I once enrolled a new student who possessed the characteristics of the ideal student: polite, respectful and willing to learn. She told me that she was a police officer who was looking to polish her defensive skills. She had abandoned her membership in a competitor's school because the classes lacked any practical application. Nothing that was being taught was of any use on the streets. The system was chock full of flashy jumping and spinning kicks, which are perfect for the movies, but disastrous for self-defense.

It is the obligation of a marital arts instructor to prepare not only police officers, but also the general public, for such unhealthy or life-threatening confrontations. Unfortunately, some martial artists are making a lot of money marketing a lot of empty promises.

I had a new student who decided to spend $2,500 on a 4-hour seminar in California that promised a lot of fancy fighting techniques and a certificate of completion. When he returned, I was curious to see what $2,500 could buy in 4 hours. I asked him to show us. In order to do this, I had to find him an opponent.

I looked around and decided to pair him up with an 18-year-old woman who had been training real life self defense techniques for only one month. The only rule I set to this match was that she was to use simple logical techniques to keep her safe and he was to use what he learned at the seminar. It took all but 30 seconds for this young lady to bring him to his knees. So much for the seminar!

I've seen students with world-class martial arts credentials, by this I mean lots of titles, trophies, and medals. One gentleman said that he was the best and he only trained with the best. He boasted about paying his last instructor $18,000 for one year.

One day the class was doing a lot of two-person drills. The "best of the best" gentleman was paired up with a heavy student who could throw a decent roundhouse kick to the leg. It took this student two shots to the leg to hurt this world-class champion. He was too embarrassed to come back after this episode. It was obvious that the $18,000 he spent wouldn't help him if he was a police officer.

To many of the police officers we have worked with training is not about belts, trophies, or flashy techniques; it is about survival. When choosing a martial art school, choose the practical path. Ask yourself, "Are they teaching me something that could one day save my life?" If you haven't had enough experience to know the difference, find someone who has and bring them with you before you sign a contract and turn over your money. Especially if you're in law enforcement and your life depends on your training everyday.