Tao of Chris

My view on the world of Martial Arts.

Name:
Location: Canada

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Traditional VS MMA

Sometimes when I talk with people about martial arts it makes me feel like I am talking about politics or religion. The reason for this is that usually when talking about politics or religion people have very strong opinions about their beliefs and the discussions can get rather heated. It seems much the same way when talking about martial arts a lot of the time. One person believes this is the way it should be done and that is all there is to it and there is nothing you can say to change their mind about it. This is not true about all martial artists but it does seem to be an overpowering thought process with many. I have met so many people that believe what they do is the right way and what other people do is simply wrong. To me, I think this is an absurd thought. It is like saying that there is no other martial art in the world that compares with what they are doing. If that were true how have all these other styles lasted as long as they have? It is true that there are a lot of styles out there that are not perhaps as well rounded as others but this is not to say that they don’t have anything to offer.

There are always people talking about MMA and Traditional martial arts. Many think that if you aren’t training in some form of MMA that you are wasting your time. A lot of traditionalists believe that MMA is merely bastardizing the arts. Who is right and who is wrong? Well, my personal opinion is that there is no right or wrong. It is simply what the individual that is doing the art wants to get out of the style that they have chosen. If you want to learn to be an all around fighter then perhaps MMA is more for you. Maybe you are interested in history and tradition, so a traditional style may suit you more. There is nothing wrong with either of these. I think that as long as the individual is happy with what they are doing that should make it right.

So, what is better for fighting? If you train at an MMA school, does this make you a fighter? If you are training at a traditional school, are you doing nothing but forms or katas? Again, my thought is that it depends on the individual. I personally don’t think you can make a fighter. You can make a fighter more skilled but you can’t give him the will to be a fighter. Most MMA schools probably work on heavy sparing more than the average traditional school, but that does not mean that traditionalists can’t hold their own. As I said it depends on the individual. We have all seen plenty of traditional schools that don’t practice as much hands on as they perhaps should but I have also seen some that made me sit back in awe. I have also come across many MMA students that are not as well rounded as they think. Again, it is the individual that makes the difference.

Just my thoughts on the matter. Take care.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good stuff Chris, non-bias and respectful, this is great info for anyone who is trying to objectively and critically pick a style or change styles.

10:06 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

Google
online gambling
casinos