Matt Thornton Video Interview

Nothingcompares

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=698639012050980635

Very interesting interview with Matt Thornton, BJJ black belt, head instructor of SBG (mma) clubs.

Anybody disagree with anything he says? I was surprised by his opinion expressed in the last 15 seconds of the video myself but that was unrelated to martial arts.

Millionaire

I watched that with interest...

I would hazzard a guess, and say that man, may have a great connection with a High Power (God...some may call it, or have a great faith in his God) based on what he says.

I related to what he says about being self employed. Theres been times, when in business in my 20s i had massive debts due to days and not a clue where it was going to come from ( 1000s & 1000s), and the money always seemed to come from somewhere at the last minute, or something was worked out to solve the situation. I would be up the wall with worry, and like he says...he need 600 bucks...and someone would come in and join the gym and pay 650.

See reading btwn the lines there, and in my own experiences in life, I d say he has a massive faith that his High Power will take care of him no matter what.

I did not expect to get the likes of that from that interview, but there you go....I will look at it again later. I got a personal message from it, that right now as this moment in time, carries meaning and hope for me.

I in a good way envy he can make his living off his passion teaching MA...and not the Mc Dojo stuff...the Sweat Boxing Gym hands on style(he said people told him it would not work)...that you can get in any boxing club or judo club in the YMCA probably for a fraction of what it might cost to join his gym in the USA.

Thats great for him he is living his dream like that. I wish teaching MA was my full time job too.

I sort of lost him about 5 mins in...in the Maslow talk.

For me Athletism..that word turns me off....sort of makes it seem Athletism is for the Olympain Gold Medalist... and excludes the lad who is not an Athlete.

I am not an Athlete.... but i train to be the best Fighter I can, give my abilities and age.

The big disagreement I have is when he said "self defence people are parnoid"... like Matt...ever person in the worl who want to learn SD is Parnoid? I think not... I ve trained with and helped train 100s... hardly met a parnoid person along the way. Thats my experience anyway.

Not everyone wants to or can do Combat Sports. I've though good SD to people Old people, and they learn some useful stuff. However I doubt any of them would have been able to do a few Muay Thai pad rounds.

I suppose his target market is younger guys in 20s, who are into MMA and Combat Sport...that fair enough... its another market segment within the MA world.

But yes... a pretty interesting interview..and certainly got a personal rapport with him, on the non MA talk at the end.

Good Stuff.

Roper

Hey Gerry,
ath·lete /ˈæθlit/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ath-leet] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

I guess that last part would make you an athlete even if you didn't train meet the first part. Athleticism is also a state of mind IMO.

The thing I like about Matt Thronton is that he's brutally frank, and if that means telling you abut his beliefs or that your guard game needs work, he'll just say it. A lot of people (clearly) don't like him and I certainly don't agree with everything he says, but he's genuine, and he's willing to put it out there for scrutiny. You might say thats the SBG way...

henryb

Really enjoyed that! He seems like a man that is at one with
himself.

Millionaire

Roper wrote:

Hey Gerry,
a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

I guess that last part would make you an athlete even if you didn't train meet the first part. Athleticism is also a state of mind IMO.
..

LOL! at me being an athlete.. I was the worst in PE class at school. no one wanted me on their team

when I hear that word, I tend to think of people running around a track!

I turned as the yanks call it into a "jock" in later years!

Matts a Jock! when I went to Uni over there....Jocks and Long Haired guys with Iron Maiden T Shirts (like I was then) did not get on...especially after cheap beer night! bang, wallop, crash....ops the student bar is wrecked again! :eek:

john kavanagh

Millionaire wrote:

Matts a Jock!

you could not be more wrong, you could try but you would not be successful.

i won't bother trying to explain matt's opinions expressed in his interview, as they are just that - his opinions. some will get what he's saying, some won't.

Khannie

Good interview alright.

It did get a bit waffley in the middle there for a bit. Maybe I couldn't understand what he was trying to get across, or maybe he didn't have the words to express it. I dunno. He definitely had a clear picture in his head of his state of being, and that seems to be a great place to be. He definitely comes across as being completely zen'd out. Fair play to him.

Millionaire

john kavanagh wrote:

you could not be more wrong, you could try but you would not be successful.
.

that was a joke i was making...where your sense of humor gone!

I think it was an excellent interview, as per my op.

One question...

You know him John... is he a man of faith in a Higherpower? ...thats the impression I got ( i know thats none to do with MA trainin etc...I am curious??)

john kavanagh

Millionaire wrote:

that was a joke i was making...where your sense of humor gone!

so was i! where's your sense of humor gone?

Millionaire wrote:

You know him John... is he a man of faith in a Higherpower? ...thats the impression I got ( i know thats none to do with MA trainin etc...I am curious??)

i've emailed him asking him to respond to this thread, i don't want to try and put words in his mouth. however if you mean a personal god, someone who listens to your personal thoughts, makes judgements etc as in the God of the Abrahamic monotheistic religions then like he said at the end of the interview that would be No.

Khannie wrote:

It did get a bit waffley in the middle there for a bit

yes introspection can be a scary thing....most of us reject it and switch on American Gladiators instead

Millionaire

john kavanagh wrote:

i've emailed him asking him to respond to this thread, i don't want to try and put words in his mouth. however if you mean a personal god, someone who listens to your personal thoughts, makes judgements etc as in the God of the Abrahamic monotheistic religions then like he said at the end of the interview that would be No.

No, I did not mean a God of the Abrahamic Religon (specifically).... I mean't a Higher Power. hard to expain.... (not the go to Mass/Chruch on sunday God,)...for some people a Higher Power could be a greater force in the universe, for some nature, for some the power of the universe... ( deepak chopra writings explains alot of this very well).

Maybe, I picked up on something complete different, but to me, he struck me as having Strong Faith...things in his life would work out right. re comments made on being self employed... the EXACT amounts of money coming through when needed, as per examples given by Matt himself. (and the exact same happened me too, quite a few times).

Look... alot of what he said parrells with 12 Step Programs to Sobriety... in which one use a higher power to get off an alcohol problem as an example.
How can well over 2 millions drunks globally, who were drunk out of their minds one day, and then through a Higher Power, and faith...over night kick a serious booze problem? It defo some Big Dude Upstairs helping out... I know for a fact... ;-)

Thats why to me, he came across as someone who seemed to have great faith in something bigger then himself.

Anyway this is a great thread...I hope Matt responds.

And anyway, if he says the meaning I am taking from it, is not what he meant at all... thats fine...but the good news is for me...I took a very positive and personal message today from some of the things said in that interview.

Again nothing to do with MA training...

So like it, or having mean't it or not, he effected and helped someone (me) in a very postive way today...and thats a good thing!

crazy monkey

you're living in the past john...the past...I tells ya...these days it's all about South Park!!!

Roll on 300 and the simpson's movie....oh god I'm bored....

Nothingcompares

Nothingcompares wrote:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=698639012050980635

Very interesting interview with Matt Thornton, BJJ black belt, head instructor of SBG (mma) clubs.

Anybody disagree with anything he says? I was surprised by his opinion expressed in the last 15 seconds of the video myself but that was unrelated to martial arts.

I think I phrased this badly. It was because I had agreed with the majority of what Matt Thornton said but only a few minor disagreements I presumed a lot of people would be the same - very presumptive on my behalf as always .

Another really good Matt Thornton clip you can find on google video is a kinda question and answers session he's having in the middle of a bjj/mma seminar with a grouper of Icelanders (Icelandic people). Actually, go and look at the video instead http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8307376475130093551&q=matt+thornton

And he asks them why do they train? Why do they do (what they just done - a mma session). And I, while i was watching said to my self "fun". and a couple of other people say it too, amongst other reasons, security (self defense) fitness improvement etc.

But he further questions it. Why do you find it fun? Why does it make you happy? I think he basically says the main reason is the male ego and it's deserve to dominate others and connects it with "evolution" "strong genes" (his words) and natural selection, mate selection (my words).

I don't currently disagree or agree with Matt Thornton on this, but the important thing I took from it was when you answer this question and you say fun, self defense and fitness. Have you really thought about the question, and thought about your answer or just said it without thinking about it.

john kavanagh

Millionaire wrote:

So like it, or having mean't it or not, he effected and helped someone (me) in a very postive way today...and thats a good thing!

that's a beautiful thing

Matt Thornton

Hello,

John sent me the link and I wanted to try and clarify my views a little more. Millionaire, let me try and answer some of yours questions first:

For me Athletism..that word turns me off....sort of makes it seem Athletism is for the Olympain Gold Medalist... and excludes the lad who is not an Athlete. I am not an Athlete.... but i train to be the best Fighter I can, give my abilities and age.

I understand you have a negative association with that word. I prefer to use the term Alive martial arts myself, for a number of different reasons. However, we would be splitting hairs there. Unless you plan on sitting in a chair and just talking about training, all true forms of martial arts will be, by their very nature, athletic. That does not however mean you need to adopt the self image of a "jock", and all that may or may not come with it. That's a very different thing that has to do with an individuals own background and set of experiences.

The big disagreement I have is when he said "self defence people are parnoid"... like Matt...ever person in the worl who want to learn SD is Parnoid? I think not... I ve trained with and helped train 100s... hardly met a parnoid person along the way. Thats my experience anyway.

Of course I have never claimed that "every" person who does something like RBSD type training is always anything. That could never be accurate.

What I have said is that much of the RBSD movement and culture is based on paranoia, ignorance, and poor training methods. I also find it to often be exploitive of some of the weaker members of our society as a whole. These are just my opinions, and I feel I have very good reasons for drawing these conclusions. Reasons that I have written about in depth in other articles, and places.

The short hand version is very simple. I encourage people to be introspective. If someone came to me and said that they were not interested in learning Alive martial arts per se, but where solely interested in "self defense", my first question would always be the same. . ."why?"

I find most people are not used to being asked this question, and I believe this is because most of them don't question their own motives past a very superficial level. So after the initial look of "wow, that's a stupid question" I'll get a follow up like, "well I want to be able to defend myself if attacked!". . . . .and my follow up question to this is also always the same. . ."why?".

Again, most people find this a strange question, but follow ups include "because I want to live longer", or "I want to go home to my family safely", among others.

After getting past this, my response is usually as follows. . . .
when was your last medical check up?
How is your cholesterol level?
What's your diet like?
Are you drinking enough water?
Do you always wear your seat belt?
Do you drink a lot?
What is your fat intake like?
Do you drive the speed limit?
Do you exercise regularly?

Factually speaking, all of these things are far more likely to kill you, cause you harm, and shorten your life. All of these things (and many-many more) are literally thousands of times more likely to end your life prematurely, and thousands of times more likely to happen, then the odds of being attacked by an aggressive attacker.

Therefore, if an individual is truly sincere in their desire for self preservation, going home safely to their family, etc, then these things. . . taking care of your body, your weight, your diet, your driving habits, your drinking habits, will proceed the need to learn to defend against a knife wielding attacker, or sucker punch. There are of course exceptions to these statistics, particularly with people who have certain types of dangerous jobs, police, military, etc. But those are not the people I am speaking to here. I am talking to the hobbyist.

So what that all tells me is that the best possible way to defend yourself and go home safely to your family, is to live like an athlete. . .at least to some 'healthy' degree.

If someone does not take care of their body, diet, lifestyle first, then what that tells us is that they either have not thought it out well, which is where a good friend or coach comes in, or they are not really sincere. I often find it's the later. So when someone does not really prioritize the threats, but instead finds their attention and awareness focused on knives, guns, attackers, or aggression, then many times I find this is related more to an adolescent fantasy regarding their image of what masculinity is about, and an overall feeling of insecurity they feel within. Not a sincere desire for "self defense".

And the best cure I have ever found for people dealing with these kind of insecurity issues?

Some solid, Alive, athletic training. Be it boxing, judo, BJJ, mma, whatever. It helps people like that, and changes them from the inside out. As opposed to the RBSD route, which in my experinces tends to make scared, insecure and paranoid people, more scared, insecure, and paranoid.

That's why I prefer the Alive Martial Arts route.

Not everyone wants to or can do Combat Sports. I've though good SD to people Old people, and they learn some useful stuff. However I doubt any of them would have been able to do a few Muay Thai pad rounds.

This is an important point. Alive training is for every-body. It's just a question of learning how to regulate progressive resistance for people of different ages and physical capabilities. It's simply a matter of training the Coaches in the proper methods.

We have people of all ages at my Gym, young, old, male, female, etc. Karl Tanswell in the UK has a student in his late 70's. He trains fully Alive several times a week. It's just a question of learning how to do it.


Finally, regards my comments on the last portion of that video clip. . . . for clarification that clip was taken probably Four Years ago. I have not changed my views per se, but I am more careful with the language I use now because I don't want it to be misconstrued, and that's so easy to do when talking about these types of matters.

In terms of labels let me be really clear, I consider myself strictly an atheist.

I do not deny the more mystical aspects of our being or consciousness. But the problem is anytime anyone speaks about them, they tend to get hijacked by religious people who do have a particular dogmatic agenda they want to attach. I am not suggesting in anyway that this is what you were doing Millionaire. I am simply stating that this tends to happen anytime people talk about transcendent experiences, no matter who they are, or what they intend to refer to.

It's similar to how Christians hijack Einstein's use of the word 'God' to imply that Einstein believed in some sort of personal spirit, or creator deity. He absolutely did not. Einstein used the word God in the same way Spinoza did, and meant the same thing.

I believe in the God of Spinoza, which has nothing to do with what 99.99 % of people worldwide mean when they say the word 'God'. Which is why I am more careful with my language now.


Anyway, I hope that helps clarify my views a bit. I am going to be traveling a lot, so I may not get a chance to reply. But I can always be reached at:

straightblastgym@hotmail.com

if anyone has a spefcific question.

Thanks
-Matt Thornton
www.straightblastgym.com

Millionaire

Hi Matt:

Thanks for taking time to reply, much appreciated. :-)

Most of the people I came across who wanted to learn self defence, did so because either they had an attack or potential attack, or similar happened to a friend or family member. and in general they were scared by it or what happened a friend, and wanted to learn something in case, the likes happened them.

I certainly see your views on some RBSD people, especially in North America, having gone to university over there, they are probably some of the people I used to see around, who droolled over "Soldier of Fortune" magazine. I certainly allign with you on the potential motives of some of these people (yes, the ones who carry hunting knives on their belts in the local shopping mall) . in Ireland, we do not really have those types of people..well luckily I have not come across them.

Anyway its great you clarified your views, I found the video interview very interesting, and its rarely we have an such a thread or discussion on here, so its certainly refreshing.

Me...no I would be the last man to push a Bible, though I am a very Spiritual person these days (not in the Church sense at all, its quite a personal thing, and not unlike as I mentioned some of the things deepak chopra wrote about). Lets say I am alot more Spiritual now, than 3 years ago when I started posted on here, and picked Millionaire as my handle!!!! LOL!!!!

I saw on your web site some lettere back and forth you and Mark Stewart were discussing over JKD... I m training under Mark now over in Bangkok, aside from muay thai... as I must go back and read them again.

Good luck for the future.

Best Regards

Gerry

Nothingcompares

Yes I was under the impression Matt was an atheist so I was surprised by his comments in the final parts of the video concerning "GOD". His clarification makes more sense.

Millionaire

Yes, thats why I was intrigued, and brought the thread off in a non MA direction.

People, and indeed myself too in the past... anyway who has "spiritual" or tried to live a "spiritual life"...I pawned off as a "bible banger Jesus freak".

Now since I made a number of major positive changes in my own life and how I live my life, had changed myself major, and I strive to be as "spiritual" as possible, which is a great way if living, and leaves you feeling very good inside, however I do not mean "go to church on sundays" at all... (though on a rare occassion I do go to church). I try to live the message in my day to day life, as opposed to going to listen to someone roar and shout about it(and may not have the message themsleves).