You're right that many martial arts teachers/schools are like this. But there are some that aren't. I've taken had the good fortune to learn from three or fou

You're right that many martial arts teachers/schools are like this. But there are some that aren't. I've taken had the good fortune to learn from three or four instructors, and there is no doubt in my mind that every one of them has a very high level of skill and is able to apply that skill in real-world situations. The problem is how to find these people and distinguish them from the fakes.