This article is not about whether moderncombat-oriented arts – and Defence Lab specifically– are better than the more traditional martial arts – orvice versa.
However, it does ask some difficultquestions about whether something like Defence Lab is more in tune with modernsociety – and therefore likely to succeed in the longer term . . .
The traditional martial arts are often said to be suffering. Many (although by no means all) instructors are finding itdifficult to attract and retain students. The US-based Martial ArtsTeachers Association estimates that thenumber of schools in the US has fallen from 20,234 in 2013 to 15,896 in 2016.
The following 2014 graph shows overallsearch traffic via search terms on Google. Martial arts is the blue line andMMA the red line.

Source: ProofThat Interest in Martial Arts is declining – Blog post by The SelfDefence Expert (Andrew Holland)
Meanwhile, Andy Norman’s Defence Lab – launched in 2012, asan evolution of the Keysi Fighting Method (KFM) – is thriving.
What are we to make of this? On firstsight, Defence Lab might seem to be the anathema of true martialarts. It’s a slick, heavily standardised, strongly marketed franchise, withbranded jewellery and other accessories for sale on its online store.
But much as I adore my own “old-school”, veryJapanese-influenced Karate dojo, I can’t help but be fascinated by what theseguys are up to.
Firstly, I covered BobBreen’s 4D Combat System London launch event earlierthis year; and was blown away by the clean professionalism and almost scaryintelligence behind his new system; which is cross-branded with Defence Lab,alongside PhilNorman’s `Ghost` system and EddieQuinn’s `The Approach’.
Secondly, Dan Holloway, LeadInstructor at Defence Lab Lincoln has become a valued online friend this year,as a fellow blogger. Danby the way has variously studied since the age of six in Karate,Aikido, Jiu-Jitsu and Boxing, as well as MMA, KFM andMatt Frost’s RenegadeStreet Tactics programme
So when visiting friends not too far fromLincoln recently, I stopped by Dan’s school to find out more about DL –and explore the implications of this aggressively commercial approach to themartial arts, where students wear brandedtracksuits to train.
I spent the evening with Dan, assistantinstructor Steve Stacey and their students; and took in a kids’ class, anadults’ class – and some great conversation about it all.
Here are ten areas where DLseems to be actively engaging with the spirit of the age to assure its ownsuccess – in a way that many traditional dojos may not even be dreaming ofright now . . .

1. Standardisation
Like it or not, standardisation andmass-production are often seen as desirable nowadays. That’s how we let bigsupermarkets destroy small, independent local shops.That’s why the LesMills programme has crowdedout quirky, individual-personality-based aerobics classes from many leisurecentres.
At firstsight, DL’s standardised approach may feel uncomfortable But it’s arguably onlya modern evolution of what’s already been happening in the martial arts overthe last century or so. Teachers such as Gichin Funakoshi (Karate) andJigoro Kano (Judo) started the process – which has continued ever since.

JSS Dojo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
PaulBowman explains how Funakoshi standardised Okinawan Karate and got it acceptedinto Japanese secondary schools and universities through:
standardiseduniforms, formal lesson structures, fixed syllabi and the coloured belt rankingsystem [and] rhythmic, repetitive straight line drills and nuts and boltsapproach.
– Beyond Bruce Lee: Chasing theDragon through Film, Philosophy, and Popular Culture, p11
Aheavily standardised offer like DL will appeal to many – and be unattractive toothers.
Ideallyit would be part of a diverse range of classes available, including highquality independent martial arts schools, pursuing their own lines of enquiry.

3. Use of ICT
There are no end of videos, apps and other resourcesnow available to support martial arts learning (albeit of variable quality).
At its best, ICT can offer things that a humanteacher can’t – for example the use of slow motion footage in demonstrations;and the option to review a demonstration (or fragment of a demonstration)endlessly – any time and any place.

Defence Lab takes the advantages of ICT to a wholenew level. Its new OnlineUniversity offers a comprehensive,constantly-updated library of lessons and resources, structured around acohesive curriculum, and benefiting from systematisation, professionalism,and smart indexing / ease of navigation.
Many ICT-based martial arts resources don’tdifferentiate between “closed” skills, which are easy to isolate andcapture on film; and aspects which probably aren’t suitable for videotransmission. (Ben Judkins tells a half-amusing, half-terrifying story ofthe latter going wrong: WhyYou Probably Can’t Learn Kung Fu From Youtube).
The DL online university is very strong in thisrespect. It shows a clear understanding of what suits being taught via videoclip; and focuses on systematic “deep dives” into these basics. It’s hard totell if it will evolve to find a way of teaching the less tangible aspectsonline over time.
Learning a martial art via ICTs also hasdisadvantages, such as the lack of physical feedback from your partner, orcorrection from an instructor. Part of the DL vision is to be accessible tostudents with no physical access to training. This is a good aspiration inprinciple, but ideally the DL University would always be used as a supplementto live physical tuition – or at least used by two or more students who canphysically explore the techniques together.

4. Fun
DL markets the fun side of its training heavily, andthis clip of their 2014 conference looks like it was a blast:
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Inside the DL online university, the material isserious, but Andy and his instructors clown around like little kids at times.It’s refreshing and nice, and adds to the interactive feel. But there’s aserious point at stake here too. When I wrote about the unconventionalworld of Lightsaber Combat recently, one reader commented:
loved the blog, YES lightening up the whole selfimportant, superior side of martial arts is central – because all earnestnessis ego battling, not soul surrendering. All truly wise teachers of alldisciplines I’ve encountered are PLAYFUL
In any case, one of O-Sensei’s own rules for Aikidotraining was, “Always train in a vibrant and joyful manner”. Whethertraditional or “modern”, martial arts clubs can benefit from letting theirlighter side come through at times . . .
5. A 21st century brand
There’s a popular belief that traditional martialarts are not as effective as “modern” arts such as MMA, as fighting haschanged. Whether this is valid or not, DL openly tapsinto this view:
Enter this decade and we see thugs with training.They are pumped up on steroids and other drugs and very often watch or eventrain in MMA, they attack in groups and will stamp on your head whilst holdinga can of beer in one hand. Now this type of thug requires you to embrace thesechanges, it requires you to learn how to deal with more technical andpotentially coordinated group attacks.
[…] We deal with weapon attacks, group attacks,dealing with those training and those who are stronger than you. There is no “wax on and waxoff” here. It is functional and modern.
Another point worth noting is the DL uniform. I don’tespecially love it myself, compared to a pure, white, hard-wearing gi, but thestudents I spoke to in Lincoln really liked it – several mentioned being ableto wear it outside the training hall and even in social situations, as a bigplus. Again the DL website exploitsthis:
Ask a person why they won’t train in martial arts andthe uniform is a major turn off. To the outsider most martial arts uniformslook like muti coloured pyjamas […] At Defence Lab we are allabout looking cool. That is why Defence Lab prides itself on havinggreat designs, high-quality clothing and even awesome jewellery.

6. Freedom from politics
In the article on Lightsaber Combat mentioned above,you can read about a new, lineage-free art described as: a release fromthe politics of traditional martial arts . . . the sense of community isoutstanding. DL appears to be aiming for a similar ethos, with itslack of belts and obvious signs of hierarchy; and the formal bow replaced by amore friendly “salute”.
The article also explains that traditional martialarts have often been co-opted into promoting and transmitting the culture andvalues of a specific country. However, Lightsaber Combat doesn’t “belong” toany country – not even the USA where the Star Wars movies originated. It’s beenpicked up with enthusiasm all around the world. Its values are “universal”and culturally neutral, being grounded more in generic human psychology thanany nationality. These values therefore appeal across a range of cultures.
This shift feels like a modern-day, “zeitgeisty”development – and DL also appears to promote this cultural neutrality.
DL also appears to want to stay away from the “hater”side of the martial arts, proclaimingon its website:
You won’t find DL instructors on the web talkingabout which style is best, who is the toughest or even trying to talk anegative view around.
The reason behind this is simple; they are too busyteaching people that want to learn!
7. Metacognition
Metacognition (thinking about thinking) is very muchof a buzzword right now – I’ve written recently about howmartial arts training can develop it; and here’s a news item onits use in UK schools, from the BBC.

Meet the kids who think for themselves – BBC News – 23 December2016
One of the most intriguing things about the DL onlineuniversity is that it actually resembles a miniature university course insome ways, as opposed to just a collection of videos. The materials arethemed and sequenced over the weeks, and supplemented by secondary resources.
Andy and his instructors often guide us throughanalysing and critiquing a technique (or in their colourful words: “tearing itto pieces”)
Andy also asks a lot of hard questions of the viewertoo, which is kind of unnerving. When watching a video, it’s easy to slipinto just consuming it passively. But every time you start to relax and feelcomfortable, Andy suddenly breaks off and says something like So why doyou think that is? or Do you think Grek’s techniquewas correct there? – and stares unsmiling into the camera, giving theviewer an unexpected jolt.
Teaching metacognitive skills is by no means the solepreserve of Defence Lab. But it’s a valuable offer in this day and age; and onethat any school might do well to promote more explicitly in its marketing

8. Promotion and marketing
Defence Lab has a provocative, breezily honest articleon this topic, on its own website:
The martial arts world has a tough time accepting thefact that they are really terrible at getting people into martial arts. Yeah,sure they can kick ass and protect themselves but when it comes to actuallyselling martial arts they tend to be really bad!
[…] The future of martial artsis not about styles or systems it is all about how you promote martial arts tothose that would not normally take up the activity. It is this that willdictate the future and the best promoters will ultimately be the ones thatshape the future of the industry.
[…] This is why Defence Lab is growing faster thanyou could imagine! Not because the system is the best because we know there area lot of great systems out there. It is growing because […] Defence Lab hasdeveloped a system of martial arts promotion, sales and business skills thathas encouraged hundreds of people from different countries to try martial arts.
9. Evidence base
Another hallmark of the modern world, includingmodern martial arts, is a demand for evidence (although in many other spheresof life, we can be disappointingly uncritical at times). Manythings demand an “evidence-base” now, including medicine,education, social welfare, criminal justice and management.
Andy and his team put a lot of focus on presentingthe genesis and evidence base for DL, which they say has evolved fromother martial arts, and from their own research, study,feedback and training.
One of my favourite parts of the online universitywas the sequence of video clips tracing the development of DL’s signature“shapeshifting” technique: from first noticing how human beingsinstinctively cover their heads when under attack; to using this same stance tosimultaneously protect yourself, and attack with the elbows (as the Pensador technique of the Keysi fightingmethod); through further investigations and refinements leading up to thecurrent form:
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Nomartial art has yet given evidence that it’s more effective than all others;and on the technical side DL has its fans and its critics – just like any otherart. But having such a thoughtful, detailed, “scientific”-sounding creationstory to share, is yet another detail that makes DL feel fresh, modern,distinctive – and marketable.

10.Ethics for the modern age . . . ?

Photocourtesy of Defence Lab
It’shard to evaluate the “ethics” of anyhing in a black and white way; andDefence Lab is no exception. On the one hand, it’s unapologeticallycommercialising the martial arts. On the other hand it’s sharing thelife-changing wonders of martial arts training with a wider audience, which issomething most of us only dream of achieving.
It’salso hard to comment, as DL doesn’t seem to have any explicit code ofethics. It has a single value statement: We study violence so as toescape it, prevent it and if all else fails, utilise it ourselves to survive.
Thiscould be an area of concern, as the ethical side of the traditional martialarts is so important; and could potentially be “lost” in this creation ofa brand new art. The ethics are definitely there at this moment in time fromwhat I’ve seen – Dan and Steve’s class seemed to be a model of kindness,inclusivity and diligent study.
Buthow far is this because the first tranche of DL teachers already have atraditional MA background, and are therefore steeped in the associated values?And if so, how sustainable might it be in the longer term?
Butis it effective in a fight?
Tobe honest I don’t know; and wouldn’t presume to make a judgment on the basis ofjust watching a couple of lessons and some of the online university clips. AllI can see, is that Dan, for whom the martial arts are a genuine vocation, talksabout having finally found what he’s been searching for.
Dan’sstudent Julie also talked of a long journey via Aikido, Judo, free style andKung Fu, in addition to over 20 years of teaching Karate. She said:
Karateis in my blood, a part of me, I miss it. It was a very hard and tough decision,and I still feel pulled to return, but DL is where I need to be right now.

Photocourtesy of Defence Lab
DefenceLab gives me a different angle on things. I’m learning to try and react tothings instead of thinking about them. I’m naturally inclined to think a lot,but here I’m learning to feel.
AndI’ve spoken by phone to another DL instructor this week – Tahir Ahmad – who hasbeen through a lifelong search for the “real”, via various martial arts. Tahirnow feels he’s found what he was seeking in DL – you can read his story here.
Thenon the other hand, of course you have all the usual haters on Internet forums:
Ithink it is a deeply flawed, style over substance, flashily marketed, baseless,unrealistic, inefficient, “look at me!”, made-for-Hollywood, sad parody ofactual martial arts, self defence systems, RBSD, and everything else it’spretending to be.
I’mnot even going to try to adjudicate between these different views, as someonewho hasn’t actually trained in DL. Perhaps it will just suffice toconclude that: like any other martial art, DL “works” for many people and“doesn’t work” for many others. There’s no black and white answer, otherwisewe’d all know and agree on the best martial art to study (which we don’t, orelse we wouldn’t be constantly sniping at other styles for being “not real”).

Conclusion
Writingthis article as a Karateka feels sad in a way – but it doesn’t have to be thatway. Ideally there will be room for all of us to thrive. But in any case, thedistinction between “old” and “new” martial arts is not as clear-cut as somemight think. Ben Judkins writes:
Whilethe Asian martial arts often project an air of great antiquity, the truth isthey are reinvented in every generation […] As society changes and evolves themartial arts are re-imagined and recreated. Only in that way can they cancontinue to thrive.
[…]They evolved to survive in the past and I am sure they will be able to do itagain in the future.
Nevertheless,this process is far from automatic. It requires much reflection andwisdom. It also requires a good deal of insight about what potentialstudents actually want and a fair amount of luck.

By daniella0400 via MorgueFile
So if modernity represents a devastating attack onthe martial arts, then perhaps we should consider taking an “Aikido” approachand blending with that attack, rather than bemoaning and resistingit. Whether you like what they’re doing or not, Defence Lab has blendedwith the values and reality of the modern Western world, and turned these toits advantage, to a stunning degree.
So don’t be too quick to judge these methodsnegatively – or disdain to steal from them if some aspect(s) might be usefullyapplied to your own school.
After all, if we’re concerned as martial artspractitioners with “what works” and “how to be victorious”, then perhaps thisshould not just be confined to physical techniques – but also to the thorny andemotive (but urgent) question of protecting the life and dissemination of ourart . . .

Relatedarticles:
Bob Breen 4D Combat Seminar
Ten ethical reasons you should exploit martial arts myths to promote your school
LogenLanka (Way of Ninja) has also written an excellent, detailed review of the Defence Lab VirtualHQ (online university)
Disclosure: Ihave no financial or other interest in the work of Defence Lab, and havedisclosed above that I’m friends with one of the UK lead instructors, who alsoholds the role of Social Media Consultant at Defence Lab. Dan thereforehas an interest in this article on two counts; although it was my own desire towrite it, and he didn’t input into it beyond answering the questions Iasked him. I will also disclose that Dan arranged for me to have free temporaryaccess to the DL Online University, to help with writing this article.

新年好，这一篇与defence lab有关，以后有时间会补上翻译