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Copyright © 2003-2004 Phil Elmore, all rights
reserved.
How to Spot a Virtual Sensei
Identifying “Teachers” Worth Avoiding
By Phil Elmore
Commentary: Do VSs Suffer From NPD?
As I wrote in my guide to spotting
Virtual
Tough Guys (VTGs), the Internet is a wonderful tool for the sharing and
acquiring of knowledge on any number of subjects. The martial arts,
self-defense, and general “combatives” are no exception. There are
many quality web sites and discussion forums available to the student of
self-defense looking to learn while whiling away a few sedentary hours.
Unfortunately, self-defense and the martial arts attract two particular breeds
of fraud in vast and limitless numbers. The first is the VTG. By themselves,
they are as amusing as they are irritating. But there is a second breed of fraud
whose potential to harm others is much greater than that of the VTG. This is the
Virtual Sensei.
A Virtual Sensei is any teacher who claims to be something he or she is not, or
more than he or she is. A Virtual Sensei may be relatively benign, though if he
or she is selling as the ultimate fighting system some set of techniques that do
not work as advertised, students will be both disappointed and ripped off. There
are more harmful examples, however. Virtual Senseis may do much more than use
their students (and Internet discussion participants) for ego gratification. In
extreme cases, they may physically harm, sexually exploit, or otherwise abuse
those seeking instruction.
The Virtual Sensei (VS) can be any age. (Some VSs are very young, which should
raise immediate suspicions anyway. A twenty-year-old Grandmaster should
be a contradiction in terms.) They are employed either full- or part-time as
martial arts instructors, often owning their own schools and deriving their
incomes entirely from the martial arts and self-defense industry. More
importantly, however, these individuals use the Internet to further their
business goals and promote themselves.
The Major Warning Signs
A VS usually exhibits one or more of the following warning signs. These are
guidelines, not definitive descriptors. Nonetheless, a teacher who exhibits more
than one of these signs should be viewed with healthy skepticism — and
approached with caution.
I Am The Greatest!
Only rarely could a VS be described as falsely modest. No, a VS has a healthy
ego, and he’s not shy about telling you just how talented he is. Often, the VS
will post self-important and self-aggrandizing material under the guise of
starting topics. Invariably, the topic is merely a pretext for telling the world
how great the VS is.
A good VS also (almost) always manages to turn any discussion to one revolving
around his or her specific school or abilities, regardless of the subject.
What role does weight training play in your martial arts development?
Here are several dozen photos of me lifting weights. Note how heavy those
weights are. I’ve taken the liberty of labeling each photo with the exact
number of pounds I am lifting, as well as how many reps I normally do. So, are
the rest of you flabby-armed weaklings, or what?
This Is The Ultimate!
You’re quite fortunate to have made the online acquaintance of the VS, and
even more fortunate if you’ve forked over the cash for his videotapes. (No good
VS is without at least a couple of instructional videotapes to sell. Many build
their entire instructor curriculum on video courses only.) The reason
you’re fortunate is that the VS teaches the Ultimate Fighting System. It’s so
cool it’s hot. It’s so fast you’ll practically learn it before you walk in the
door of the dojo or seminar hall. It’s so effective that you’ll reduce seasoned
UFC brawlers to sobbing children, and turn the average street tough into a
greasy stain on the asphalt. The VS in question scores bonus points if his art
involves the revealing of previously unrevealed secret knowledge, especially if
that secret knowledge is ancient in origin. (The older, the better.)
This art is so effective you won’t believe it! Ancient fighting
techniques of the Kings of Atlantis finally made available to the public! In
only an hour you will be able to beat martial artists with years of
experience! Every sentence of our ad copy ended with an exclamation point,
guaranteed!
Name Dropping
The VS is a shameless dropper of names. He is proud of the association he has
had with the big names in the self-defense industry, and he’ll tell you all
about them no matter how brief that contact might have been. If he’s ever
trained under someone whose name he thinks you’ll recognize, he’ll be sure to
tell you all about the lineage of his instruction. Curiously, a VS often will
try to distance herself from these famous individuals while invoking their names
to enhance her dubious credibility. This is primarily because the big names in
question don’t remember, or don’t wish to be associated with, the VS in
question.
Well, as Hatsumi Sensei said to me when I trained under him, I have the
spirit of a hundred raging elephants coursing through my veins. He was right,
of course… I’ve since expanded the training I offer beyond what my noble and
honorable teacher offered, however, so don’t expect any similarity between
what he does and what I do.
So What School Are You With?
The VS is usually a bully, and a bully cannot stand criticism. When pressed
about his ridiculous claims or ham-handed behavior, the VS will demand to know
at what school the critic trains or teaches. He will ask where the critic is
located, so that he might seek out that individual to resolve the matter. The
implied threat, of course, is that anyone who dares criticize the VS ought to be
prepared for a good thrashing. It never seems to occur to the average VS that
one need not be of superior martial talent to question what the VS claims or how
he approaches his participation in a discussion. The VS sees violence as the way
to resolve any and all disagreements, just as any bully does.
A more subtle VS tactic is to politely invite the critic for a “free
lesson” at the VS’s school. The implied threat is the same.
Oh? What school are you with? Where do you teach or train? Why don’t you
post your location so we can seek you out? What are you afraid of? …If you
think I’m not skilled, why don’t you stop by my dojo? I’ll be happy to give
you some free, hands-on instruction.
Inappropriate Anger and Vulgarity
Legitimate teachers rarely resort to profanity, and the average school
instructor will not lose his temper answering criticism from anonymous Internet
denizens. Any man or woman secure in his or her art will shrug off baseless
accusations. These men and women may also invite the critics to train with them,
but their approach is much less hostile than that of the average VS.
The VS, by contrast, can’t stand to be questioned. Bullies are quick to anger,
and martial arts frauds are insecure and easily threatened. When they find
themselves cornered they will start swearing and making vulgar threats, often
sending e-mail or private messages to their detractors. These messages would
make a sailor blush, and often include explicit or implicit threats of bodily
harm.
Because the VS likes to maintain the illusion of enlightened wisdom in the Arts,
he or she often will behave politely in public, perhaps acting as if any
criticism is beneath his or her notice. (A popular retort is that “the best
around” always take unfair abuse for daring to be “the best
around,” misunderstood as they are by their inferior fellow students and
teachers.)
Oh yeah? F— you!
Sycophantic Student Support
The VS is a teacher, after all, and as such he or she has students. These
students don’t like cognitive dissonance any more than anyone else does, so they
close ranks when their instructor feels threatened. Usually those who post in
support of the VS have an extremely low post count, having only recently
registered. The supporters may pretend that they do not know the VS personally.
They certainly do not like to admit to being students of the criticized
individual, as this (understandably) harms their credibility.
I live in the same area and I train in the same art, but I don’t know
[VS in question]. His [or her] posts make sense to me, though. The rest of you
don’t know what you’re talking about.
Big Trouble
There is a very dangerous aspect to the Virtual Sensei phenomenon, and that
is that some really do abuse their students. There is no cute quote that does
this matter justice, so take it as seriously as it sounds. Avoid any teacher
followed by allegations of sexual exploitation (the “black belt promotion
couch”), physical abuse, or financial misconduct. Teachers against whom
serious lawsuits have been filed should be viewed with even greater concern.
Conclusion
Virtual Senseis can be a minor nuisance, or they can cause
serious problems. Their self-important bluster may make you laugh, but their
delusions do their students no favors and reduce the enjoyment of legitimate
discussion forum participants. By keeping the warning signs in mind, you may be
able to spot a VS before he or she uses you (and those whose virtual company you
enjoy) to gratify his or her need for attention.
More importantly, however, you can avoid leaving your money or
your person in the hands of someone with questionable character.