Street Fighter Moves – Interviews Christopher “Bob” Roberts on Martial Arts Versus Survival Training

Charles – Today’s topic will cover how to help people see the distinct difference between martial arts training and reality-street survival training.  Can you give us, Bob, say, four key differences in these two?
Bob – Yeah, I can do that.
The Number 1 Difference Is – Time To Learn – You go ahead and learn martial arts, and people talk about 5 years, 10 years to get your black belt.  But my problem is, if I train with you today, I want you to be ready to survive a fight tomorrow.  Street self defense and street survival is learning how to defend yourself in a very short amount of time.  We’re not talking about years before you can fight.
Charles – Excellent.
Bob – Now –
The Second Difference Is – The Need For Constant Training – Martial Arts is based on repetition, techniques.  Martial arts is based upon some fitness.  And when a reality-based instructor teaches somebody how to fight in the street, they teach them something that they learn, understand one time, where they don’t need to train on every single day to be able to do this in a year or two.
The Third Difference Is – Safety Equipment In My Opinion Is Not Needed To Train People In Survival Fighting – Full contact training teaches you for example with the mouth piece, not to bite.  With head gear and gloves, it teaches you not to attack the eyes – not to attack the throat.  So, if you see someone doing full contact training where they are training with safety protection, you are particularly teaching your students not to use some of the most effective techniques possible. 
The Fourth  Difference Is – Basically Tricks Not Techniques – A good reality-based instructor could teach you the basic concepts to strike somebody in the throat, kick somebody in the knee, head-butt somebody, etc., in a very short amount of time and you will understand it even if you don’t know precisely what to do as in a step 1, step 2, step 3 type of explanation. 
With martial arts, they come with complicated techniques, and you take years and months to learn, and if you don’t do them constantly, you forget them.  A reality-based instructor will teach, this is an easy way to hit someone in the nose.  This is an easy way to break some body’s leg.  And that’s it.  And if you understand it, you don’t have to be perfect to get the same effect. 
Charles – Wow.  Well, we thank you so much because this definitely puts a new light on the differences in these two concepts.  Thank you so much, Bob. 
Bob – Thank you.