST Defense Instructor -Kid Escape Instructor
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