The Martial Athlete vs. the Martial Artist

[kle1n]

i could count up a few actually but it wouldnt help much because i only know the schools here in germany.

[superleeds]

Training harder makes you a better fighter, thats not rocket science. But dont make this into a style bashing thread based upon ignorance..

[Shane]

Pretty intense post, SevenStar said it best about a lot of it depends on the training methods. Remember the tenchniques that these martial athletes (as you call them) are using are mostly the same techniques as these traditional MA (as you call them) are using. Just trained in a different manner using different methods. Majority of these techniques came from the same place or happenings (battlefield and battlefield training) just now you see the different apporaches to training some intense some not so intense anyways I'm probably getting off topic so lets just say training methods have a lot to do with it.

[foreveryoung001]

Interesting topic. I would tend to disagree to a point. I think the basic premise, that "traditional" Martial Artists are out of shape, lazy, etc... points to the what has already been said... a lot of McDojos. I tend to think, though, that you can't classify them as "Traditional" Martial Artists. They may be learning an art with very traditional roots, but I would not classify them as Traditional in their training. I would agree with those that have said it all comes down to training methods, and the goals that one has while they are training.

[Vito]

to add to what sevenstar said... though its not the most popular thing to say, SOME MARTIAL ARTS ARE BETTER (meaning at fighting, combat stuff) THAN OTHERS. thai kicks are thrown differently than karate kicks, and are more powerful and more useful and, really, cant be improved upon. there are certain things in fights that work, and many things that dont. some martial arts teach what works, most teach what dont.

[TheDevilAside]

thai kicks are thrown differently than karate kicks

Damnit, stop treating "Karate" as a single martial art.

[SevenStar]

In this case, he probably can. the thai kick is probably different from every style of karate except for kyokushin, and may differ from that. The differences may be smaller with some styles of karate, but different nontheless. There is more to a thai kick than merely kicking with the shin, some people don't realize that.

 

This I know is a broad generalization, but I'm willing to be proven wrong. describe in as much detail as possible your style's roundhouse...

[SevenStar]

Interesting topic. I would tend to disagree to a point. I think the basic premise, that "traditional" Martial Artists are out of shape, lazy, etc... points to the what has already been said... a lot of McDojos.[/b]

 

That's not the premise. The premise is that you can go to any tma school and any sport school and the avg sport fighter will be in better shape than the avg. tma student. Doesn't mean that they are out of shape, just not in as good of shape. That said, however, I do know more obese tma than I do obese thai boxers...

 

I tend to think, though, that you can't classify them as "Traditional" Martial Artists. They may be learning an art with very traditional roots, but I would not classify them as Traditional in their training.

 

The thing about a mcdojo is nobody will admit to going to one, and it's impossible to visit EVERY school. you really don't know how many of "them" there are. Also, the term mcdojo isn't really clearly defined. Is it a school with traditional forms, but promotes students no matter what? Is it a non-traditional school that has hard training but doesn't fight? Is it a school that charges an arm and a leg for everything, and whose testing fees increase with every rank? Is it a school with decen training, but allows black belts as young as age 11? The definition is not really cut and dry.

[foreveryoung001]

That's not the premise. The premise is that you can go to any tma school and any sport school and the avg sport fighter will be in better shape than the avg. tma student.

 

I would agree with that, as far as the average goes. I said I only disagreed to a point.

 

I know for a fact that a majority of the sport fighters I have trained with, have been in better shape than I am. Generalizations tend to bother me though.

 

The thing about a mcdojo is nobody will admit to going to one, and it's impossible to visit EVERY school. you really don't know how many of "them" there are. Also, the term mcdojo isn't really clearly defined. Is it a school with traditional forms, but promotes students no matter what? Is it a non-traditional school that has hard training but doesn't fight? Is it a school that charges an arm and a leg for everything, and whose testing fees increase with every rank? Is it a school with decen training, but allows black belts as young as age 11? The definition is not really cut and dry.

 

Here, you have probobly caught me in my own generalization, throw a little of my own ideallogy in there, salt & pepper, cook to a nice golden brown.I will admit that I was trying to justify my argument of generalizing TMA with my own generalization of a "McDojo".

 

So will I continue to press my case? Ummmmm, no not tonight. You win

[47MartialMan]

This is a horribly stereotypical thread... your entire argument is based on assumptions.

 

This somewhat had "crossed" my mind.

 

You assume that Karate is a single martial art. It's not. There's thousainds of styles which are as unique as there are many. That's like comparing the United States to the other half of the universe.

 

Single, or "singled out"?

 

Then you assume that all traditional martial artists, like Joe pointed out, are lazy, weak, unmotivated slobs. What makes you think that? Do you know how hard the Shaolin Monks train? Now there's a feat of strength, not to mention amazing coordination.

 

No one knows how Shaolin monks train. Their "existence" is no longer.

Sorry if this has been brought up before, but I need some honest opinions here; Who here feels that a martial athlete has a significant advantage over a martial artist?

Now, to answer your question, yes. By your definition of what a martial athlete it and what a martial artist is, the martial athelete will definitely have a significant advantage.

 

But his definition has some "biased overtones" based upon specific meanings to have one overcome the other.