Media and film influence on karate - what are your views?

[Monkeymagic]

Do you think that the media and film have had a profound effect on the developemnt and growth of karate by influencing practitioners in the western and eastern world?

Which hemesphere's media monster has had the most effect?

[Georgia]

I think that it has an especially large inffluence on the number of kids who want to join Karate or other Martial Arts. The only reason that my brother wanted to do karate was because of the power rangers and other such action characters. To those of us who are already practicing karate, we know it's nothing like that, but those who aren't really have no idea about it. My friends think I do flying spinning kick things, which I definetly don't. The media has made a large push on martial arts lately in films, comics, cartoons etc. it's nice to see that rather than guns and machines to fight with, but it gives kids bad ideas. I think the media has less influence in adults, but adults are still sometimes succeptible to those type of thoughts.

[Conqueror]

I think both western and eastern media outlets have sensationalized the martial arts, but the western media has done much more to corrupt it. The western media contains much more unrealistic portrayals of the martial arts as a whole in my experience (although that's not to say some asian films aren't just as wacky!).

I regularly get asked if I can do a back flip, or climb walls, etc. Ugh.

[monkeygirl]

I'm going to move this to the Martial Arts Entertainment Forum, especially since this can be applied to the whole of martial arts.

[Monkeymagic]

So what i'm understanding so far from people's experiences is that the effects of the media are mainly those of a negative form as they portray karate in an unrealistic and dramatic way.

People have false conceptions of karate and unrealistic views about the abilities of those who take part in it's training.

Are their some positive aspects that the media have had on karate though?

[Samurai Shotokan]

Yes i agree they think we all do XMA type stuff.Stupid movies like Bloodsport dont help either ie ludacris type training dim mak ect ect ...Mind you i joined karate because i like tekken and the character Jin does the same style(with some differences) but i like watching his katas for some reason

[Sam]

i think if nethn it just encouraged mmore people 2 do it, mayb for the wrong reason but oh well

[Goju_boi]

the media gives martial arts a reputaion for making it either look like all crazy stunts or some mystical thing of the east

[Sam]

but still gets more people through the door so icnat complain

[kenpo_fighter]

I think both western and eastern media outlets have sensationalized the martial arts, but the western media has done much more to corrupt it. The western media contains much more unrealistic portrayals of the martial arts as a whole in my experience (although that's not to say some asian films aren't just as wacky!).

I regularly get asked if I can do a back flip, or climb walls, etc. Ugh.

i completely agree on both sides of the coin as far as outakes on eastern & western martial arts films.

i think movies have had a good & bad effect on the martial arts in general and not just karate. the bad reasons already previously stated by Conqueror.

but, for martial arts schools everywhere, hollywood needs to keep producing martial arts films no matter how fake or cheesy they may be in order to inspire the next generation of fighters. i'm one of them. i never would've seen or heard of Bruce lee, the man who inspired me to study the martial arts, had his movements & philosiphy's not been captured on films & tv. exposure helps. unfortunately, we have to accept the good with the bad.

Stupid movies like Bloodsport dont help either ie ludacris type training dim mak ect ect

the dim mak (death touch) really does exist. and people are able to harnes their ki and do what is called "point breaking" demonstrations like seen in Bloodsport. whether van damme really did it in the movie is debatable. personally, i think he's lucky god invented "movie special effects". but, the dim mak and training of the dim mak is not ludacris. extremely difficult, but not impossible to do.