Remember back in elementary school math class when we had to “show our work?” I recall it wasn’t sufficient enough to just know the answer; we also had to prove we truly understood by working through the problem.

 To possess the answer without providing proof of work implied cheating. I mention this in regard to so-called martial arts masters, self-proclaimed experts, and world-renowned self-defense authorities. Talk is cheap, and so are “titles”. These days it seems everyone has at least 30 years of “training” and research to back up their inflated rank and fancy fighting methods. In my experience, the deeper one looks into the martial arts past of most martial arts experts, the shallower their credentials become. All I can say to them is “show your work.”

 I mention this because I to have come under much scrutiny over the years. Queries and accusations of fraudulent representation are often directed my way. For example, who do I think I am developing my own system and thus disrespecting “traditional arts?” Well, I’ve spent most of my adult life training in traditional martial arts, hardly a disrespect of tradition. And besides, why not devote one’s life to the advancement and refinement of available technologies. In most cases, refining a fighting system for me falls directly into one critical point. Can I make this technique, drill, or training method work under fire? Does this approach or application truly represent reality or is it some flowery set of rote automations? Am I trapped in some classical antiquity or am I actually on the cutting edge of martial art technology?

To answer these questions, one has to be first and foremost, honest with himself. I have written in other columns that self-understanding is the only true understanding and to understand oneself, one must be brutally honest concerning self-evaluation. However painful and/or humiliating self-assessment can be, this is an essential step in the process of personal enlightenment.
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I am now going to share with you some painful and somewhat humiliating realities in my martial arts career with which I am only now coming to grips. I have spent the last 38 years studying and training in the martial arts. I have obtained black belt ranking or equivalent in kenpo, pentjak silat, doce pares, tai chi, eskrido, and wing chun (I have no official rank in wing chun, but have been training in wing chun for 25 years). Over the years I have dislocated or broken my ankle, feet, teeth, nose, cheek, fingers, ribs, wrist, and tailbone. My highest belt ranking is a 9th dan, and to date, I have created two systems of which I have abandoned. After all this, the brutal truth is that 90 percent of what I have learned and trained in is dysfunctional, obsolete and/or downright fraudulent.

So there it is—objective assessment of my life’s work. The sad and pathetic truth is most martial arts are impractical, outdated, poorly designed, and nearly a complete waste of time when dealing with reality.         Of course, they can be fun, promote fitness, offer physical challenges, and can be quite competitive. But, as far as being useful in a ruthless streetfight, 90 percent of martial arts techniques will not work. This is not to say that very tough and courageous warriors don’t exist within these obsolete systems. It just means some outstanding athletes partake in poorly designed “styles,” can overcome the inherent weaknesses of offered techniques and will themselves to victory despite the system.

However, all is not lost. The key for you is to honestly assess your training methods and extract the material you can use in a real self-defense situation. I am in a constant state of trial and error as I pursue the creation of my personal training methodology, “The Art and Science of Mook Jong.” I have extracted the 10-percent of essential elements of the aforementioned arts I have engaged in for nearly four decades. Some may suggest I am discarding valuable classical study for the flavor-of-the-month pop martial arts. Well, we can all agree that Mozart’s music is indeed “classical music” at its finest—pure and unchanged.

Mozart’s music has withstood the test of time. So why can’t classical martial arts enjoy that same status? For the most important reason: it doesn’t work. Remember, when Mozart wrote his music it was considered pop music in its day. Only the brilliant pop becomes classical, and so it will be in today’s martial arts. So for all you grandmsters, world-renowned warrior gods, and self-proclaimed self-defense experts, it’s time for a truthful self-assessment. And don’t forget to show your work.

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Joseph Simonet writes a monthly column for Inside Kung-Fu.