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Traditionalism verses Reality-Based Fighting


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For the past decade reality-based fighting has been the big fad in the martial arts world. Are the founders and practitioners of these reality-based fighting systems really coming up with orginal ideas that haven't been thought of (martial arts is over 4000 years old)?

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Well the fact is that originally the martial arts were reality-based!

 

It is the fact that most of them have been "watered-down" over the centuries and the "reality based" systems are coming full circle to what the arts were meant to be originally!

 

That's my opinion anyway!!

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I think for the most part the so called reality based fighting systems are not original concepts but simpily a different approach . The more practical applications of the MA's are being grouped to gether and presented as a new system . The martial arts have evolved in such a way that they represent what society wants out of the martial arts . Is this evolution positive? I am not sure , most people will have a different answer to that . Many systems have sipmly begun to pull techniques from other systems . This is also not a new thing . For thousands of years Masters whom have been credited with devloping their own styles have brought concepts and techniques from their previous training .

Edited by fangshi

We are not so much individual beings as individual points of perception within one immense being.

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I'd venture to guess that the majority of martial arts sytems are geared now days more towards sport and a "gentler, kinder" martial arts where pads are used, points and trophies are awarded and in general, just watered down training.

 

I think the big difference between reality based MA's and us old traditionalists are in their training methods. We use kata and old ways of training, whereas the reality people use more scientific approaches.

 

Which is better? This is of course, a matter of opinion, but I believe that the old school martial artists that train for self-defense as opposed to winning tropies and "looking good" are just as effective...if not more so...than the reality based arts. The end result we're both looking for is surviving a street encounter.

Edited by Shorinryu Sensei

My nightly prayer..."Please, just let me win that PowerBall Jackpot just once. I'll prove to you that it won't change me!"

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First of all, as a traditionalist I agree with Shorinryu Sensei.

 

The reality has changed since the period where the traditional MAs were invented/created and it is only natural that the perception of that reality results in new 'reality' martial arts. An example of the different circumstances and threats of the periods is seen in MAs such as Aikido, even though it is not that old. Aikido has a great deal of techniques that are derived from sword movements, and even though the days of dueling with katanas are gone, the MA is still very effective.

 

The traditional martial arts were created out of necessity and are in many ways more pragmatic, efficient and realistic than the more recent ones.

 

My humble opinion.

The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence,

but in the mastery of his passions.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

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Fair point - but most reality based arts are not sport based arts!! They are the opposite - that's the point of many of them!

 

I re-read my previous post (and edited it a bit) and I can see where it appears that I was saying RBMA's are sport oriented...that wasn't my intention. I was referring to traditional martial arts that are leaning more towards the sporting aspects rather than practical self-defense.

 

Old school, traditional MA's and RBMA's have the same goals, and that is to learn how to defend yourself in a real fight.

My nightly prayer..."Please, just let me win that PowerBall Jackpot just once. I'll prove to you that it won't change me!"

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I personally believe all martial arts are pretty much reality-based. Its how we approach it, and train, that makes the difference.

.

The best victory is when the opponent surrenders

of its own accord before there are any actual

hostilities...It is best to win without fighting.

- Sun-tzu

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