Everyone can remember the great stories about the Blood n Guts era of martial arts in the USA. We heard about how tough training was and how hard the black belts hit and fought. All these stories make from some great and interesting conversations but even these incredible fighters that came out of that era did much more than fighting when they trained their martial arts.
With advent and popularity of MMA and the UFC, or we can just say cage fighting, people today seem to think that every martial art is about getting out there on the mat and proving your self worth. A popular trend we are seeing is where people feel the need to "prove" how great they are through disrespecting and running their mouths about how "tough" they are or how "tough" they train. To me, in all honesty, it is a bit discerning to see this view of the martial arts as the main stream acceptance of a standard.
MMA, know as Mixed Martial Arts, is a sport that involved the pitting of two people against each other in steel cage where they will compete in a rule based environment to defeat their opponent. It is the pure essence of sport, or should I say combative sports, much like boxing but quite different. Like many others I enjoy watching my favorite MMA fighter step in the ring but I have a much different view on why I watch it. I do not get all these feelings of ego and superiority building up where I want to run out and prove my toughness to others which I see a lot of from the fan base of MMA. Instead I get to enjoy watching the principles of traditional martial arts and sports like boxing, kickboxing and wrestling being applied in a controlled environment. It is really neat to watch some of the application methods of the fighters but in all essence it is still just a sport.
MMA is a great and cool sport and for those who are interested in it go for it but to the general public please remember that MMA does not define true martial arts nor what you will learn in a good martial arts school. The real martial arts, including during the Blood n Gut years, was about seeking the balancing of the mind, body and spirit. This was done through many hours of arduous training of techniques, breathing exercises and study of application. Sure as the student progresses the contact levels increase but each person can chose the path that interested the most.
The people that enjoy studying the martial arts for personal reason truly gain a deep respect and adoration of Kata. Kata is you against you. It is about learning and perfecting the techniques of an art, studying the application of these techniques hidden with in the Kata and training it to a state of mind called Mushin where the body, spirit and mind act as one cohesive unit. Kata is the essence of a martial art and something that you learn which can go with you, be practiced anywhere and improve your abilities as a martial artist. It is the text book, if you will, of your martial art and includes the needed curriculum to perfect your abilities. It is not a mere dance or form but rather a living, breathing portrait of martial arts in motion.
Then there is Kumite. Many people today associate Kumite with fighting but it much more than that. Kumite is the study of martial art techniques in both a controlled and live environment. By controlled what is meant is we study without the desire, need or wanting to harm our opponent. If you get injured because you wanted to fight then you cannot train. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. Some people think that by using control and not striking with full power at an opponent you are training to do the same thing in a live self defense situation but that is why we have hand targets, heavy bags and other equipment to hit full force. Striking another human being with full force, especially in training, is only reserved for when it is absolutely needed...not for training with another. Some people say that Kumite is sparring, which it can be associated with, but the emphasis is on mastering the principles of movement along with the ability to strike an opponent. Control is needed because one accident can and will result in serious as well as life threatening injuries. Kumite is something many people enjoy but it is only one small aspect of the overall picture which makes martial arts such a positive thing at enhancing people's lives.
Self Defense is not about fighting either. This is a huge misconception when it comes to understanding the reasons we study martial arts for self defense. Any idiot can throw a punch or fight but that leads to consequences such as jail time, being sued and worse. Self Defense is the study of the applications taught in Kata and Kumite to escape and stay safe against an attack in the real world. A modern trend in the Self Defense movement developed with Krav Maga where people train full contact against live attacks. At certain levels of training this quite fine but for beginners it always results in damages and injuries...which result in the inability to train. I have visited a lot of martial arts schools that are very traditional. Only when a students shows three things are they permitted to train at that level. Those three things are 1) proper technical understanding 2) respect for their partner and 3) ability to control their emotions. If you lose control of your temper because you got hit hard someone will get hurt and 99% of the time it is the one who lost that control.
The final aspect, and one that is quickly being forgotten, is the study of the history of the martial art along with the philosophical parts of it. Studying the mere physical parts of a martial art leaves the art empty and without purpose. Some people call these traditions or traditional and others like to attune them with religious beliefs. In fact they are neither. Knowing the history of the martial art you study adds depth and respect for where it came from. Martial Arts were not developed to fight in a cage or ring...they were developed out of a need to both defend one's self as well as improve their life and health. When one fails to pass on the reasons and meaning behind the art then they only pass on the mere techniques thus making the art watered down...even if it is effective in self defense...it is has lost its purpose and meaning.
Fighting is not the goal nor the purpose of martial arts study. It is the perfection of the entire art. When people hear about all the benefits one can gain from training in the martial arts such as confidence, respect, discipline, fitness and others they often tend to forget that those will fade away if one does not continue a constant pursuit in their training. We, as Sensei, see this all the time. Parents enroll their child because they need discipline and focus along with self esteem. Eight months later their son has improved his grades, feels good about himself and seems to be on the right track. When it comes to renew his membership they pull him out. A year later he is right back where he was before he began training. The ONLY way to get the TRUE and LONG TERM benefits of studying martial arts is to train them LONG TERM. No matter what any ad tells you or any instructor sells you it will never be an OVERNIGHT process.
What makes studying the martial arts proper and correct is not fighting. It is staying safe, showing up to classes on a regular basis, listening to your Sensei and working on the material presented in the classes. Over time you, as the millions before you have, will gain a renewed sense of vigor in life and the positive lifestyle changes will come...but if you are just wanting to fight you do not need to learn martial arts. All you need to do is go out, shoot off your mouth and you will get a good dose of why we do not study fighting....it only leads to a negative lifestyle where someone bigger and badder than you will eventually beat you up.
