Well, back from an interesting day, and I felt like dropping in again - don't mind me.
I say, don't worry about this stuff. At all. Put it out of your mind. Forget it's there. I say, worry about learning how to kick ass. If you're not studying RMAs, but are interested in either information or possible training, these are not effective things to be worrying about. My opinion - find out what a style can do for you. Find out HOW you get to that point. What does the training involve? Why? Why is the methodology like this, and not that? How does this give me the skills to defend the shit out of myself when it hits the fan? How can I use this to preemptively use the art to diffuse situations that could end even worse than when they are under my control?
What are faults in training? Where are the loopholes? Why are they there? Are the acceptable? Can the students fight? Can they kick ass? Does teacher X regularly, quickly, reliably, and consistently build monsters at his/her school? Can some of the students kick the shit out of me? Do I understand why they can do this, and how they do it? What principles does the art base itself on? Are these principles always present in life?
How does the art transfer to using anything I pick up to change the world with? A pen, a garrote, a newspaper, a knife, a cane, my jacket, an M4 carbine...I don't care...does it transfer to all of them? Why? Why not? Am I satisfied with that? How will I fare if I use this art and have to stay around with police? Can I effectively use it against someone without harming them? Can I effectively use it to absolutely decimate, tear apart, crush, smash, and deconstruct someone? Do I understand why and why not? WHY? HOW? DEMONSTRATE FOR ME!
You have a right to know all of this, but you have to ask the right questions to get the right answers. Don't be satisfied with some nebulous bullshit that you can neither understand nor use to make yourself harder and much more annoying to kill.
-Dave  |