Can A DVD Teach You How To Defend Yourself? Absolutely, As Long As You're Not A Beginner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Centereach, New York, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) December 31, 2010 -- "Through the years I have seen a lot of people come and go in the martial arts and one thing has been constant, everyone wants to know how long it would take to obtain a black belt. In a society that wants everything yesterday, it's no surprise that martial arts instruction would fall into the 'I want it now category'", says 8th degree Kenpo black belt and founder of the Universal Street Combat Systems John Annunziata.

As of the early to mid 1980's, there has been a way to obtain a black belt quicker then normal and that has been through video tape or DVD. The main problem that people in the martial arts industry has is that old school instructors, as well as some newbies feel that while you can learn the techniques through DVD, that doesn't mean that you can actually defend yourself. Mr. Annunziata believes both however. "If you are learning a new martial art to add to your base of information, a base that was learned in a school with real people who really hit you and that you hit back, then I believe that the DVD's and video tapes are fine. If you are a beginner in the martial arts and your first foray into the martial arts is through DVD or video, then you are going to get yourself killed". He goes on to say that "for beginners entering into the martial arts for the very first time, learning from DVD and video can give you a false sense of confidence because you have no idea what it feels like to be hit and to hit back, you have no idea how much pressure is needed to restrain an individual in an arm bar or through a technique with out actually breaking the person's arm. It's just not pracital".

Mr. Annunziata does believe that the techniques taught by video and in person can be done the same way whether or not you are a beginner, but that doesn't mean you can pull them off on the streets. Below is a study that was done by Bobby Newman, Ph. D regarding the ability to do the techniques if they are learned by DVD or by an actual instructor:

"In recent years there's been a boom in the sales of videotapes designed to teach certain skill sets to viewers. As soon as video was determined to be an effective teaching tool, forward thinking martial artists entered the fray and began churning out volume after volume covering every style imaginable. It has become big business. Up to 35 percent of the ads in Black Belt offer some form of videotaped instruction. They represent an almost endless parade of styles and instructors, with individual tapes costing as much as $60 and complete sets selling for $500 or more. Despite the popularity of martial arts instructional tapes, no study of their effectiveness has been performed. UNTILL NOW. In a quest for hard evidence, three subjects with no martial arts experience were selected to participate in an experiment. These are the results.

THE METHOD
The subjects were three women, all of whom were in their 20s and in good health. They were tasked with learn- 10 kenpo karate techniques. For some techniques, the mode of instruction was one-on-one training with a certified personal trainer who holds a black belt in the art. For others, it was by videotape.

All the techniques were taught on the same day. Two of the students learned in their homes, while the third learned in a commercial martial arts facility. Before each session, they were told to stretch their muscles and perform calisthenics. Then the training commenced.

Each live technique was performed three times by the instructor. Then the students practiced it with the instructor as the partner until they could execute it proficiently.

Each video-based technique was viewed three times. Then the students practiced it with the instructor, but he merely served as the attacker. He did not make corrections or offer advice.

THE OUTCOME

The study determined that all three students were able to effectively perform each technique for the instructor in fewer than 10 attempts. No systematic differences between the two methods of instruction were evident. The subjects appeared to learn the techniques equally well from either source. The tapes, however, imparted the skills at a much lower cost to the students".

As Mr. Annunziata states, "the techniques may have been done the same way, and it may have been cheaper to learn from video, but for a beginner, is that savings in money going to be something that still makes them happy after they get their butt handed to them in a street fight? I doubt it, but at least they will have plenty of time to think about it when they are laying in their hospital bed". He believes that video instruction should be for the experienced martial artist only, and there is an enormous amount of people out there who agree with him. For more information on Universal Street Combat Systems and video training, please contact Mr. Annunziata at advancingdragons@gmail.com.

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