The Acronym That Saved My Life

Frequently, I get asked about certifications, systems or methods. We made a decision a long time ago of purposely staying away from things like this.

Obviously, it's a no-brainer, money maker and it's not that I don't want to make money; but our purpose was to give you real training on the real stuff. Certifications and acronyms lead to a false sense of security and there's a fine line between sense of accomplishment and sense of security.

Personally, no matter how many black belts and "certifications" I have- I can always find people 10 feet outside my dojo who could care less. That and 5 bucks can get you a venti, no caff, half caff, caramel mochachinno deluxe, no whip of course.

I may be beating a dead horse?.. but its about the TRAINING. Training and practice is what counts. Now ITS NOT YOUR FAULT that you search for this stuff. You have been conditioned with certifications, acronyms black belt clubs and all that. The only thing that's good for is padding your resume. We "ain't" about that. If you want something to hang on your wall- buy a mirror and take a long hard look in it. If you like what you see and you are true to your training ? that's what matters.

We have been thinking of "naming" the system. Carl thought of this, I didn't. It's going to be called:

Fierce Unarmed Combat Karate Instinctive Training.

You figure it out.

Copyright 2003 www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com ©

Damian Ross is the owner of Zenshin and instructor of Tekkenryu jujutsu and Kodokan Judo. He started competing in the combative sport of wrestling in 1975 at the age of 7 and began his study of Asian martial arts with Moo Duk Kwan Tae Kwon Do at the age of 16 in 1984. In 1989, Shinan Cestari gave a seminar at Sensei Ross's dojo. Sensei Ross has trained under Shinan Cestari's direction ever since. In addition to Tekkenryu Jujutsu, Judo and Tae Kwon Do, Sensei Ross has also studied Bando. Sensei Ross continues his study of Judo under the direction of 8th degree black belt Yoshisada Yonezuka and Tekkenryu Jujutsu under it's founder, Carl Cestari. Below are is a list of some of his title ranks Yodan (fourth degree black belt) Tekkenryu Jujutsu under Carl Cestari Shodan (First degree black belt) Kodokan Judo under Yoshisada Yonezuka Varsity Wrestling Lehigh University under Thad Turner 2nd Degree Black Belt Tae Kwon Do

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Judo Nagewaza (Throwing Technique) In The Street

How practical are throwing techniques (nagewaza) for self-defense or street-fighting?... Read More

How To Defend Against A Knife - Dont Use The Stuff Taught In The Dojo!

Defences against Knife attacks, Firstly if at all possible get... Read More

Eight Simple Rules for Saving Your Life

Let's put the non-lethal fantasy to rest.1. Never trust your... Read More

Tai-Chi for the Masses--and Others

Kuang Ping was the T'ai-chi set favored by Yang Lu-Chan,... Read More

The Plight of Industrialized Man

Living in the Pacific Northwest is a challenge for any... Read More

How to Become A Modern-Day Ninja Master

The ninja were a military order in Japan. Most people... Read More

The Shocking Truth About Stun Guns

If you are outside the world of law enforcement, chances... Read More

The Dojo

Just as an aside. For those who would "box" us... Read More

Martial Arts Sparring and Training Protective Equipment

The benefits of Martial Arts has always appealed its practitioners.... Read More

COMBATIVES A Rose by Any Other Name?....Part 2

The advent of World War One (the war to END... Read More

Fight Simulator Theory for Reality Based Street Defense

This is such a powerful tool that it should leave... Read More

Makiwara Training

Shigeru Kimura Sensei 9th Dan Tani-Ha Shitoryu Shukokai had a... Read More

So You Think You Train Hard

"Tokio Hirano (1922-1993) 8th Dan The Man Who Revolutionized Judo"... Read More

Martial Arts

Traditionally, people trained in Martial Arts in order to utilized... Read More

Bogu Training

About four years ago Carl recommended we start using the... Read More

Learning the Modern Dynamics of Judo

You may have the erroneous idea that force is not... Read More

Tae Kwon Do As A Means To Stay In Shape

Becoming a martial artist is a fanatastic method of fitness.... Read More

Dermot Michael (Pat) ONeill

Dermot O'Neill was born in 1905 in County Cork, Ireland.... Read More

Fronting

"Fronting": The dodge to get in close to you. The... Read More

Martial Training as a Timeless Portal

Thanks to several centuries of enlightened teachings by extraordinary men... Read More

The Best Martial Art

It is a very difficult task to determine which martial... Read More

New Book: Positive Aikido

A new book with a practical look at Aikido and... Read More

Benefits of Martial Arts Training For Kids

Admit it. When the going gets tough at home, we've... Read More

Have No Misconceptions

I just received an Email from a woman who has... Read More

Generating More Power from Hip Rotation - Lessons from Martial Arts

One of the important lessons of Martial Arts training is... Read More

The Fallacy and the Myth

It's always amusing when "know it alls" dismiss certain methods... Read More

Who Created Tai Chi Chuan (Tai Chi Boxing)?

I have read a number of books, articles, and novels,... Read More

Samurai Sword Basics, A Brief History

Capturing the spirit of old Japan and recognised by its... Read More

A Samurais Power Is In His Little Finger, Not His Samurai Sword

In the 12th Century the Shogunate was formed. The head... Read More

Why Every Cop Should Study Judo Part 1

Up until 30 years ago, JUDO was the martial art.... Read More

Okinawan Karate

So you are thinking of starting to train in okinawan... Read More

Samurai - The Honourable & The Treacherous

The Japanese Samurai were warriors. Highly trained, skilled and efficient... Read More

Martial Arts and The Bible

As a Christian and a martial arts student, I have... Read More