Sizzle? or Steak?

Which would you rather have?  The steak or the sizzle?  Flashy, showy, fancy martial arts or direct, effective, no-nonsense approach to training? 

For a couple of years, I worked with a pretty large headwear company.  They made ball caps and other hats.  They were of pretty decent quality, but they spent a fortune on their packaging.  Very thick corrugated cardboard, printed in multiple colors (gets pretty expensive for a box), nice tags, etc.  The owner of the company was quoted as saying "We don't sell the steak, we sell the sizzle!"     (its why I just can't work in sales)

I've studied quite a few martial arts styles over the years.  Some were very flashy, to the point of causing me concern.  I mean really, do you want to have a student go out and try to defend themselves with technique that has absolutely no chance of working unless you have a willing partner?  You may as well send them to slaughter.  Another style was a simple "combat" style, which was absolutely no-nonsense.  Techniques were simple, and were repeated over and over.  Honestly, it was kind of boring.  I mean, how many times can you practice a palm strike to the face and groin before its time to move on? 

People typically seek out Traditional Martial Arts like Kung Fu, Karate, TKD, etc., because they are interested in the expressive aspects of the style, as well as the self-defense.  There is a satisfaction to be had by performing forms and sets that have been done for hundreds of years.  There is also the need to express one's self, which can be found by performing and through training.  Pulling off some of the flashy moves just feels good.  I admit it.  It looks cool. 

At Corey Family Martial Arts, I feel there needs to be a balance in training.  I will teach the traditional aspects, but also focus on self-defense...and once in awhile I'll through in some flashy moves.  What is important is to distinguish between what is solid technique and what is "sizzle".  My favorite teacher shows such techniques and then makes a point to identify it as "Hollywood".  So, we know what is done for real fighting and defense, and what is just sizzle.

Come on down and train.  Have a nice big helping of steak, with just a little bit of sizzle.