Are any Martial Arts Reality Shows/Documentaries useful to watch?

Question

There are a number of Martial Arts-related documentaries and reality TV shows (Human Weapon, Fight Quest, Fight Science, Kill Arman, Deadliest Warrior...) from the last few years, but I have my doubts about the validity of their information content. I'm a long-time martial arts enthusiast but a beginning Martial Artist so it's difficult for me to judge these myself. Are any of these shows particularly good or particularly bad in their discussions of individual martial arts and comparison between arts?

In other words, are there any worth watching for sake of learning something as a martial artist, as opposed to merely being entertained with something that looks like science?

Answer 1

I'd say, none of the shows are by definition useful as a source for truth or any really usefu information. They are mostly an entertainment programs targeted at a specific audience of would-be martial arts enthusiasts.

Do not get me wrong - martial arts shows are nice in the sense that hey give general overview of what's out there, but I would not refer to any of the "facts" represented in those.

Answer 2

I'd like to answer this in two parts: first, I really like watching Burn Notice. Although it's about a burned spy, there's quite a bit of fighting and the voice-overs give you the why and strategies behind many of the choices that are being made which is very interesting.

Second, I also think you'd really enjoy reading Meditations on Violence, A Comparison of Martial Arts Training and Real World Violence, by Sgt. Rory Miller. As the subtitle explains, he writes about what a fight is really about. This includes psychology and the effects of adrenaline. He has a nice discussion about the violence we see on TV and the movies and makes the point that first and foremost, that type of violence is for entertainment and generally does not represent the violence one would really encounter. This is a wonderful book and really good companion to martial arts training. Sgt. Miller really knows what he's talking about.