The death of "traditional martial arts".

[Tkdampbjj]

Martial arts or an indigenous fighting system can be found in any culture or nation of the world. Because of this they are all unique with different strengths, focuses, and weaknesses.

We can all get different things out of different arts, and they may suit us in our own way.

I kind off agree with Masterpain. To me martial implies that you working towards improving your combat skills.

[MasterPain]

Martial arts or an indigenous fighting system can be found in any culture or nation of the world. Because of this they are all unique with different strengths, focuses, and weaknesses.

We can all get different things out of different arts, and they may suit us in our own way.

I kind off agree with Masterpain. To me martial implies that you working towards improving your combat skills.

I wasn't so much offering my opinion as stating the general American attitude. As a nation, we have a very pragmatic and violent and imperialistic history. For me the focus of my practice is combative, with the forging of the spirit being just part of the process, but that is not to say I don't see the value of a sport or spiritual focus- it's just not mine.

[JusticeZero]

My experience has been that if you don't incorporate the combative application and how to express power and defense into your movements, your training is useless for developing those other aspects that you are looking for. Their form is garbage, which puts them at risk of injury, and their confidence is low.

The combination is volatile; they are still dangerous and erratic and liable to attack or hurt someone for petty if not entirely hallucinatory reasons. And they might not even acknowledge that they did it to themself.

[Kusotare]

My experience has been that if you don't incorporate the combative application and how to express power and defense into your movements, your training is useless for developing those other aspects that you are looking for. Their form is garbage, which puts them at risk of injury, and their confidence is low.

The combination is volatile; they are still dangerous and erratic and liable to attack or hurt someone for petty if not entirely hallucinatory reasons. And they might not even acknowledge that they did it to themself.

I agree, but do not confuse being able to do a movement combatively or technically correctly - with being applicable to self defence.

Don't get me wrong, they are not mutually exclusive, but SD is a whole different ball park.

As much as anything it’s about mental attitude / conditioning and being able to manage exposure to real life / high pressure situations.

I flatter myself that I'm not too shoddy at Karate and Jujutsu, but I’m not deluded! I know that it takes a lot more than technique to be able to handle yourself when your adrenalin has just gone through the roof - as a result of your body being paralysed by fear.

I’m not talk about the “live” training that we all say we do in the dojo, I’m talking about the kind of stuff that the RBSD guys do (in Redman suits etc) the real nasty stuff that knocks the stuffing out of you.

If you can put your hand on your heart and truly say that you have really pressure tested yourself - and as a result you have the ability to override your body’s natural response systems, regularly and without fear of contradiction - then congrats, you probably can classify yourself as being able to do self defence.

Otherwise be happy that you are practicing a decent martial art to a high standard but as I say don't delude yourself.

I kind of look at it reverse to that of MasterPain.

I practice traditional Martial Arts with a view to improving myself (the forging of the spirit as it were) as part of that process gaining combative competence is key, but at best – being able to defend yourself is a part of the process – a spin off as it were, but not the driving reason in the first place.

We all look at life through the prism of MA, but depending on our experiences we may not always see the same thing.

K.

[JusticeZero]

As much as anything it’s about mental attitude / conditioning and being able to manage exposure to real life / high pressure situations..

How is that not "forging your spirit"?

And your standards for what Self defense are are extremely high. I doubt that many police or security level combative programs would meet it.

[Kusotare]

Your standards for what Self defense are are extremely high. I doubt that many police or security level combative programs would meet it.

I'm just being realistic!

K.

[Kusotare]

As much as anything it’s about mental attitude / conditioning and being able to manage exposure to real life / high pressure situations..

How is that not "forging your spirit"?

It is, but that's my point. You don't get that kind of thing in the average Karate dojo.

If you do, (and I mean really do) then fine - all credit to you.

Fact is, most modern dojo cater for folk who can train 2, 3 or 4 times a week at best.

What with the technical content of their curriculum, the physical side of training (not to mentions the cultural and cerebral side of things) - there doesn't tend to be a lot of dojo time left over to repetitive de-sensitisation and multiple pressure testing scenarios required to convert what you learn in the dojo to really functional SD.

So, you play to your strength. Don't you, well I do?

K.

[JusticeZero]

Just because I can't spend seven days a week putting students through boot camp doesn't mean that I am a fluffy cloud school. I teach strategies for dealing with adrenaline, I teach situational awareness and common criminal tactics. By your definition, i'm not teaching anything with self defense value. Okay, but neither is Kyokushin, Krav Maga, police training, or Army boot camp. It doesn't seem like a very useful definition.

[Kusotare]

Just because I can't spend seven days a week putting students through boot camp doesn't mean that I am a fluffy cloud school. I teach strategies for dealing with adrenaline, I teach situational awareness and common criminal tactics. By your definition, i'm not teaching anything with self defense value.

No disrespect, but I can lecture about situational awareness and adrenal coping strategies all day long - but there’s no substitute for actually doing (over and over again)...

My point is - maybe we should be less eager to fly the flag of SD (given how much is involved) and focus on the real life saving attributes of studying a decent Traditional MA – and getting back onto the main topic - that’s why I genuinely think they have longevity and people will continue to train in them and enjoy the benefits that come with that.

As my instructor once said -There is no secret to understanding martial arts – there is only training.

K.

Edited April 11, 2013 by Kusotare

[JusticeZero]

I understand 'tradition enough to not take it seriously. I do not add any actual value to my students by trying to act all mysterious and macho and treacherous and elitist for the sake of their hipsterism.