I saw an ad in the Ottawa Sun for cardio kickboxing and followed the link that was listed. Interestingly the club, World Champion Steve Anderson Karate World Training Centers, also offers an MMA program to which there is a link below.
The MMA program is divided into sections one of which caters to "Experienced Martial Artists" who are encouraged to earn a "Steve Anderson MMA Black Belt." This is the first I've heard of an MMA training center operating on a belt system. Has anyone else heard of this?
Under the section "Experienced Martial Artist" is the following description (the other instructor referred to besides Mr. Anderson is Ben Stewart).
"Future MMA Competitor: With Mr.Anderson's and Mr.Stewart's 50 combined years of Martial Arts and Self Defense background and knowledge along with their upgraded training over the past ten years working out with current MMA Stars such as Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, the Gracie's and many others in the industry coupled with the fact that our credentials as the top Stand Up Fighting Arts school in the World matches the ultimate opportunity for anyone who someday would like to enter the Octagon. Whether you want to be competitive in the MMA World or just train at that level, Steve Anderson Mixed Martial Arts program is no doubt where you want to be this year and beyond!"
-Is it common for guys who don't have MMA credentials, or at the most very weak ones. to have "worked out" with such a wide range of elite MMA talent?
-Do these gentelman actually run "the top Stand Up Fighting Arts school in the World"?
-Is this place really "the ultimate opportunity for anyone who someday would like to enter the Octagon" and also learn to be "competitive in the MMA World"? Has either instructor or any of the students actually "entered the Octagon" and has the club produced anyone who is or has been "competitive in the MMA World"?
I'm not denying that this club is what it purports to be and nor am I putting it down, but I am curious to discover whether anyone can confirm that this club is what it claims to be.
"With Mr.Anderson's and Mr.Stewart's 50 combined years of Martial Arts and Self Defense background and knowledge along with their upgraded training over the past ten years working out with current MMA Stars such as Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, the Gracie's and many others in the industry coupled with the fact that our credentials as the top Stand Up Fighting Arts school in the World matches the ultimate opportunity for anyone who someday would like to enter the Octagon."
That's the longest and most incoherent sentence I have ever read.
Can you tell I'm anal about grammar?
I think the Shamrocks, the Gracies and Ortiz will be happy to hear how Mr. Anderson and Mr. Stewart are name dropping.
Besides the poor grammar, what do you make of the improper capitalization? You would think that the people who run "the top Stand Up Fighting Arts school in the World" could hire someone to at least do a grammer check!
The site does contain pics of the instructors standing next to some famous mixed martial artist so at least it can't be denied that they got close to some of them.
In all seriousness, I'm not denying that these guys have "worked out" with the people they claimed to have worked out with. I'm just curious as to whether it can be confirmed by anyone. Even if it can't, however, it still doesn't mean that they didn't.
It could also mean as you suggested that they attended seminars that were put on by some of the people they named, but if that's the case they must have attended quite a few and done a lot of travelling. Is there anyone on this board or does anyone know of anyone who has attended seminars that were put on by both Shamrocks, the Gracies, Tito Ortiz and many others?
I've been following MMA since the late 90's and I had never heard of a club offering a black belt in MMA before seeing Steve Anderson's site. I guess it's not surprising given that rapid rise of MMA is bound to spawn a lot of clubs looking to cash in on the craze (I'm not suggesting that Mr. Anderon's club is one of them).
Steve Anderson is actually a "legend" in point fighting (NASKA etc..). So he may have met a few of these guys. I would guarantee the only time he has ever hit the ground is when they stretch before class though.
We ran the grappling portion of a Quebec based karate tournament and
they (his group) stopped by to look. It all seems to be an attempt to
McDojoise this as a marketing ploy. This has been in the planning
stages for a while.
Steve Anderson was a phenomenally successful karate tournament
competitor in the 70's and 80's and was the guy who always beat Billy
Blanks for the Grand Championships. Now he runs a commercial karate
school in the Ottawa area.
Ironically, this might be a way that mma, and by association grappling,
goes mainstream in Ontario. They already have the tournament thing
down and they are well connected (Joslin's tournament, always the
second day of an even larger karate event, has never had any problems
that I ever heard about)). Ken Hayashi's background in martial arts
comes from this group.
It may suck to the purists but also may be a back door to legitimacy
that Ontario has been looking for.
As far as the seminar attendance thing goes. Just look at the "Festivals"
being put on in the states. They will have 60 - 80 martial artists from a
wide variety of sources attached to some karate event for a day of
seminars. The karate guys are big news there and in their world they
rock. Photos are easy to take.Didn't some guy lose a bunch of money
doing that in Toronto for a couple of years?
Am I wrong, or can't anybody start a belt system? What makes Steve Anderson's belt system any different that any other belt system, be it a BJJ guy or a Karate guy?
I am not defending this guys MMA cred, but whats the big deal that he has a belt system. Belt systems are just a relativey arbitrary skill measuring technique are they not?
I am trying very hard not to offend anyone, so if this offends you I apologize, I am just a bit ignorant perhaps.
I am not defending this guys MMA cred, but whats the big deal that he has a belt system. Belt systems are just a relativey arbitrary skill measuring technique are they not?
imo, it's b/c MMA is not a "system", it's a combat sport. It'd be akin to giving out belts in Boxing.
No one is offended by the club's offering of a black belt in MMA. However as hmeboy has pointed out, it seems out of place given that there aren't any belts in boxing and I would add to that kickboxing. I don't see anything offensive about Mr. Andrson's school issuing a "Steve Anderson black belt in MMA," but I do find it odd that it's coming from somone who has neither an MMA background nor to my knowledge any prize students under his tutelage. Might we be dealing with a case of hubris here?
Adding to the suspicion of hubris is Mr. Anderson's contention that he runs "the top Stand Up Fighting Arts school in the World". Once again this doesn't offend me, but it does sound like hyperbole.
They invent their own belt system in MMA because the kids they teach want belts and it makes the parents happy to say "my kid is a tangerine belt in Skippy's MMA system". The other parents are impressed, coach gets paid...everyone's happy. It is all marketing and fairly meaningless.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say some of the guys who market this way have zero credibility and are hoping to cash in on the fact that the parents won't question their previous training or any experience of the coaches either in competition or professional settings.
Granted these guys are probably everywhere, but in this instance we have a school with modest, if any, MMA credentials claiming to be "the ultimate opportunity for anyone who someday would like to enter the Octagon." Are such grand claims par for the course or has this taken McDojoitis to new heights?