From: robinson@cogsci.Berkeley.EDU (Michael Robinson)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Re: Model Mugging (long)
Date: 11 Sep 92 21:56:10 GMT
Organization: Institute of Cognitive Studies, U.C. Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: cogsci.berkeley.edu

In article <1992Sep11.121028.22591@relay.nswc.navy.mil> snorthc@relay.nswc.navy.mil (Stephen Northcutt - E41) writes:
>So on this particular list with nerds like me wandering aroung claiming to
>be junior sensei :-) trained for all these many years in multiple styles
>(and some of us are even telling the truth!!!!!) the claims of model mugging
>ring seriously hollow.  It isn't that these claims are as bogus as they
>sound, it is from the point of view of an experience MA, they just gotta
>be joking.  I hope this makes sense.  I hope it isn't offensive.  Thanks. 

Last week I watched the final class of a 9-hour (6 classes * 1.5 hours) 
self-defense course offered through the University.  The experience really
opened my eyes to just how easy it must be for muggers and rapists to ply
their trade.

Almost without exception, the students were uncomfortable with using their 
bodies, and were uncomfortable with the idea of violence.  The combination
of using their bodies for violence was clearly stressful.  This may be
difficult to appreciate for someone whose idea of recreation includes kicking
friends in the head, but I mean stressful to the point that several students
were almost brought to tears by what basically amounted to one-step sparring
drills.  And these were people who had enough self-confidence to take the
class in the first place, and who had eight hours of training behind them.

I found one point particularly telling: the students were instructed to 
give a loud "NO!" (basically a kiai) in combination with the techniques, 
but despite the constant exhortation of the instructor, it usually came out
as "no.", or sometimes even "no?".  I thought to myself, if these people 
can't sufficiently overcome their socialization to give a decent shout at
someone, how can they be expected to inflict traumatic and debilitating
injury (e.g. the eye gouge)?

In my opinion, any self-defense training which does not get students over
this hurdle has failed.  Model Mugging appears to have a system which is 
particularly successful in this regard, and I think any comparison should
be on that basis first.  Keep in mind that self-defense is not about 
winning fights, which is what most martial training focuses on.  It *is* 
about avoiding, and in the worst case extricating oneself from, situations
of personal jeopardy.  With the exception of hate crimes, it is usually
sufficient simply to make the attack more trouble than it's worth.

By analogy to home security, I, who in my misspent youth learned all manner
of lockpicking and whatnot, should not sneer at people who are taught to lock
their doors and windows, because the fact is that simple measures (which
might be child's play to a trained locksmith) are usually sufficient to deter
home entry.



-- 
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Michael Robinson                          UUCP:   ucbvax!cogsci!robinson
                                        INTERNET: robinson@cogsci.berkeley.edu