Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

The fact that accumulated knowledge, over time, tends to grow exponentially is accepted.

For many of us, this fact is obvious. However, we need to look no further at the exponential growth rate of technology in the last 20 years. The smartphone of 2008 pales in comparison to today’s versions. Measuring and quantifying knowledge creation’s “exponential growth rate” is difficult. But common sense tells us that knowledge creation is exploding.

A thousand years ago, knowledge spread through hand-copied manuscripts. Picture monks copying books by hand. Then fast forward to the Gutenberg Press, which resulted in the faster spread of knowledge. Steady advancements in shipbuilding technologies aided the spread of knowledge worldwide. The inventions of the telegraph and the telephone also powered the creation of the knowledge machine. Also, one can’t ignore the role of education accessible to entire populations and the growth of big cities undergirding the exponential growth of humanity’s knowledge base. The more knowledge spreads, the more it flattens society because citizens can question authority.

How much more martial knowledge do we have compared to the 1930s? Martial knowledge has become much more widespread.

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What were the primary vehicles for the spread of martial knowledge? Books, magazines and martial arts schools. While short films like the above are fascinating, they were likely not widely available to the public.

Fun fact: I learned the Modern Arnis 12 angles of attack from this book. I picked it up the week before my first Modern Arnis class in the 1990s.

I learned the 12 angles of attack from this book.

Nowadays, you can learn the 12 angles of attack on YouTube.

This leads me to discuss the Internet and social media, particularly YouTube. I view YouTube as profoundly impacting the martial arts industry.

Let’s count the ways.

  1. Through YouTube and other social media, students can view videos which cause them to question the validity of an instructor’s technique. For example, I recently viewed a Facebook video where an instructor strongly argued about a knife defence against an icepick grip. His argument contradicted the accepted wisdom in the FMA industry regarding knife defences. How should a student question an instructor’s technique? In short, social media may redefine the relationship between a student and an instructor.
  2. Instructors can use the internet and YouTube to expand their knowledge in ways that were impossible in the past. There are tons of martial arts podcasts, training videos, technique videos, real-life attack videos, and much more. I can confidently tell my students that most machete attacks are by right-handers coming at either angle #1 or #12. I’ve watched countless videos of machete attacks to confirm this. That’s valuable knowledge not accessible in the past.
  3. I’ve studied Modern Arnis videos on YouTube, mostly looking for tweaks to my knowledge base. Lemme tell you, YouTube is great for this. I’ve also watched videos from other FMA channels to see other techniques and see if I can develop counters.
  4. Stuck doing the same old warm-up drills in class? Try YouTube for the answers!
  5. Instructors need to adjust to this era. The days of the authoritarian “Don’t question what I do” mode of instruction are over. The wise instructor will take advantage of this era. Encourage the students to ask you questions. For example, “Guro, I saw this technique on this FMA channel. What do you think of it?” You can answer, “Let’s explore the strengths and weaknesses of this technique. Which Modern Arnis concepts can you use to counter this technique?” You can do an entire class or private lesson on one question alone.

YouTube can be humbling because it drives home the point that I don’t know everything. The body of martial knowledge is just too vast for anyone. If you think you know it all, get rid of that attitude and do it yesterday.

What about the societal impact of the internet on martial arts instructors who may not have the funds, means, or time to attend seminars and camps?

Let’s take, for example, an XYZ martial arts school in a rural setting in North America. One can also imagine a city-bound martial arts instructor whose only means of transportation is the local subway. While they can network with instructors in NYC, they can’t travel outside of the city for the most part. I know of several in the NY City area who fit this profile.

Imagine the possibilities of expanding knowledge through YouTube for rural or city-bound martial arts instructors by watching YouTube videos. Throw in martial arts seminars offered on Zoom. I’ve seen Zoom seminar announcements on Facebook. As a result, the possibilities have expanded quite a bit for those who don’t have the means to travel to seminars and camps.

It’s all great, right? Not necessarily.

While the internet and various social media platforms have been democratizing, it also has a dark side. We all know the phenomenon of those who research and think that they know more than the experts. Tom Nichols discusses this phenomenon at length in his best-seller “The Death of Expertise.” The anti-vaxxers know more than the medical professionals. Non-scientists deem themselves more knowledgeable than climate change scientists. And so forth.

This phenomenon has reared its head in martial arts as well. Some view hours of YouTube videos and think that they are martial arts experts. I mean, they “did the research.” Unfortunately, it’s not equivalent to the years of blood, sweat, and tears that many have gone through. Hard-earned knowledge comes from training, not from YouTube videos. I’ve seen commentary on YouTube videos and Facebook forums that betray their lack of martial knowledge. But, unfortunately, it is what it is.

In other words, there is nothing like hands-on training with an instructor who has the equivalent of a Ph.D in their martial art. There is just no substitute for this.

In the grand scheme of things, though, there is little doubt that we have much more martial knowledge than in the past. Moreover, through YouTube, Zoom, and other video platforms, martial knowledge will become more widespread.

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