The good the bad and the ugly in martial arts

[Alan Armstrong]

What do you consider to be the biggest problem with martial arts?

What do you consider to be the best things in martial arts?

[Bulltahr]

Ego.............

Best things: camaraderie, discipline and respect........

[mushybees]

IMO I can only speak of karate as I see from my limited perspective.

I think the biggest problem is that shu ha ri seems to have gone out of the window. Style purity is seen as a virtue instead of an impediment to martial arts growth. Martial arts should in time be tailored to each individual, it should change and evolve over time. It shouldn't be a static thing whereby you are moving in a way which is inefficient for the way you are built and the way you move because someone who has never met you decreed that X way was the best way.

The best thing about martial arts is the bond you build with other people. Something that non-martial artists can never understand.

I have met, hurt and been hurt by some great people from all walks of life who I may never have had the pleasure of meeting.

[Alan Armstrong]

What stands out in my mind regarding martial arts, is that there seems to be a fairness control issue.

Muay Thai fighters don't seem to carry this baggage with them.

The saying "Pick on someone your own size"

It seems like to use it as an excuse to loose to someone bigger.

When tournament fighting, if the opponent was bigger than myself, the first thing that came to mind was "Great a bigger target" easier to hit.

I'm sure if there is something called a "Mismatch" in a fight then that is going to be used as an excuse, of unfairness.

Fight the good fight, with all your might!

Let the bigger person complain and make the excuses, because the smaller person was too fast and too small to hit.

Many small dogs on the street don't care how big the other dogs are, neither should we.

For some out there, stop sparring against easy pickings and start opening up to taking on real challenging opponents.

The biggest thrill for me, was being underestimated, the surprised look on my opponents face, always put a smile on mine.

[Alan Armstrong]

Let's be hopefully a little more open minded on the subject of "Egos"

Is it because ego rhymes with dojo?

Because mojo rhymes just as well.

I've heard the word "ego" used alot in the dojo environments.

Surely not all differences in a dojo can be labeled as ego problems.

Jealousy, envy, greedy, needy, moody, rivalry, never herd these words used in a dojo.

A few CI's have used the word ego, to my face and honestly, I'm not sure why.

The fist fights with other students, were equally to blame, then perhaps ego bashing is fitting for the situation.

Is the word "conceited" more difficult to construct a sentence with, so the word "ego" is used in its place, due to being a smaller word, a contraction of egotistical?

I hope no egos have been bruised here, as there are sensitive people everywhere these days, just waiting to construct a sentence, containing derogative egotistical connotations.

[Bulltahr]

Ego's in the sense of self given titles, 30 year old "Grand Masters", disrespecting other styles and practitioners, the "UFC" mentality of "I'll kick your butt, cause I know Martial arts" and all that comes with it.

[Alan Armstrong]

Ego's in the sense of self given titles, 30 year old "Grand Masters", disrespecting other styles and practitioners, the "UFC" mentality of "I'll kick your butt, cause I know Martial arts" and all that comes with it.

Now we are talking; Grand Master size Egos!

Tell it the way it is! UFC disrespecting other styles; don't they know where their martial art originally came from.

Well done... Bulltahr

[sensei8]

What do you consider to be the biggest problem with martial arts?

What do you consider to be the best things in martial arts?

A definitive answer might not ever be found; perceptions are varied!!

[RobertAslin2]

I think the worst thing is walking into a MA class as a beginner, learning for a few months, then going out on the street trying to pick fights. I know some people who have done that - kids are the worst.

I used to be an assistant instructor at my old school, teaching the younglings and all, and we had this one girl flat-out pick a fight with some other girl at her school because of some girl drama. I'm surprised the GM didn't kick her out.

Does "Never fight to achieve selfish ends" not mean anything to anyone anymore?

[singularity6]

In my experiences, the best and worst thing about martial arts can be summed up in one word.

Tradition

Being part of a tradition gives one a sense of belonging to something bigger than oneself. You're learning from others who've walked that path, and hopefully, if you persevere, you'll teach those who come after you. This is how we human beings attempt to operate, after all.

Tradition is also what holds many martial arts schools back, however. The "We've always done it this way" or the "Back in the day we used to..." mindsets can be counterproductive and can deter new students. People's learning styles and needs have changed over the years. It is important to be fluid and adaptive. How many schools have Water Principles that they try to instill in their students when it comes to technique, forms or sparring? Is that not good advice in other aspects, too?