MMA or traditional

[JohnnyS]

KSN Doug is correct.

 

My BJJ instructor says the most important thing is that you enjoy what you're doing - otherwise you wouldn't continue to train.

[Treebranch]

I don't think Traditional School are better than Modern Schools, but most Modern School came from a Traditional School. So putting down either one is ignorant.

[JohnnyS]

I think the term Traditional can be a mis-nomer. TKD for example has only been around since 1949, yet it's considered traditional , the same goes with Japanese karate which has only been around since 1922.

 

BJJ on the other hand has been around since the 1920's and is considered anything but traditional.

 

Also, just because an art is "modern" doesn't mean it's effective and vice versa. I used to train in Okinawan Goju-Ryu - a very traditional school and one of the best schools I know for learning self-defence and techniques that will work in a bar or streetfight. A lot of "modern" schools teach traditional techniques without understanding the reasons behind what they are doing and so their students are ill-prepared for a street encounter.

[Treebranch]

Good point JohnnyS.

[TJS]

I will make one point You see and hear of countless people who have Traditional MA backgrounds and are now Training in MMA/Modern Styles and talking about how much they have improved,enjoy it, it's more effective etc, etc. etc.

 

However You almost never see the reverse (A mma/modern practicioner switching to a traditional stlye and Claiming these things)

 

Take that however you want.

[Treebranch]

I just read on another post about Aikido, this guy said he studied MMA for many years and he got tired of the being injured all the time and he felt he was now ready to take on the challenge of learning to control an attacker, not just beat them up. Sounds like so called Traditional Styles are like going to school to get your PhD and Modern Styles is going to a trade school. I'm in for the long hall, I studied Lima Lama Kickboxing and Tae Kwon Do and now I study a "Traditional Style" Budo Taijutsu and I can say I'm learning more now, and I'm improving more now. So I guess now you heard it.

 

I studied Drawing and Painting in college, I have a BFA in fine art, it took a long time to acquire my skills. I appreciate them more because I worked long and hard at them. In my studies it seemed like all the art from the past was just more impressive, more thought out. These artist were the best, because that's all they did 18 hours a day year round. They were in a time where they could do that, master their craft. The same goes for Martial Arts, Traditional Martial Arts. Most people today want everything fast, they want to see results over night. Drawing and Painting take a life time to be a master and so do true Martial Arts. Just because your fighting in the ring and you win a few matches doesn't make you a master. I doubt very much that when your 60 years old you'll still be fighting in the ring, but I'll still be mastering my so called Traditional Style and be better at it than I am now.

[AndrewGreen]

I think the term Traditional can be a mis-nomer. TKD for example has only been around since 1949, yet it's considered traditional , the same goes with Japanese karate which has only been around since 1922.

 

BJJ on the other hand has been around since the 1920's and is considered anything but traditional.

 

I think what most people are refering to is training methods, not the name on the sign.

 

TKD may be recent but it uses what are considered to be the "traditional" training methods. Kata, one-steps, 3-steps, horse stance punching, non-resistance on most techniques and sparring using very restrictive rules.

 

Judo and wrestling would not be considered traditional either, but wrestling is older then most "traditional arts" that are being practiced.

[Treebranch]

If you know history, you would know that wrestling is one of the oldest Martial Arts around. Not all Traditional Arts train with so called traditional methods. When I studied TKD we had full contact fighting as part of our training. Form is very important if you want to master something, if you just want to clobber someone, you don't need Martial Arts.

[JohnnyS]

Treebranch,

 

Kata isn't necessary to have good form though. You can get the same thing from drilling techniques against an opponent. In fact drills with increasing resistance would do more for your form than simply kata.

[AndrewGreen]

If you know history, you would know that wrestling is one of the oldest Martial Arts around. Not all Traditional Arts train with so called traditional methods. When I studied TKD we had full contact fighting as part of our training. Form is very important if you want to master something, if you just want to clobber someone, you don't need Martial Arts.

 

and any top level wrestler will have very good form, same for any top level BJJ, Boxer, MMA, etc.

 

My point was that these are not really considered "traditional" arts, although they are older. The reason is in there training methods, which are based on sports-like competition, not tradtitions.