"The Human Weapon"

For the last several weeks I've enjoyed watching a documentary/reality show on the History Channel titled, "The Human Weapon". The show centers on the travels and experiences of the two hosts, Jason Chambers and Bill Duff. Chambers is an MMA fighter with a decent record and some solid martial arts background, including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Duff is a two time New Jersey state heavyweight wrestling champion and a former pro football player, also with some martial arts training. I'm not sure whether it was in Hwa Rang Do, or what, but he is a big guy, and shows real, shall we say, 'enthusiasm'?

Each week the two hosts journey to a different country and seek out and are trained by world-class martial artists. As the two men gain instruction in a particular system, they decide between themselves which of them will engage in a sparring match or fight with an opponent chosen by the school they are visiting. These episodes are really fun. The first three were pretty much in line with three of the four main styles I have studied. Muay Thai, Eskrima (and Kali and Arnis), and Karate.

In the episode dedicated to stick fighting in the Philippines, Grand Tuhon Leo T. Gaje Jr, who is head the world wide Pikiti-Tirsia Kali system was once a sponsored instructor of my teacher. That was pretty fun to watch. I have never studied Savate or Judo formally, but I've learned many of the same concepts that Judokas learn in their own training from the other styles I've studied, because my instructor has an extensive martial arts background that includes Jiu Jitsu, from which Judo was derived.

The episode about karate (encompassing different styles) was entertaining, and kind of funny in ways. The hosts were very respectful (as well they should have been) of the teachers they were visiting, but they were extremely impressed by the brutal types of what is called, 'external' or 'hard' training. They were surprised to see the Kiyokushinkai sensei striking students with hard blows as they performed Sanchin Kata, and they were surprised to watch a man in his seventies (I believe) condition his hands by striking blows against a large rock. This is really not that different than boxers getting hit in training. The difference is that when one's teacher is doing this, one does not strike back. That would not only be very disrespectful, but it would also defeat the purpose of the exercise.

The show is structured well enough to appeal to the novice and the experienced martial artist as well. It's kind of a dream show for a lot practitioners. I'd love to have the opportunity to do what they're doing. My wife wouldn't appreciate it very much, but that's okay. I once announced casually that I was thinking about participating in an all invitational contest in a neighboring city years ago to see how far I could go, and my best friend looked at my wife and said in all seriousness, "If he does that, I'd divorce him if I were you." They have always had my best interests at heart. (Laughing here.) I have been in as dangerous a predicament in class a time or two as I ever would have been in a formal ring, as far as getting seriously hurt anyway. Ah well.

I don't really know why I enjoy the martial arts so much. Why does anybody ever enjoy any sort of athletic or artistic pursuit? I don't know if I have ever really tried to articulate that. Hmmm. I might have to think about that. Or.... I might not.

There are serious aspects about the martial arts. I've been trained to kill people in a fairly diverse number of ways, and to maim with extreme prejudice, but the thought of it brings me nothing but abhorrence. That isn't such a good thing. When I was younger, I guess I didn't think as much about what I was learning. I have also been trained to instruct women in self-defense, and have participated in classes where I did just that. That really is a good thing, and that is the one really important aspect of the martial arts that I'm sure will not be showcased on "The Human Weapon". I'm sure that most of the audience for the show would not find it at all entertaining to watch women being trained to protect themselves against male attackers. That is unfortunate. The truth is, most guys walking around don't really need to know how to defend themselves. We hear about men who are victims of violent crimes in the news, but the truth of the matter is, the numbers are pretty small, given the population numbers here in North America. The numbers are much higher for women, and they suffer much greater consequences from their attackers.

Women training in the martial arts is fine. I'm all for it. The problem is, people tend to think that martial artists possess "magic" hands and "magic" feet. They don't. They possess skills. They refine those skills through many hours of diligent practice. But size between two opponents can and often does matter, or they wouldn't have weight classifications. Women are just generally faced with an opponent of greater size and larger upper body muscle mass, and rape attacks for example, usually end up down at ground level. A woman can be at a real disadvantage for those reasons. There are ways to get around that though.

If I were a woman, and I wanted to learn to defend myself, I would enroll in The Model Mugging Course. In my 23 years of martial arts experience, I have come to believe that it is the most effective system of teaching women how to defend themselves that exists. The system capitalizes on the natural strengths of women, and addresses their specific emotional needs. One doesn't have to be an athlete to learn to be seriously effective, and one's age is not really an issue. Curiosity peaked? Good. I would even highly recommend that female martial artists supplement their training with this course. What could it hurt?

If "The Human Weapon" is picked up for another season, I hope that the producers will give some consideration to the very serious need for focusing on teaching women to effectively protect themselves from a male attacker. Again, what could it hurt? Hmmm.... Maybe I should write to them.