Delusional martial arts “masters” and TV preachers
Hi Dojo readers,
This week a video has been making the rounds on social media among the MMA and BJJ communities.
It’s allegedly of a “5th degree black belt test” and is…
well…
I’ll let you decide for yourself…
Now those who have trained in any reputable style of martial art or combat sport realize immediately just how ineffective the above is when it comes to defending oneself or competing in any combat sport involving full (or even partial!) contact.
But to the untrained eye, who knows? Perhaps this is what “black belt” skill really looks like!
In fact, many martial arts schools profit greatly from the general ignorance regarding what constitutes legitimate martial art skill among the average soccer mom looking for an activity in which to enroll the kids, or the average cubicle worker who wants to get in shape or learn how to fight potential bad guys like Jason Bourne (both of which are perfectly legitimate desires!).
But that does not make the above techniques any more practical or effective (or even artistic!).
Yet, in terms of delusional martial artists, the above black belts are practically Anderson Silva, Rickson Gracie or Muhammed Ali compared to some of the other nonsense that circulates under the label of “martial arts”!
For instance, BJJ black belt Stephan Kesting (who is a utterly legit!), shares two of the absolute worst and most ridiculous martial arts techniques he’s ever seen taught…
And while techniques like that are laughable, many people continue to believe in such nonsensical martial arts concepts and even travel around the world to seek out various esoteric “masters” who claim near-invincibility through their ancient arts. The results, however, are predictable (and pitiful!) on the rare occasions when such claims are actually put to the test against uncooperative (and non-delusional) opponents…
Now here’s the thing: these people ACTUALLY BELIEVE that what they are learning is an effective martial art. They are not (for the most part) intentionally trying to scam or deceive people. They are true believers in the legitimacy of their art.
Likewise, they are DEDICATED. They spend years–even decades!–training and developing such “skills” and often take their training with deadly seriousness. They are not jumping from one fad to another, nor are they seeking mainstream popularity. Many of these people spend thousands, or tens of thousands of dollars on their training. They form close-knit bonds with their fellow students and the “masters” under whose watchful eye they train.
Yet none of this makes that in which they are investing so much time and energy any less ineffective.
These “martial arts” are dangerous, to be clear…but the danger is to the student!
It is the danger of misplaced confidence in a skill set that will most likely get the practitioner hurt should they ever be faced with the terrible reality of a violent physical confrontation.
And videos like the ones above remain the butt of jokes among legitimate martial artists and combat sports athletes. (There is even an entire web community devoted to debunking such claims within the martial arts world…it is called, fittingly enough, Bullshido!)
In fact, I was talking with my instructor about the first video posted above last night before our grappling class and he was saying how painful it was for him to watch such nonsense. As a professional martial arts instructor and school owner whose livelihood comes from teaching self-defense, he cringed as he watched such “black belt testing”, knowing that what was being demonstrated was in no way reflective of what a legitimate black belt should exhibit.
“Now you know how I feel when I hear much of the preaching on TV and radio.” I said with a grin.
We laughed about it…but it’s true. There is so much nonsense on Christian airwaves that claims to be effectively teaching and equipping people to understand God’s word. From the “Prosperity Preachers” to the “Prophecy Experts”, there is no lack of people publicly claiming the role of authoritative teacher when it comes to the things of God.
And unfortunately, they are often no less embarrassing to legitimate Biblical scholars, preachers and teachers than the “martial arts masters” above are to legitimate martial arts instructors. Not only that, but they are often, at least according to Scripture, even more dangerous.
Because rather than teaching physical skills that are ineffective against an earthly opponent, they are purporting to teach eternal truths that pertain to both the earthly and the spiritual realms.
They are claiming to teach the things of God.
Thus the stakes are literally infinitely higher.
This is why we find in the pages of Scripture passages like the following, written by Jesus’ brother James to the early Christian communities:
Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.
James 3:1 (NLT)
James knew that the responsibility that comes along with preaching and teaching people about God Almighty–the Creator of Heaven and Earth–the One who is above all and who has entered into human history for the purpose of redeeming and transforming the world from its enslavement to sin and death–is an incredible calling…and one that no one should ever enter into flippantly or out of any desire other than the one placed within them by the Holy Spirit who called and equipped them (this includes Christian bloggers and writers as well, I would argue!).
Teaching the Inspired words of God Himself to others is a task that should bring with it a sobering humility and a reliance upon the Body of Christ as a whole to help keep us from self-deception, pride and error. A teacher of Scripture should be willing to constantly question the truth of what they are teaching and to subject any claim they make to rigorous examination and potential refutation by others who are knowledgeable in the subject. (That’s one of the reasons why I founded Disciple Dojo, in fact!)
But like the devotees of ineffective and foolish forms of martial arts, a preacher or teacher can have all the devotion, passion and commitment in the world…yet still be deluded. The actual substance of what they are teaching can still be no more true or beneficial than that of the martial arts “masters” above.
Bogus martial arts teachers can make thousands of dollars writing books, producing videos and teaching seminars to those who have faith in their claims. They can gain a worldwide following and have people swear by the effectiveness of their techniques in countless testimonials. (If you doubt this, just pick up a copy of Black Belt magazine, particularly from the 80s or 90s and peruse the various ads found within its pages!)
Similarly, Christian preachers and teachers can amass thousands–even millions–of followers around the world who truly believe that what they are being taught is God’s truth and who are willing to give millions of dollars to ridiculously lavish ministries, because by doing so they are demonstrating their faith in a tangible way that will be acknowledged and rewarded by God himself. (If you doubt this, just spend a few minutes watching the Trinity Broadcast Network…or simply Google “Benny Hinn”!)
Yet none of this changes the fact that the substance of what is being taught is wrong, delusional…and perhaps even dangerous.
Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.
1John 4:1 (NLT)
Categories: Blog, Martial Arts, Ministry, Teaching Products, Theological issues
Excellent my brother. I’m emailing you now!
by Olatunde on Jun 19, 2013 at 1:36 pm
I’m not going to lie, reading this whole thing is a bit much to tackle on a Sunday night. However, I love the comparison between the martial arts “masters” and the TV hucksters. That is brilliant. And I will steal it sometime.
Thanks!
by Drew McIntyre on Jul 8, 2013 at 4:22 am
Wally Slocki started judo training at age 12 in Canada almost 40 years ago. In those days, the kids at school had never heard of judo. “What’s that, a food?” they asked. From judo, he took up kung fu and later Japanese karate. Slocki was one of the first in Canada to train in the martial arts.
by Jarrod Craig on Jul 10, 2013 at 1:46 am
[…] that moment on, every genuine martial artist (who wasn’t completely delusional) realized that if they didn’t know how to defend themselves when a fight went to the […]
by Disciple Dojo – JMSmith.org » What the Church can learn from Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (part 1) on Jan 20, 2014 at 7:37 pm