There are no secret techniques. The martial arts do not contain secret killing techniques that only they know. It’s a myth at best, and a lie at worst. To believe that either modern or ancient martial arts have found ways unknown to science, to kill a person is completely ludicrous. That some grand master, or grand wizard etc., has a greater understanding of the way(s) in which the human body operates, than modern science is so far-fetched that it is unbelievable, and yet I still hear instructors talk about the “secret killing techniques” that exist in their system, that are so “deadly” that only a small handful of dedicated and responsible instructors can be shown them. If I was ever to compare martial arts organizations and associations to religious cults, this idea of “higher” and “secret” learning might be one of my core arguments i.e., the holding back of knowledge from the disciple until they have shown their commitment to the organization etc. The attraction of secret “killing” techniques is an obvious one. It gives a person powerful knowledge that only they and a few others share; it makes them somewhat unique. I am sure that those who “have” such knowledge will make the argument, that I am either jealous because I don’t possess it, or am simply ignorant because I don’t know, what I don’t know etc. However, this argument that certain systems have found otherwise unknown ways to end a life lacks credibility. I also find it hard to believe that any system has found a “new” method to apply a scientifically proven way of ending a life e.g., a new way of applying a choke or strangulation, that hasn’t been discovered before etc. In this article I want to look at why the argument for the existence of secret, including secret killing techniques, is still in existence, why people want to believe in these things, and how such claims reduce the credibility of martial arts and self-defense systems, on the whole.

I have always made the argument that “advanced” is just the basics done better. An art like boxing is a great example of this i.e., boxers don’t learn more techniques, they get better at applying the ones they know. They improve their head movement, their footwork, and a small repertoire of punches etc. I’ve never heard of a trainer, tell a fighter, that now they have been training for ten years, they’ll be shown a “secret” punch that they’ve been holding back to teach them until now. The boxer knows that to get better there are no shortcuts. In order to get better they have to put the time in developing and building their skills. Part of their training may be hard, tiring, uncomfortable and painful etc., but that’s what you need to do in order to get better. There will be times that they fail, that they doubt themselves and question whether they’ll ever improve. That’s part of the journey, and that’s what makes improvement rewarding. However, there are those who want the rewards, without the work, without the knocks to the ego, without having to experience failure. For such people “techniques” become everything. If you can learn a few “tricks”, you don’t need to put in the same amount of work, because the technique will make up for a lack of fighting ability. There is nothing faster than the speed of light, except perhaps the speed at which Krav Maga practitioners and instructors, comment on the videos that other Krav Maga practitioners and instructors put up on social media, claiming the ineffectiveness of the other’s “techniques”. I’ll put it simply: a good fighter, with poor technique, will beat a poor fighter with great techniques. I am not saying that techniques don’t matter but when this becomes the focus of self-defense, credibility is lost. For those who believe that it’s all about techniques, there need to be higher-level techniques, and perhaps even secret techniques; techniques so powerful, that fighting skills and abilities are irrelevant. I have had people refuse to spar – in my younger more egotistical days - with me because their techniques were so dangerous, or the rules wouldn’t allow them to use them. If you don’t know how to move, strike, wrestle/grapple in a dynamic setting I’m not sure that you have the skills to get these amazing – and sometimes secret – techniques to work in a real-life confrontation.

Secret techniques are appealing, like magic. There’s a large part of me that would love to believe, that if I could somehow tap into a certain energy I possess, I could shoot fireballs from my hands. That would be cool. I think everybody could agree that that would be cool. I would only use such magical abilities for good – and maybe the odd party trick – so I’d use my powers responsibly. I’d need to find somebody who could teach me how to do this, and it would only be fair to pay them the appropriate amount of money, and I’d accept that I might have to put some time in practicing some other things along the way. I’m a realist, it takes time to shoot fireballs from your palms, you don’t just get there on day one, and the grand wizard who is teaching you how to do these things needs to be sure that you can be trusted, but eventually you’ll be shown how. When martial arts and self-defense practitioners talk about “secret techniques” to non-practitioners, this is how they sound, and this is why many people don’t believe in the effectiveness of self-defense training; it sounds too much like magic. Most people know the difference between real-life violence and that portrayed in the media. They know that violence is a dirty and messy affair and doesn’t take the sanitized and/or sensationalized form that Hollywood portrays. Many may hope that there are tricks and techniques that will give them a fighting edge, but know in their heart that it is about being able to fight – and that involves hard work. To keep selling the message that there are secret techniques just undermines the credibility of every fighting system, and reserves training to those who want to learn how to shoot fire from their hands.