Rich Coppens Kenpo Karate Studio

That Move Will NEVER work!

For over 3 years now, I have been providing video tutorials on Jiu

Jitsu for the world to see. Not only me mind you, but several

instructors from a variety of backgrounds and styles. That was the

goal of Submissions 101 and now we are the most visited and view

jiu jitsu video site on the planet. However, there is one common

theme that I have seen since the inception of Submissions

101....actually, it's something I've seen for 8 years (about as

long as You Tube has been around).

When a person places a video instructional on the internet, one

inevitably gets the comment "That move will never work" posted

somewhere on the comment section. And it isn't just my

videos that get these. It is EVERYBODIES. I have seen black belts,

world champions, grand masters, and UFC fighters all get these

comments:

That MOVE WILL never work!

Usually, we dismiss these comments as we believe that the person

making them is some 14 year old kid sitting behind his computer

without a day's training. We often refer to them simply as trolls.

However, the reality is that this is only a part of demographic

posting on you tube videos. There are in fact countless types of

people that offer their opinions of "that move will never work" on

you tube comments.

You see, there are those who actually do train but they see the

video instructional as flawed somehow. The video doesn't fall into

THEIR schema of what Jiu Jitsu (self defence, grappling etc) should

look like. Many of these people are making this comment based on

one of these factors:

-it goes against what their instructor has told them (they have

drunk deep from the well of Kool Aid)

-they have never ever practiced the move but they believe their

knowledge of human anatomy is sufficient to allow them to discount

it by merely seeing an instruction.

-they come from a different martial art and don't understand the

kinetics of the move.

-they think its BS because bullshido or sherdog have discounted it

as such (the largest forums on the web).

-The popular view is that the martial art (or technique in

question) simply won't work in the REAL world.

I always tell my students that not all moves work on all people all

the time. I believe this through empirical evidence. People move in

unique ways. Combat is messy and fluid and you never know what will

happen and when. However, to say that a certain move won't work

because it doesn't LOOK like it should, is pure stupidity (and

trust me folks, there is a lot of it out there).

I am not saying that ALL moves work. There are in fact moves out

there that are so low percentage that your opponent would have to

be in a coma in order for you to do the move. But, never discount

something outright, especially if you don't have the experience

behind the art or have never practiced it before.

There is a common vibe among internet comment/forum writers on what

works and what doesn't. There is a huge battle that goes on between

TMA (traditional martial arts) and MMA (MODERN martial arts). I

can't even tell you how many mma guys or BJJ guys will bash karate,

aikido or kung fu because it isn't mainstream, it doesn't have LIVE

resistance training and it isn't what they do.

I have a million examples of these types of people just discounting

TMA because it isn't what is used in the "UFC". The common argument

is-all the effective martial arts that are used in MMA are the ones

that work. We have finally found out which combination of martial

arts are the best.

Really?

When Lyoto Machida came onto the scene, he was using KARATE

effectively in an MMA setting. Hard core MMA pundants couldn't

believe what they were seeing. A guy using KARATE in a real life

setting and it was working? That stuff will never work in real

life they clamored!

Real life. Oh, a term used so often it has lost its meaning.

The cage or ring is not real life. That is a controlled environment

where two skilled athletes compete against one another. Real life

is much more messy and unpredictable. It involves many people,

weapons, concrete, drugs, moving objects and a host of other

nasties that the cage does not have. Real life and ring life are

indeed two separate things.

But, back to my point.

Everyone (for better or worse) is blessed with the ability to give

an opinion. Just because someone's training modality isn't the same

as yours doesn't mean theirs (or yours) is wrong. I have found the

reason for these 'never work' comments is based on ignorance much

of the time. People simply have no idea the mechanics behind the

moves or find it impossible to believe that the move would work in

the REAL WORLD.

My experience has shown me that many of the moves I have learned DO

work in the world. I have had the opportunity to use them against

resisting and angry individuals as a bouncer for the past 15 years.

Some moves that work well on the mat (BJJ, grappling, sport) don't

work well on the street. Some moves than work well on the street

(Japanese Jujutsu, krav maga, kali) don't work well on the mat.

When I see someone write a comment about a 7th degree black belt in

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and how his move isn't really good, I just

shake my head. We all have something to offer. The secret of the

martial arts is to take what works for YOU and implement it into

YOUR game.

Roll On!

Ari Bolden

Submissions 101