Ive been thinking about traditional martial arts (TMA) compared to more modern systems for a while now and a thread on a forum today has sparked the matter for me.Like many older or less young martial artists and self protection practitioners, I trod my first steps on this pathway by joining a traditional martial art. It was a long process where I began at the back of the class in tracksuit pants and a t-shirt and gradually worked my way through the formation and ranks of the class up to the front where I was often the senior student there of about 40 students.
Humble Beginnings
I still remember my first night there where the assistant instructor took me to the rear of the class and taught me how to make a fist, what knuckles to hit with and that my wrist and fist should be in line which makes it stronger to strike with. I loved it! I was learning how to defend myself!
When I first turned up, I had absolutely no idea and that realisation is what prompted me to join up as there were numerous school fights happening at the time and I didn't want to get caught up in one and lose. The loser of these school yard fights lost stature and sometimes friends where the winner was swarmed with new friends. I wanted to be the winner! As it turns out, I never did have to draw on my new amazing super fighting skills.
Way of the Warrior
It was a long gradual process during which I read books such as The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure, Art of War, and The Unfettered Mind. These books were quite an influence on me and directly contributed to my outlook on the martial arts broadening and my behaviour gradually changing. I tried to emulate the people I read about and tried to develop myself into a 'warrior'.
I guess the youngish age contributed to me seriously aspiring to such heighty ideals. Although those goals were indeed large, it certainly kept me out of trouble where many of my friends were getting mixed up in illegal activities and getting caught. I really wanted to be good and DO good. The lessons coming out of those books meant a lot to me.Change of Outlook
Today, my study of the martial arts is very different to what it was. I no longer practise a traditional martial art (TMA). As previous blogs explain, I study systems which fundamentally develop ones ability to APPLY their techniques on a resisting opponent such as bjj, boxing and general MMA type systems as well as similarly structured weapons systems.
I do this because fundamentally, the practise of martial arts aims to teach skills which give one the ability to successfully defend and counter any physical attack that may come their way. The systems I practise today focus on doing that for todays threat.
Different Threat Today
The threat we face on the streets today are very different than the threat faced in south east Asia hundreds or thousands of years ago which is what TMA were developed for and is still today, essentially, the focus of these systems. TMA is basically formal military training for a thousand year old battle field complete with formations, weapons of the era (swords, nunchuka, Sai etc.), uniforms, ranks and compliments to senior ranks (bowing).
Today, the threat doesn't attack with the above weapons or on horseback which is what flying kicks were developed for.
The Urban Threat
The threat today has had too much alcohol, uses violence and the shock of violence to his advantage, uses superior numbers, takes belongings at knife point, lurks in the dark in urban areas, carjacks, breaks into homes and in the extreme actively tries to kill other people for no real reason.
This list is not exhaustive. It is a very different threat environment to what the warriors faced in the past. We need to study systems that are geared up for todays threat.
A Journey along MMA?
However, the scene surrounding some of the modern systems can appear quite unsavoury. A famous world champion boxer biting the ear off his opponent in the ring, MMA fighters puffing up their ego in pre fight slagging matches and general character traits not becoming a warrior that is espoused in the classics.
Does this have to always be the case? Can systems like MMA be practised for their physical benefits and still facilitate the development of the mental and spiritual journey? Do fighters only practise boxing and MMA etc. with the hope to compete, become champions and seek glory and fame? Are there people out there who train in these systems and others because they ARE so effective then go home and read Musashi?
Best of both Worlds
I feel that the more effective, proven, high percentage systems of bjj, thai boxing, wrestling, boxing, dogbrothers, kickboxing and judo can offer a lot to the serious TMA practitioner if only they can look past the bad light that is sometimes shone onto these systems and look deeper at the fundamental true beauty of them.
There is a lot to learn and studying these systems doesn't mean you have to give up your beliefs and become a hot headed fighter. Some of the most polite, respectful people Ive met have been MMA practitioners and the study of these modern systems involves a lot of hard work, commitment and dedication which is quite a spiritual journey to undertake in and of itself.
A rennaissance
Its my belief that the study of the classics, some of these listed above, combined with hard, effective training is actually a pinacle in the history of hand to hand or low tech combat and the way of life that follows.
For the first time in history, the worlds martial arts are being tested against each other and they are mutating and combining where today, there have evolved certain systems which are 'specialists' in certain areas.
When these different specialists are combined they form extremely formidable systems which is contributing to a true renaissance in the combative arts today.
It is a great time to be alive to witness it. Dont deny it, embrace it.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment.
16 comments:
Great post! As martial artists, we really do have to figure out what we are training for. If its for fitness, discipline and well balance then any martial art really will do, however if its to survive on TODAYS streets we need to train for TODAYS type of confrontations.
Yeah, its interesting. Ideally, it would be good to find a practical modern MMA and FMA type of style with the benefits of TMA such as honour, respect and just the 'way of the warrior' aspect of practise.
Most TMA can be very useful in a street fight, but then again its how they are practiced that makes the difference, if all you ever did in boxing is shadow boxing then what use is boxing.
Same with TMA's, if you go to a good school expect to be hit and to hit back and there are still a good number of TMA's around you just have to look and compare.
While your intentions are good, I think there are many errors in your reasoning. This post says more about your need to contextualize your experience in TMA, which to me is one of failure. Failure to understand or uncover the purpose of the training, failue to discover how to apply it. Usually this failure can be attributed to the lack of real understanding those post-WW2 black belts had about the arts they were teaching. Since then their students just parroted their empty practice and adherance to form.
Empty hand martial arts are a luxury, studied and developed by those warriors who lived through the battles, passing up through the lower ranks. The first weapon of war is the spear, or the bow & arrow, and new recruits were given these weapons and taught how to fight as a group or battlefield unit. Thus trained, they were arranged on the battlefield like pawns, and were equally as expendable. Those that lived were deemed superior warriors than those that were killed, and were promoted in rank, given more armour and given more advanced training in more prestigious (and more expensive) weapons -- the sword, axe, mace, etc.
If you join the military today, you will see that it is not much different -- soliders learn how to use their weapons first (rifle, grenade launcher, machine gun) -- it is the focus of their training, with basic hand-to-hand stuff tacked on for exercise and character building. The real empty hand training goes to higer level special forces units whose members are likely to operate alone. Even then, it is commonly understood that if you are fighting hand-to-hand something has seriously gone wrong.
However, I digress. Your greatest error is to assume that MMA, BJJ, etc are somehow more applicable than TMA. These arts are a step backward from true martial arts training, and toward sport, and are equally ineffective and artificial as the junk-TMA you have been trained in. They rely and take their base from strength and speed, and thus favour people who are naturally talented in this area -- usually those who are physically larger and generally speaking, younger than others. Hence we have weight classes in MMA. Without them, 98% of the time the bigger, stronger opponent wins. But the purpose of a true martial art is to train to undermine and overcome an opponent with superior strength, size and speed. This is the thing that TMA in the West have forgotten, or perhaps never knew in the first place. To train with this goal in mind means to take the harder path, and to not indulge in training and techniques that are easy to do -- using strength and speed is easy, requires little training and appeals to our base senses, much in the same way people say that fast food tastes better than fine dining. The stronger and faster you are, the less real technique you need, and the less able you are to apply real technique.
Reflect on this.
Good rebuttal. TMA's are worth the long study because they help to improve the self.
I don't know what you are more confused about, the effectiveness of sports for self defence, that being attacked in our modern society is different in any relevant way than it was in the past, or that martial artists having challenge matches is something new. You should reread Musashi. He travelled all around japan picking fights with so called "masters" as a young man to test his skills. The main difference is that these callenge matches took place with weapons and without all the rules which make mma, boxing, wrestling etc., just sports and completely inappropriate for self defence. This is what makes them safe and allows people to compete in them using all of their strength without competitors being killed on a regualr basis.
Great rebuttal, I'm glad to see that there still are people out there who realise the true value of TMA, in applicability, as well as chracter building.
At 36 A background in Judo Aikido AND Shorin ryu Karate, (dan grades in all) I made the transition to MMA with little effort in 2000, TMA prepared me very well, I am now 44 and over the last 2 years slowly drifted back to TMA, which I have found to be more fulfilling in many ways. My experience in MMA has enriched me, but the TMA's are the source, practiced properly they will provide you with all the weapons you will ever need.
"For the first time in history, the worlds martial arts are being tested against each other and they are mutating and combining"... when did you begin your history? yesterday? Man has been testing his martial art against other men for as long as there have been people... or are you just overlooking the many brutal wars and battles that pitted different martial disciplines and philosophies against each other? I like your general outlook, but really the "new" MMA is really nothing new...
Adam Dean, this blog post sucks. You understand very little about the martial arts and should not be writing a blog, posing as some kind of authority of them.
Shame on Aiki-Journal for featuring you on their site.
Firstly, I would like to say hello to all of the readers from the Aiki-Journal which is where the majority of the recent anonymous replies has come from. Thank you for taking the time to read and reply to this post. There have been some quite interesting comments of which come from a quite different perspective from mine which makes them especially interesting from a learning perspective.
It will be quite difficult to reply to each comment as they are all Anonymous but I will use the first line of a comment to indicate who I am replying to.
"While your intentions are good..."
Interesting comment. The point you make about beginners first using the primary weapon of choice throughout the history of combatives is fresh to me, though sounds true enough. It IS true in regards to todays military. Its not something ive thought about much in the past.
However I do disagree with your point regarding MMA/BJJ etc being less applicable than TMA. I do strongly feel that tactics and techniques from more modern systems are much more readily applied on an enemy who is fighting back than most TMA. I can find little argument against that position.
You state that bigger, faster and stronger (and im paraphrasing) people in MMA usually win and therefore elude that those systems primarily are for bigger faster and stronger people.
You then go on to say, 'the purpose of a true martial art is to train to undermine and overcome an opponent with superior strength, size and speed'.
That is true enough, but is ignoring one very important fact. All things being equal, the bigger, faster or stronger combatant WILL win. It is not helpful to believe that these attributes do not significantly contribute to the outcome of an encounter. Fighters in the UFC are generally, closely matched for skill. This ensures an exciting fight which sells tickets and makes the promoters money. The fighters know that the fights will be tough. So they look for an edge. Their strength and conditioning is that edge. They do not ignore technique and tactics, they merely compliment these with strength and conditioning to gain an advantage.
And yes, I acknowledge that many of the fighters in UFC are not particularly skilled. Some are just young and up for a bit of fun and fame for a few years before they move on to something better.
In our search for the best tactics and techniques, it is important that we only include those attributes that are easily applied on a SKILLED opponent. It can become a bit of a trap to ignore the modern systems because you see little evidence of the little guy beating the big guy. These are trained fighters against trained fighters. When the skill is close, yes, generally the bigger, faster or stronger guy will win.
Do not fall into the trap of only using techniques demonstrated on either a co-operating partner or against an unskilled opponent. This can be very dangerous ground to walk on.
So I believe that more modern systems teach more applicable techniques and tactics than TMA in general. But I agree with your last point that it IS important, very much so, to not develop strength and conditioning at the expense of techniques and tactics. Tactics and techniques should be the foundation and the first thing taught. Once a certain proficiency is gained in these areas, and I do not have a particular date in mind, it will not hurt to do a little strength and conditioning. It is also quite good for general health and well being.
"I don't know what you are more confused about..."
I am not really sure what your point is. Do you want people to go around having sword fights to the death in todays world? And those that dont, arent teaching real martial arts?
And yes, the threat today is very different than in the past. Do you think a freak on speed intent on pumping a kitchen knife into the stomach of someone 10 times in one second was found a thousand years ago as readily as it can be today?
Whatever allows for people to train for combat in an efficient manner without people dying every second class is only a good thing...
"Great rebuttal, I'm glad to see..."
All I can say is well done and thank you. You have done TMA for a time, had an open mind and tried something new such as MMA. It wasn't for you so you went back. That is great. I hope you learnt some valuable things in your learning. At least you gave it a go.
""For the first time in history...""
I must disagree with you there. Let me further explain my position here. It IS the first time that martial arts have gone up against each other on a scale never seen before.
For one, simple reason. Today, millions of people from around the world fly to all areas of the world by aircraft. This is very new. Media presents information about martial arts from all corners of the globe for all to see. And then there is the internet and PPV TV...
This is very much new territory in the spreading and comparing of information regarding the martial arts and self defence.
In the past, did Brasil go to war against Japan? No. Did Indonesia go to war against England? No. But now, we see bjj (yes, I know its from Japan, kinda ironic...) against various Japanese martial arts and boxing against Silat. This IS new. Not only are they competing and being compared but someone from the US can go to Thailand and learn Thai boxing no problem. All of this is very new. There is a very raised awareness of what is out there these days. I really think this point is indisputable...
"Adam Dean, this blog post sucks..."
What can I say. Try not to let it get to you. Its not worth getting wound up for. There are more important things going on in the world. Instead of hating this blog post, maybe you should just forget it? That is much healthier. Do not resist it. Be like water, go around it, forget it and move on.
"...fundamentally, the practise of martial arts aims to teach skills which give one the ability to successfully defend and counter any physical attack that may come their way."
I couldn't agree more. Everyone has the right (and I think even the resposibility) to defend themselves.
"The threat we face on the streets today are very different than the threat faced in south east Asia hundreds or thousands of years ago which is what TMA were developed for and is still today, essentially, the focus of these systems."
I do not neccesarily agree. I think violence is violence and the same basic techniques of number superiority and and armed thugs is still the same as ever. Guns add a new dimension to it, but that is about the only practical difference. And, many of the modern asian arts (Karate for example) were developed for exactly the individual man defending himself.
"Its my belief that the study of the classics, some of these listed above, combined with hard, effective training is actually a pinacle in the history of hand to hand or low tech combat..."
I agree as well. There is something of value in many of the martial arts. And they all have their strengths and shortcomins. There is nothing wrong with absorbing what is useful from many...as long as you are actually training and learning reliably, not just to pad a martial resume youmight say. It is the intent and intesity of the training that make a superior martial artist...not a "superior art".
http://actionkaratearts.com/why-we-train/machineguns-and-the-martial-arts/
http://actionkaratearts.com/traditional-karate/well-dont-we-all-have-style/
And, to those "Anonymous" commenters out there...if you are going to bother to make negative comments...that's fine, but at least don't hide while you do it. Identify yourself somehow (nickname, first name, number, something...)
Thanks for your feedback Marc G. Some interesting comments. Although I do still believe we face different threats than days gone by. If everyone had the same opinion, how boring a world we would live in! Happy training.
Adam,
First, thank you for opening what seems to be an infected wound in the MA community. By all means, lets lance it, let it drain and hopefully it will heal with minimal scarring.
I come from a military/law enforcement background and have twenty years or so in the arts. Funny thing tho, I started in a more "Immediately Practical" training system in the 80s. I don't know if they invented the term MMA yet. I discovered I was searching for something and found it in Aikido. In addition to my Dan ranking, I also am a Law Enforcement Firearms, Defensive Tactics Instructor, and Impact Weapons Instructor.
15 years later (with dozens of real applications with people who really wanted to really wanted to hurt or kill me) I have learned that Aikido and similar arts can be very effective in the real modern world. That being said...
We are not talking about "TMAs v. MMAs" here. What we are talking about is separating the "Sports" or "Hobbies" from the path of warriorship. A warrior wears no label. He honestly inventories his surroundings and threats and compares them to the tools he already possesses. If his arsenal contains an effective response, great, he works to perfect the employment of that tool. If it does not, he MUST (becuase he is a warrior, not a student of a specific style) seek out an answer to the problem. If that search crosses the TMA/MMA border in either direction, so be it.
For keeping that dialog open, thank you.
Ed
Ed, thanks for stopping by and commenting. You highlight an interesting point.
There is a definite distinction that needs to be drawn. That distinction between those who are engaged in a hobby (and all the best for them, it is a rewarding hobby no doubt), and those who walk the path. Those who walk the path may train in a TMA or a more modern system which utilises the concept of aliveness.
It is however, my firm belief that those walking the warriors path are wasting valuable time by NOT engaging in a large percentage of their training time in today's more modern systems. They have been proven again and again to be functional against a resisting opponent. From that base, more lethal techniques can be added that cant be used in training due to safety limitations.
But that 'Aliveness' base is vital.
Again, thanks for contributing Ed.
If you have anything else, please don't hesitate to continue the conversation. I love the conversation especially when it is conducted in a mature way. It is very beneficial and promotes learning, for me and I am sure all the readers.
I don't feel at all qualified to talk about MMA, but one aside I would add is that there's plenty of good and bad in TMA, and thus, one assumes, by extension in 'new' arts. For example, I've experienced dan-grade Aikido that is pathetically unconvincing and some which was scarily effective.
martial sports have rules. judo, bjj, muay thai, mma, boxing all have rules. it might make you feel good to grunt and sweat and feel like you can go toe-to-toe with an assailant. but i think instead, all you're going to develop are bad habits.
better to train in aikido and really walk the warrior's path.
Post a Comment