Here’s an excellent article by Burton Richardson on the benefits of "reality-based" training.

http://dogbrothers.com/articles/rules.htm

A few quotes:

"Through practice and play, stickfighters have discovered so many ways of defending against an opponent that it would literally
take many lifetimes to get through most of the possibilities. These techniques have been developed just as the scientist
develops a possible solution to an aeronautical problem. Unfortunately, there is one major difference that separates the
scientist from most martial artists. The researcher must take each theory into the lab and test it to determine its validity. Most
stickfighters or martial artists in general don't try out their new ideas under combat conditions before passing them on to
students. The theory is often just presented as fact. This is not a scientific approach.

Imagine that you were boarding a brand new jet that is sitting on a runway under stormy skies. You click on your brand new seat
belt and ready yourself for the safety announcement. The captain's voice comes on the intercom, and he tells you of the great
features of this new plane: "Every new innovation to save fuel is on this airship. Lighter material for the wings, a new wing and
body shape to minimize drag and maximize lift, along with a new type of landing gear which uses less wheels. The engines are
a radical new design, and the fuel is a different mixture. Oh, and by the way, this will be the first time this type of plane has ever
actually flown." Does your heart go up in your throat? Is it fear that is making you start to sweat? The thought of going into a
life-threatening situation without any prior testing is a little unnerving, but this is exactly what occurs in most martial arts. The
willingness to test is what makes the merry band of happy-go-lucky martial artists known as "The Dog Brothers" unique. They
have taken theoretical stickfighting and thrown it right into the laboratory using themselves as guinea pigs.

… it's an all-out free for all. Full power strikes to any part of the body are allowed. Those strikes can be with the
stick, fist, elbow, knee, or foot. Sweeps, trips, throws, trapping, and grappling are all allowed as well. This is a rough
environment that closely simulates street conditions. The experience is invaluable in understanding real stickfighting. Guess
what happens when a person who is trained with the stick gets into the lab for the first time? Well, usually it results in that
person going home and working on the basics harder than ever. They have jumped into the fire and experience just how hot it
really is. No amount of description can explain what it is like to stickfight at this level. People watching for the first time are
amazed to see men taking full-power shots to the legs, arms, and ribs with seemingly little effect. Why the amazement?
Because theories that are taken as fact are often disproved in the Dog Brothers' laboratory.

Grappling does occur in stickfights. Inexperienced stickfighters often assume that the fight will never make it to the ground
because it will be finished before the opponent can close the distance. In the lab we found another story. Although the entries
are different from the unarmed variety, grappling does happen."
t