Multiple Credentials

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Why? What possible benefit does it provide to have credentials in a variety of systems or styles? It seems that folks believe that a sensei who has black belts in many systems or styles is somehow better or more qualified than those who may have focused on one venue or one discipline. 

Is a black belt in Goju and Shorin and Uechi going to make you a better karate-ka? If so, how? If I think about that and consider that it takes a considerable amount of time to qualify for a black belt in each how does one find the time to give all three the considerable focus it takes to be skillful? Lets talk about skills, it is well known especially in violence professional arena’s that true self-defense for self-protection is a small set of skills or methodologies. The more you try to add to your skill levels in self-protection the more you overwhelm your mind when violence arrives. The following was provided as example as to the simplicity for self-protection:

The thirty-second crash course (remember KISS principle):

1. Never be too proud to apologize;
2. Never use or do insincere apologies; 
3. Don’t do stupid/dumb things likely to piss of violent people;
4. If the situation looks sketchy, turn and walk aways before you get in too deep;
5. Know that violent criminals are rare, BUT the world is filled with people who will kill you for pissing them off - ERGO, be a lot more careful about pissing people off;
6. To achieve success for one through five, learn to exercise emotional self-control (emotional maturity). 

Done, thirty seconds! (Note: made some minor changes in the text above, but the sense and intent are still the same as presented by a quote) - Original from Marc MacYoung's post on the subject. 

There is an old saying about, "To be a jack of all trades and a master of none." To my way of thinking that means a person who lays claim to black belt in multiple systems or styles is merely a "dabbler" of many mediocre skills who hasn't the capability or inclination to gain the experience and expertise that comes from a focus on the one. It means one may be good at many things attaining a broad knowledge, a generalist rather than a specialist. 

To my mind, holding multiple credentials is tantamount to a lack of mastery for the status and symbolism of being a jack of all trades or in this instance a jack of many styles rather than a master of karate or principled-based multiple methods/methodologies. 

Often, when one has attained his first black belt on a single system or style they are encouraged to expose themselves to many other systems or styles but I see that is actually, styles and systems aside, exposing themselves to many, many, many different people with many, many, many different abilities and skill levels. I then theorize that to attain a black belt in other styles the criteria and work are stunted assuming their rank or grade coming in provided most of the necessary skills and this is true if you look at it as fundamental principled-based methods labeled under different names rather than distinctly different and separate disciplines. After all, they are all based on certain principles that don't change between styles because the styles or systems are just uniquely given names to fit the person who creates the system or style. 

To hold and have multiple credentials is merely a smoke screen to manipulate others who don't know any better that they hold some special ability, knowledge and understanding. I attribute this view also to those who present certain titles as something unique and special to those unsuspecting and naive entering the dojo for the very first time like "first generation student of master so-n-so, etc." 

OR

As a teacher, regardless of the intent in teaching and practicing, you really do have to have a huge data-base to draw from in teaching many students. That is a good thing and regardless, if you also teach self-protection for self-defense that data-base of knowledge and understanding must come down to that few fundamental skills or methodologies or methods that will be reliable in a tight, dangerous and stress-filled moment of violent contact. 

Add in that you just can’t MAKE IT WORK, you have to find those methodologies that seem easy and are connected in some way to nature’s “flight-or-fight” system so that when the proverbial stuff hits the fan your mind will quickly draw from those FEW things that will get you home alive and keep you out of JAIL. 

In a nutshell: Learn the one system until you master it and when you are doing this “expose” yourself to the many if for no other reason so that you may see how your primary works with others. At the mastery point, say third dan level, you then expose and gather unto your knowledge base as much data as possible to enhance and build, not on skill acquisition, on those skills necessary to provide appropriate individual training and practice for each individual you teach in the dojo. If you focus on multiple methods/methodologies of a fundamental principled based way then you literally have the understanding of the many because all of the many fall back upon those fundamental principles, i.e., structure, alignment, force, etc.

• You see, human structure is the same regardless of a system or style.
• You see, force and power is the same regardless of a system or style. 
• You see, balance is the same regardless of a system or style. 
• You see, breathing is the same regardless of the system, style of methodology.
• You see, centrifugal and centripetal forces are the same regardless of system or style. 
• You see, body and mind are the same regardless of the system or style. 
• You see, a principled-based method is the same regardless of the system or style. 
• You see, the application of methodologies toward impacts, drives (pushes), pulling, twisting, takedowns and throws, and compressions are the same regardless of the system or style. 
• You see, control and efficiency and power and force and energy and centeredness and vision and tactile sensitivity, etc., all are the same regardless of the system or style. 
• You see, …

For instance, grabbing the wrist is used a lot to demonstrate a self-defense technique and regardless of the actual technique the principles of manipulation through leverages, structure, balance, etc., are all the same regardless of what system or style they manifest from to get the job done. 

If you cannot apply principled-based methods/methodologies with appropriate force and power in efficient ways the black belt in either or one system or style will NOT made any difference when facing both social or asocial violence or violent people. 

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