(A complete diagnostic system)
Bullshit in this domain is uniquely dangerous because it creates a false sense of competence, which becomes a real-world liability.
Below are 10 diagnostic categories, each with specific markers, red flags, and hard thresholdswhere you can confidently label an instructor as “bullshitting.”
🔍 1. CLAIMS OF CERTAINTY IN CHAOS
Red Flags:
• “This technique works 100% of the time.”
• “There is a guaranteed response to X attack.”
• “Street fights follow predictable patterns.”
Note: street fights don't follow predictable patterns but the path that leads to violence and conflicts DOES!
Why It’s Bullshit
Real violence is:
chaotic, fast, pattern-breaking, and context-dependent.
No technique is universally reliable.
📚 Supported by reality-based training literature and empirical assault pattern studies.
🔍 2. NO PRESSURE TESTING / NO RESISTANCE
Red Flags:
• Demonstrations always on compliant partners
• Zero sparring or progressive resistance
• Instructor discourages questioning or testing
Why It’s Bullshit
If it cannot withstand resistance,
it cannot survive conflict.
📚 Aligned with the “alive training” principles (Matt Thornton), and all empirical combative sports research.
🔍 3. MAGICAL OR EXOTIC CLAIMS
Red Flags:
• “One-touch knockouts”
• “Chi disruption strikes”
• “You can stop an attacker without touching them”
• “Internal energy projection”
Why It’s Bullshit
Unfalsifiable → no evidence → pseudo-profound.
📚 Fits Pennycook’s pseudo-profound bullshit profile.
🔍 4. UNVERIFIABLE BACKGROUND / MYSTERY LINEAGE
Red Flags:
• “My master was a secret operative.”
• “I learned this from a hidden lineage.”
• “These techniques were taught only to elite warriors.”
Why It’s Bullshit
Bullshit thrives where verification dies.
📚 Frankfurt: indifference to truth = hallmark of bullshit.
🔍 5. ANTI-EVIDENCE STANCE
Red Flags:
• “I don’t need science; I have experience.”
• “Pressure testing ruins technique.”
• “Scientific research can’t measure real fighting.”
Why It’s Bullshit
Rejecting falsifiability = epistemic red flag.
📚 Sagan’s Baloney Detection Kit: always demand independent confirmation.
🔍 6. OVERCONFIDENCE WITHOUT COMPETENCE
Red Flags:
• Instructor never sparrs
• Instructor never trains with people better than them
• Instructor claims “decades of experience” but shows sloppy basics
• Physical demonstrations look staged
Why It’s Bullshit
Overclaiming is a major sign of bullshit receptivity.
📚 Salvi et al. (2024): overclaiming is linked with bullshit behavior.
🔍 7. APPEAL TO FEAR
Red Flags:
• “The world is extremely dangerous…”
• “If you don’t learn this, you will die…”
• “Attackers always do ___.”
Why It’s Bullshit
Fear bypasses critical thinking → increases bullshit susceptibility.
📚 Consistent with modern misinformation and emotional bias research.
🔍 8. STYLE SUPREMACY NARRATIVES
Red Flags:
• “Our style is superior to all others.”
• “No need to train against other arts.”
• “Cross-training is unnecessary.”
Why It’s Bullshit
Combat effectiveness is context-dependent.
📚 Supported by mixed martial arts evolution and motor-learning principles.
🔍 9. HERO OR SOLDIER FANTASY SELLING
Red Flags:
• “Train like elite commandos.”
• “Navy SEAL killing moves.”
• “Military-grade hand-to-hand secrets.”
Why It’s Bullshit
Most military combatives today are minimalist, simple, and pressure-tested — not mystical.
📚 Verified by historical combatives and modern military training doctrine.
🔍 10. NO CLEAR METRICS OF PERFORMANCE
Red Flags:
• Progress is based on time, payment, or loyalty
• Rank is unclear or subjective
• No performance testing
Why It’s Bullshit
If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.
If they cannot define success, they cannot teach. (Litmus testing occurs if and when "the rubber meets the street" and that is no guarantee!)
📚 Supported by motor learning, skill acquisition, and fight-sport performance research.
⚠️ THE 5-SECOND HARD STOP LIST
If you see any of the following, leave immediately:
🚫 “One touch KO”
🚫 “No sparring needed”
🚫 “It works because it’s ancient”
🚫 “Questioning me is disrespectful”
🚫 “I learned this from a secret master”
These are universal bullshit markers — across all systems, countries, and contexts.
🧭 The 3-Axis Truth Test for Instructors
Rate the instructor 1–5 on each axis:
Axis A — Evidence
(Do they present falsifiable, testable ideas?)
Axis B — Pressure
(Do they train with resistance and randomness?)
Axis C — Humility
(Do they admit limitations and context?)
Score ≥ 12 → Likely legitimate
Score 7–11 → Mixed quality
Score ≤ 6 → High bullshit probability
Score ≤ 4 → Run
🔥 THE BULLSHIT STRESS TEST
Ask the instructor ONE question:
“Can you show this working on a resisting opponent right now?”
If they:
• dodge,
• joke,
• get angry,
• switch topics,
• make excuses, or
• claim you’re disrespectful…
…you have detected pure bullshit using the Frankfurt Test:
They do not care if what they say is true —
only that they appear authoritative.
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