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What makes a trainer "official"? Compared to some guy on the street? (lemmy.sdf.org)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/martialarts

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My trainer is teaching me balintawak, but really its a cross of a lot of things, he really loves learning martial arts and i can see hes spent years and years and years on it. His holidays is literally going to countries to learn and try their martial arts really.

But unlike other classes he teaches me in the park (its 1:1 lessons as he stopped classes during covid).

But it got me thinking, what makes a trainer "a professional". Both personally and legally.

I know some areas like boxing or karate they likely have some sort of foundation/club/organisation maybe you can register too?

I guess this is coming up because im learning weapons training now, and we can carry training weapons if there is good rrason too (like for training) but would a police officer see a guy in a park and agree hes a trainer. And to add to that, should i believe him?

I cant deny though, my stickfighting, swordfiighting, fist fighting and grapple work has extraordinarily increased. So i cant deny there is skill there and i am learning.

So i guess what makes someone a professional martial artist teacher? How do you tell compared to someone whose just sat on youtube too much. And should i be worried?

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[–] Rolando 4 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Big subject. Best writeup I've seen is Rory Miller's "Meditations on Violence" (though it's not perfect by any means.) Basically, there are many types of violence and the question is: what type are you preparing for and why. You could write several books on that subject.

what makes someone a professional martial artist teacher? How do you tell compared to someone whose just sat on youtube too much. And should i be worried?

Depends what you're preparing for and why. In your case: just getting exercise? Not a big deal. Qualify for good performance in a particular tournament? Depends on the organizers, the ruleset, the "meta" strategy of fighting techniques used, etc. Be able to defend yourself in any situation? Almost impossible.

BTW I wouldn't carry weapons in a public park, even if I was just training, but your local laws and policies may vary.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Thanks, i guess this is a really good point here. End of the day my learning is different because its not sports oriented.

So i basically learn sword/stick which is more for fun that id never get to really use. And i learn basic grapples/palm/fist for basic defence which while probably wont work against say a boxer, even with boxing knowledge I probably wouldnt fair well, and its enough to stop someone to get time to run/leave.

The weapons part is a worry, they are practice weapons, but still i wish it was a bit more legitimate that i wont get in trouble for trying to learn something interesting.

[–] Rolando 1 points 7 months ago

The weapons part is a worry, they are practice weapons, but still i wish it was a bit more legitimate that i wont get in trouble for trying to learn something interesting.

Well, there are plenty of people these days doing traditional martial arts, historical reenactments, cosplaying, Live Action Role Playing, etc that there may already be policies in place. Ask your trainer if they know, if not try searching the web pages of the park you go to, or the city/town you're in. If you don't find an answer you'll at least find the numbers of people to call and ask.

If you don't find a positive answer, you could always try borrowing a yard or other private property, where the laws are likely different.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Depending on region, public parks can be very safe. For example, Europeean parks surrounded by residential buildings are safe, because troublemakers know there's always someone able to see them through a window and call the police.

It's different for parks in inner cities surrounded by non residential buildings like shops and malls. That's where people sometimes get mugged.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

You can't. That's why martial arts that have professionally organized competition have so much better quality control (boxing, wrestling, judo, BJJ).

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

In France, the ministry of sports delegates to the martial arts federation the power to decide who gets a rank and who gets a teaching diploma, similarly to how universities can decide who has a diploma. I guess many other countries work like that.
It doesn't mean someone without the ranks/diplomas is necessarily bad, but having a diploma is supposed to guarantee a minimal level of knowledge, pedagogy and safety.

[–] Tolstoshev 1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Lineage used to be a big factor, including whether your sifu had certified you to teach. Not sure how big a factor that is these days.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for this, i find it interesting because im largely learning filipino martial arts, it seems very political. Especially as a lineage seems quite disputed. Even still there is talk about "how ours works because the guy went to jail for killing someone etc etc".

I think its more important then i expected. And when i think about it, creates an interesting point because part of yhe reason im learning filipino martial arts is because im part filipino and want to understand that side a bit better.

[–] Tolstoshev 1 points 7 months ago

I’ve studied some Filipino martial arts, and there’s a lot of crossover with JKD especially with Dan Inosanto being one of Bruce Lee’s top students. I once got a chance to go to one of his seminars and it was great seeing him in action, even with his back injuries. The lineages in those arts are tough to trace due to the time and place where a lot of them evolved during wartime. I do find all the weapons training fascinating, and the history of how their martial arts were influenced by Spanish invaders and fencing, to the point where they use Spanish words in the terminology over their native language. Good luck in your studies!