For those who have been the victims of Bullshido...

**Strat_Tones** · Posted On: 12/31/2004 11:48am

My name is Strat_Tones, and I have been victimized by Bullshido.

For five years or so I studied a "martial art" called Spontaneous Fighting Method. It was supposedly a blend of Kenpo, Aikido, and some Japanese weapons stuff (staff, sword, sticks, etc). My "sensei" had supposedly (well, he really was a 4th or 5th degree blackbelt in Kenpo under a pretty well respected Kenpo insctructor) studied all of these arts and blended them into his own style. Sound familiar to anyone?

We did a lot of things that arent' typically Bullshido: a lot of sparring, fighting, ect. The funny thing was that we had a very open policy about letting guys from other styles come in and spar. And we did pretty well against most of the people who came in the door (most of whom were probably also studying some form of Bullshido). We even did very well in point sparring tournaments (despite the fact that we didn't practice sparring for points). I know what you're thinking: "Oooh. Point sparring -- TEH ULTIMATE!

I remember one time when a guy from a local Jiu-Jitsu school came in to spar -- and owned everyone in the room. It was quite an eye opening experience, but I wasn't ready to admit that I had wasted my time for so long (denial can be quite powerful, as we all know). Plus, I believed that if I kept training eventually I would learn to beat the grapplers. Duh.

So eventually I found an excuse that would let me quit -- I was too busy with college -- and stopped training all together, thank God.

Sorry for the rant, but it feels good to get this stuff off my chest.

So my question is (and the real reason for this thread), how do you cope with the fact that you wasted your time and money for so many years? I just started training Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu about 6 months ago (and am hoping to add Muay Thai soon) and I'm absolutely kicking myself for not training these arts so long ago. I know that if I hadn't gotten so deep into my Bullshido training (or lack thereof) I probably would have been training BJJ and Muay Thai all along.

I know that with my 6 months of BJJ I could probably go back to my old dojo and mop the floor with just about all of them, but that wouldn't make me feel any better. Plus, the guys I used to train with are genuinly nice people, they just practice a Bullshido martial art, so I wouldn't want to hurt anybody.

Has anyone here who has been a victim of Bullshido ever gone back to your old dojo to spar your old teachers? Basically I'm trying to talk myself out of doing this in the future.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

**Thaiboxerken** · Posted On: 12/31/2004 12:04pm

I've sparred with all of my instructors. Do you really mean to challenge your old instructor to a fight?

**Wounded Ronin** · Posted On: 12/31/2004 12:47pm

Well, if you want to try and take a positive attitude about it, I'd just consider the Kempo to have been an introduction. It got you strong and limber and gave you basic knowledge so that you are in a better position to fully appreciate what you are doing now. Nothing good ever comes of not knowing something, and because of your previous background you are left with more knowledge about martial arts in general.

**Anna Kovacs** · Posted On: 12/31/2004 12:48pm

I did wado ryu for like a bajillion years. I dont think it was complete bullshido and I did learn some handy things that I still use. IE how to punch pretty solid, some kicks and things I still would use etc.

In fact, I think Wado could be a fairly solid system if trained right. (As well as going back a bit to it's jiu-jitsu roots) We did spar continuously with fairly solid contact on occasion, the main problem is we didnt do it nearly enough, cause we did point sparring aswell and a lot of the "senior students" (who often wound up teaching due the instructor having to travel for an hour to get to class) didnt like going at it harder because point sparring "taught control".

Toward the end of my former instructor teaching there he started to get into the UFC (and is primarily the reason I started getting into MMA myself) he also started training under Rickson Gracie and would show us some stuff on rare occasions (Collar choke's, armbars, stuff like that). He quit teaching Wado not long after getting his blue belt and later went on to become the first person in tennessee to be authorized to teach BJJ....he's now a brown belt under Rickson.

So no, I haven't sparred him, and if I did he'd eat me alive....but he probably wouldnt use Wado Ryu to do it.

He now occasionally trains/teaches at the MMA gym I train at but I dont think he remembers me and I havent really said anything. (hadn't seen him in maybe 5 years at that point) I do often wonder why he didnt try and make our training more effective as he obviously knew there were some major holes in the system.

As for coping..well..it was the only game in town at the time and I really wanted to do MA so I didnt really have much choice. I think a TKD dojo opened up for a short time but it only lasted 3-4 months. (Just long enough for everyone to get their black belt I'm sure).

**Poop Loops** · Posted On: 12/31/2004 1:16pm

You said you did well vs most challengers. Just because one guy mopped the floor with you doesn't mean you suck. If a top Pride fighter came to my school, he'd mop the floor with all of us too, does that mean that BJJ sucks?

PL

**5FingazofDeath** · Posted On: 12/31/2004 1:24pm

Mostly everyone is introduced to a martial art by way of mcdojo. I did TKD for 4 years before I starting kickboxing, jkd, and bjj. All is not wasted, you got the feel for combat, and got athletic movement into your body.

All you have to do is fix your bad habits: keeping hands low, chambering strikes, blocking low with you arm, etc...

And what wounded ronin said.

**Kinzei** · Posted On: 12/31/2004 7:02pm

4 years with a JJJ instructor who insisted that what he taught was to deadly for the ring. I learned lots of techniques, but no real foot work, set ups or sparring skills....... To make a long story short, I left and landed with my current instructors. When I spar with one of my instructors, it is usualy fairly intense. (I am nursing a hairline fracture in my left ulna). Take what you learned before and apply it using what you are learning now. The time you spent should not have been a coplete waste.

**Thaiboxerken** · Posted On: 12/31/2004 7:04pm

Sometimes, I feel like I should go slap my sunday school teacher and church preachers around for teaching me bullshido. Just let is slide, fight bullshido with education.

**Boyd** · Posted On: 1/01/2005 1:17am

Begin the healing process by contributing to my Worst Techniques thread , and then show your gratitude by voting it Thread of the Year.

**PoleFighter** · Posted On: 1/01/2005 6:03am

When I got back into MA after a six year break, it was with Shaolin Kung-fu. I spent a year learning dead patterns and pretending to be a crane. Was the time wasted? Hell no. It got me back into shape, rekindled my interest in MA and gave me the confidence in my physical abilities that I needed to try out a tougher, more comptetetive MA. If I'd never gone to that school, I wouldn't be doing BJJ now.