Traditional martial arts
While RAT is a modern martial art, borne as a response to identified deficiencies of traditional martial arts to be able to deal with dangerous and real military applications, RAT is heavily influenced by traditional martial arts and this should always be acknowledged.
An important part of a RAT practitioner’s learning is to always be open-minded, acknowledging the strengths of all martial arts. Arrogance is dangerous! This is perhaps another of the ways that RAT deviates from the approach many people take to martial arts. We do not ever consider RAT as a fixed or ultimate approach to the problems of self-defence, but rather as a constantly evolving learning experience. We look to other martial arts for solutions, as well as creating our own depending on the context in which they will be used. We always have to remember that most martial arts were devised within particular contexts and they served a useful purpose in those contexts. Paradoxically many people now consider RAT a traditional African martial art.
A few of the martial arts and combat sports that we have studied and are still taught or practised to some extent by members include: