The single most annoying aspect of martial arts.

[OneKickWonder]

I think everyone here loves martial arts. It would be odd to be active on a martial arts forum if that wasn't the case. But that said, we must all have some gripes.

I had the misfortune of seeing a video on my Facebook feed that I didn't want to see, that reminded me of my biggest pet hate, closely followed by my second biggest pet hate, and my third. Yes. All in one clip.

The clip features footage of genuine looking assaults. Then it moves into people practicing martial arts. The message being that we all need martial arts to protect ourselves.

So, pet hate number 1. Trying to scare people into taking up martial arts. Martial arts training has so many benefits it would be hard to list them all. Key ones for me would be it's fun, you make a lot of true friends. You get to develop a level of control over your own body that many sadly never experience. But it's not necessary. Not training does not mean you're going to get beaten nearly to death every time you go out. In fact unless anyone can present stats to the contrary, I'd say it makes little difference.

Pet hate number 2. Martial arts and self defence being used interchangeably. They are very much not the same thing. Martial art is the art of combat. It is about skill to engage someone in combat with the goal of defeating them and rendering them unable to fight anymore. Self defence on the other hand is the exact opposite. Self defence is about avoiding the fight, or escaping it if you happen to be caught up in it.

Pet hate number 3. The massive fat lie. Demonstrating over complicated techniques against a cooperative partner and selling it as effective self defence. The notion that a skinny weakling can, after a few weeks training, intercept a punch from a big strong man, trap his arm, lock him up, and throw him violently to the floor, whereupon he will immediately give in and say he's very sorry and will never do it again.

[Spartacus Maximus]

All three of those “annoyances” could be categorized as simply “marketing”. The video description sounds exactly like the type of production aimed at the general public who, by definition are uninformed and have only entertainment or mass media as a reference for martial arts.

People with little to no experience in something and only the media or hearsay as reference cannot possibly look at such a video the same way and get the same impression of it as someone who has training and experience enough to know exactly what they are looking at.

[TJ-Jitsu]

I think everyone here loves martial arts. It would be odd to be active on a martial arts forum if that wasn't the case. But that said, we must all have some gripes.

I had the misfortune of seeing a video on my Facebook feed that I didn't want to see, that reminded me of my biggest pet hate, closely followed by my second biggest pet hate, and my third. Yes. All in one clip.

The clip features footage of genuine looking assaults. Then it moves into people practicing martial arts. The message being that we all need martial arts to protect ourselves.

So, pet hate number 1. Trying to scare people into taking up martial arts. Martial arts training has so many benefits it would be hard to list them all. Key ones for me would be it's fun, you make a lot of true friends. You get to develop a level of control over your own body that many sadly never experience. But it's not necessary. Not training does not mean you're going to get beaten nearly to death every time you go out. In fact unless anyone can present stats to the contrary, I'd say it makes little difference.

Pet hate number 2. Martial arts and self defence being used interchangeably. They are very much not the same thing. Martial art is the art of combat. It is about skill to engage someone in combat with the goal of defeating them and rendering them unable to fight anymore. Self defence on the other hand is the exact opposite. Self defence is about avoiding the fight, or escaping it if you happen to be caught up in it.

Pet hate number 3. The massive fat lie. Demonstrating over complicated techniques against a cooperative partner and selling it as effective self defence. The notion that a skinny weakling can, after a few weeks training, intercept a punch from a big strong man, trap his arm, lock him up, and throw him violently to the floor, whereupon he will immediately give in and say he's very sorry and will never do it again.

I like you- we should hang out

The only thing I’d add is that self defense is step one, whereas actual fighting and combat is what happens after step one.

This coincides with the “one strike one kill doctrine” of most eastern styles. A single strike- and that’s it. It often won’t incapacitate your opponent, but the idea here is that a quick strike distracts and disrupts and the next thing you’re supposed to do is run.

I can’t stand people who try to invert this philosophy. For anyone who’s a full time student, indeed a professional fighter for example, self defense is laughably easy. I’d say the only reason why it’s of great important for instructors is to teach someone else how to do it....

[bushido_man96]

All three of those “annoyances” could be categorized as simply “marketing”. The video description sounds exactly like the type of production aimed at the general public who, by definition are uninformed and have only entertainment or mass media as a reference for martial arts.

People with little to no experience in something and only the media or hearsay as reference cannot possibly look at such a video the same way and get the same impression of it as someone who has training and experience enough to know exactly what they are looking at.

Spartacus makes good points here, and is spot on, I think. But, I do see OneKickWonder's points as well, and how seeing these things over and over again, and being on the inside of the Martial Arts world and looking out, can be annoying. I guess the way to look at it is that those videos are not for us.

[sensei8]

There are just too many things within the MA that annoys the tar out of me. Above all things is the pageantry of the MA!! After that, the others annoy me differently, depending on my particular mood that day.

[OneKickWonder]

I know that there are schools that function as a business. And I have no feelings either way about that. We all have to earn a living somehow.

But that said, the concept is alien to me. Over the years I've been involved with several martial arts clubs teaching various styles. In every case the chief instructor has seemed almost embarrassed to take fees from us. Those fees, I once calculated, barely cover the hall hire let alone equipment and instructors costs like actually getting to the venue.

But in the case of the commercial end of things, I don't see why invoking fear and then telling blatant lies is necessary or beneficial. At my current club, our one home made poster tells of fun and fitness and discipline and various other things, but no hint at all that you'll get beat up if you don't join us.

At its worst, I actually think it's putting people in greater danger. It tells people that they can easily defeat the bad dudes. I wonder how many poor individuals have to get the shock of their lives when they learn the hard way that a few weeks of training doesn't mean you can get that convoluted lock on the bad dude that's twice their size.

[JazzKicker]

Hey, that's 3 things, not the single most annoying one thing!

I would have to say the single biggest thing is the "Nonsense", whether it's the marketing hype, fakers, or posers, and the lack of respect for martial arts that stems from it. People in the martial arts fight amongst themselves about it, and people on the outside just think it's all a joke.

[pers]

Hey, that's 3 things, not the single most annoying one thing!

I would have to say the single biggest thing is the "Nonsense", whether it's the marketing hype, fakers, or posers, and the lack of respect for martial arts that stems from it. People in the martial arts fight amongst themselves about it, and people on the outside just think it's all a joke.

I was about to say something similar like the single biggest thing is the micky mouse instructors and organisations with flashy images ,too much ego and not much substance .

By the way to the thread starter martial arts is about self defence and self defence is about martial arts ....sure you first do your best to avoid to fight and walk away but if you have to then you switch on your weapons .

[OneKickWonder]

Hey, that's 3 things, not the single most annoying one thing!

I would have to say the single biggest thing is the "Nonsense", whether it's the marketing hype, fakers, or posers, and the lack of respect for martial arts that stems from it. People in the martial arts fight amongst themselves about it, and people on the outside just think it's all a joke.

I was about to say something similar like the single biggest thing is the micky mouse instructors and organisations with flashy images ,too much ego and not much substance .

By the way to the thread starter martial arts is about self defence and self defence is about martial arts ....sure you first do your best to avoid to fight and walk away but if you have to then you switch on your weapons .

With respect I disagree. There are plenty of techniques in martial arts that if you have time and energy to do them, you also have time and energy to run. The jump 360 roundhouse that I believe the TKD folks call a tornado kick is one example. It's immensely powerful, but it's relatively slow.

Even the term 'martial art' means skills pertaining to war.

There are of course self defence elements in martial arts. There has to be. You could be warring with someone who also has fighting ability. But we are kidding ourselves if we think martial arts is all about self defence.