Ever wonder why gang members and tough-guys make fun of karate students? Even Black Belts? After all, don't they know that these people are highly trained fighting machines capable of breaking bricks and boards with their bare-hands, able to execute flying double kicks, and posses the ability to disarm an attacker armed with any weapon? Don't they?

Let me tell you a story. This is a true story and shows when and under what conditions gangbangers and street fighters respond to martial artists the way I've described...

...and when they don't.

I was contacted by another instructor to participate in a little charitable fundraiser he was hosting to raise some much-needed money for a local organization. His academy was demonstrating some skills at a local mall and he was inviting other schools to join him in this noble cause. The only problem?

The mall was in a large, inner-city environment, over an hour away.

Not that this was a major problem but, It would clearly not be a promotional activity for my own academy. It would, however, allow my students to see perhaps some of the world in a different light, considering that most of them had been born and raised in the sleepy little semi-rural area that I now call home.

During the festivities, I became aware of some individuals watching the different demonstrations being presented by the various schools. They were clearly wearing the "colors" associated with some well-known gangs and carrying the scars and telltale signs of those who have seen combat - real world, raw, no-second-place, fighting.

I alerted my students to their presence and suggested that they watch the reactions of these individuals during the different performances. I told them not to worry about trouble as it appeared that the gang members were not there to fight or cause trouble as much as they were there to gather information. In short - they were checking out the "martial arts guys" to see if...

1) There was anything they could use, and...

2) They had anything to worry about...

...the mindset of true survivors.

My students were amazed to see how these apparently untrained "street-fighters" were able to see the difference between a good martial arts technique and one that would get you killed. They watched as gang members shook their heads or shouted "oh, please!" In response to what we knew to be techniques made up by an instructor who had never really "been there." The students also watched as gang members reflexively leaned in and touched their chins with that, "hmmm," thoughtful, inquisitive look that said, "there's something here that I should pay attention to."

The point to the story is that, a black belt may be able fool him or herself - they may be able to fool most of their students, but...

...they will NEVER fool a seasoned combatant. Regardless of whether that fighter was trained in the heat of war, or on the war-like streets of Today's big cities.

If you really want to know how much more lies beneath the surface when it comes to really mastering this thing called self-defense, you should read the book, "The Karate-Myth." It explains in much greater detail what's missing from most karate and self-defense programs and what you need to really be safe in Today's often violent world.

So, why don't gang bangers and street fighters fear most black belt martial artists and karate students? Simple. They've seen your stuff.

And, it's obvious to them that...

...you haven't seen theirs. Because, if you had...

...you would change the way you train and the way you look at your techniques!