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hey guys
i have been reading alot about politics and religion recently and i have come to the conclusion that much of what is being taught today in the name of martial arts is very similar to the dogmatic and close minded approach espoused by oppressive political regimes and some of the major religions.
i find it incredibly strange that something as straightforward as fighting has been totally morphed into something that, in many cases, has become completely removed from its original purpose.
so many tma's today spend vast amounts of time with ritual, routine and training methods that have little relationship with combat. yet these are the things that seem to entice a steady flow of people through the doors time and time again. for example, have you eve noticed the difference between the people at a karate/kung fu school and an mma gym. in my experience the people at the tma school are far more likely to accept the preachings of their sifu/sensei without question, than the guys and girls at the mma gym.
mma gyms by their very nature seem to be far more analytical and open minded in their pursuit of combat effectiveness, constantly testing and revising their technique and training. in other words: evolving. the modern mma gym, to me, is a living and breathing example of our treasured concepts of democracy, free speach, freedom of choice and discovery.
tma's on the other hand seem to embody the hallmarks of totalitarianism and/or dictatorship. they are stagnant and terrified of change. many of the teachers have no fighting experience, street/sport or otherwise, yet they pass on their knowledge with an air of authority based on the assumption that people in the past knew better and that tradition somehow supersedes experience. wing chun is a prime example. so many wing chin masters of this style argue about who knew the true secrets of yip man, and who inherited the real system, but when you think about it who gives a shit. all their argueing over special techniques and hidden movements in the forms mean little compared to the very real and tangible evidence that can be attained by sparring with many opponents as often as you can. yet so many of these guys prefer to hide behind inflated reputations and trickery.
the sad fact is that many people are overtly influenced by martial arts trickery and continue to keep the traditional guys in business because instead of seeking true combat effectiveness, they are actually searching for a sense of identity and self.
these are the people that when confronted by the evidence of mma fights/ufc etc that traditional styles are way behind mma in effectiveness, will often reply that the art they do (karate/kung fu/tkd etc) is about more than just fighting, as though that is a good reason for learning reverse punches and fighting with your hands by your hips. for some reason the tma's have become alternatives to religion as a means of accessing spirituality in todays society. the image of the lone warrior practicing kata on the beach as the sun sets, with oriental flute playing in the background has come to replace going to church or praying. not that that is necessarily bad but all you have done is traded one rigid cookie cutter framework for another.
the fact is that many people enjoy that illusion and how it makes them feel about themselves. much like people take comfort wearing a crucifix around their neck or having their wedding in a church. it gives them a sense of identity.
i guess my point in writing all this is that, although i respect peoples right to practice whatever they like, don't try to tell me that learning to fight and tma's are the same thing or even have much in common because they really don't. in my opinion true expression of one's spirit and identity comes through knowing oneself. knowing oneself comes from pushing your boundaries and confronting what you are afraid of. mma or any combat sport provides a perfect chance to do that. tma's can do that too, through rigourous training and discipline, but dont expect to learn to fight.
i have been reading alot about politics and religion recently and i have come to the conclusion that much of what is being taught today in the name of martial arts is very similar to the dogmatic and close minded approach espoused by oppressive political regimes and some of the major religions.
i find it incredibly strange that something as straightforward as fighting has been totally morphed into something that, in many cases, has become completely removed from its original purpose.
so many tma's today spend vast amounts of time with ritual, routine and training methods that have little relationship with combat. yet these are the things that seem to entice a steady flow of people through the doors time and time again. for example, have you eve noticed the difference between the people at a karate/kung fu school and an mma gym. in my experience the people at the tma school are far more likely to accept the preachings of their sifu/sensei without question, than the guys and girls at the mma gym.
mma gyms by their very nature seem to be far more analytical and open minded in their pursuit of combat effectiveness, constantly testing and revising their technique and training. in other words: evolving. the modern mma gym, to me, is a living and breathing example of our treasured concepts of democracy, free speach, freedom of choice and discovery.
tma's on the other hand seem to embody the hallmarks of totalitarianism and/or dictatorship. they are stagnant and terrified of change. many of the teachers have no fighting experience, street/sport or otherwise, yet they pass on their knowledge with an air of authority based on the assumption that people in the past knew better and that tradition somehow supersedes experience. wing chun is a prime example. so many wing chin masters of this style argue about who knew the true secrets of yip man, and who inherited the real system, but when you think about it who gives a shit. all their argueing over special techniques and hidden movements in the forms mean little compared to the very real and tangible evidence that can be attained by sparring with many opponents as often as you can. yet so many of these guys prefer to hide behind inflated reputations and trickery.
the sad fact is that many people are overtly influenced by martial arts trickery and continue to keep the traditional guys in business because instead of seeking true combat effectiveness, they are actually searching for a sense of identity and self.
these are the people that when confronted by the evidence of mma fights/ufc etc that traditional styles are way behind mma in effectiveness, will often reply that the art they do (karate/kung fu/tkd etc) is about more than just fighting, as though that is a good reason for learning reverse punches and fighting with your hands by your hips. for some reason the tma's have become alternatives to religion as a means of accessing spirituality in todays society. the image of the lone warrior practicing kata on the beach as the sun sets, with oriental flute playing in the background has come to replace going to church or praying. not that that is necessarily bad but all you have done is traded one rigid cookie cutter framework for another.
the fact is that many people enjoy that illusion and how it makes them feel about themselves. much like people take comfort wearing a crucifix around their neck or having their wedding in a church. it gives them a sense of identity.
i guess my point in writing all this is that, although i respect peoples right to practice whatever they like, don't try to tell me that learning to fight and tma's are the same thing or even have much in common because they really don't. in my opinion true expression of one's spirit and identity comes through knowing oneself. knowing oneself comes from pushing your boundaries and confronting what you are afraid of. mma or any combat sport provides a perfect chance to do that. tma's can do that too, through rigourous training and discipline, but dont expect to learn to fight.
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