This week Deadliest Warrior star, bodyguard and former French Foreign Legionnaire Nick Hughes shares his thoughts about contemporary martial arts and self-defense training. As many of you already know, Nick is the author of How To Be Your Own Bodyguard
What do you think about how martial arts is taught and practiced in this country?
Nick Hughes: Pretty much what I think of how it’s taught throughout the world (and I’ve lived in nine countries and visited approximately 30) You’ve got a very broad spectrum. Some of it’s great and some of it is laughable. I see the McDojos on street corners dispensing rank like candy machines with seven-year old black belts. I see the politics: one local character here promoted one of his black belts from 2nd dan to 5th dan in one weekend because a legitimate 4th dan had opened across the street and was taking his students…but I also see the real-deal guys slogging away out of the limelight turning out good students.
I see the misled who are being told some nonsense by some fat guy with grandmaster across his back who’s never pressure-tested his stuff in his life.
“Armed or unarmed, Nick Hughes is one of the most dangerous men on the planet. The combination of extensive real-world experience, advanced hard-core training, impressive physicality and indomitable will make him so. That being said, he’s an intelligent, articulate and gifted instructor, speaker and motivational coach as well. He’s a fine example of the warrior-scholar without being uppity about it. I’m proud to call him my friend.”
Marcus Wynne, bestselling author and screenwriter.
When you look at the way martial arts have evolved since you started training, what do you consider the most striking differences?
Nick Hughes: Hmm…, no pun intended correct? When I’d joined Zen Do Kai the worldwide mania with regards to the martial arts had begun. There were literally hundreds of students clamoring to join and train every day. Bob’s main dojo in Melbourne had 3 floors and a slew of classes every night.
With that many people you could train with an intensity that you can’t now. First night you were doing hundreds of knuckle pushups and hundreds of sit ups. If you tried to take a break a higher rank was there bullying you into continuing or quitting. It was like a try out for Special Forces in which you can afford to be brutal because you know there’s a never ending supply of new recruits. We sparred bare knuckles with zero safety equipment and full body contact and “touch” contact to the face. Some people “touched” more than others.” One of the older black belts and I were joking one day about we got more injuries in class learning to defend ourselves than we would have gotten if we’d never trained and just got beat up a few times in our lives.
Eventually all the fuss died down and now you’ve got fifty students a week quitting and only twenty joining so it had to be modified accordingly if you were going to pay the rent. That’s when karate and other martial arts began to get watered down.
We went from an era where the black belts were gods and ran the dojo like their own personal fiefdom. It was very much like being in the army and you took orders or else. Now I see where it’s become a business and the client is always right.
Like anything else some of those changes are good and some not so good. Our calisthenics were actually dangerous. Instructors would kick your legs out if you were a few inches off the floor trying the splits or they’d run across your belly while you lay in a row on the floor. A slew of stuff now that we know is not good for us. So, fixing those up is a good thing.
Getting rid of the hard and realistic training to cater to a client who wanted a black belt but they didn’t want to sweat or spar. That is not so good.
“Nick Hughes is the real deal. I have never met anyone in my 30 plus years of experience that is like him. His self defense and the techniques he teaches are real world, really work, no BS. He tells it like it is, pulling no punches. I highly recommend Nick.”
—Marc Halleck, owner & head instructor, North Shore Academy Martial Arts
What would you do differently if you were to begin training in the martial arts today?
Nick Hughes: Hmm…this is a two part answer. One: I might not even do martial arts. I might have gotten into something that actually makes money like tennis or golf. What’s the old joke? If you want to make a small fortune start with a big fortune and open a karate school.
Two: Failing that, I’d probably do a system like Krav Maga or Combatives so I’d have a chance if I got jumped next week and then later take that training into the more long-term martial art study.
Next week, Nick Hughes shares more thoughts about contemporary martial arts training, Krav Maga, and the pros and cons of MMA training.
Until then…Train hard, stay safe, live well.
P.S. Yes, those are my affiliate links just in case you care to know.
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