The age old debate...which martial art is the best?
are the traditional martial arts antiquated?
Is all about the MMA now?
The general public now looks at MMA as THE martial art.
It seems to be an unfortunate situation where the martial arts community has turned on itself. Instead of the MMA circuit, primarily the UFC(ultimate fighting championship) advocating the positive aspects of Marital Arts , it has set some bad examples and misconceptions that the public has embraced.(blood, money and glory) Further to that, the so called"traditional martial arts " community has lashed back in a way that only embarrasses itself and validates comments and behaviour from the MMA crowd.
From the schools of martial arts and the pro-fighter community...this can become a heated discussion, some to the point of hostility from different perspectives.
There is resentment towards MMA as it misrepresents the martial arts and at the other end of the spectrum ... the opinion of traditions in martial arts to be useless and the training ineffective.
Somewhere in the mix is truth and somewhere all of this has become distorted and misleading with the facts hidden in opinion.
Somewhere in the mix people have also confused self defence tactics with skill in sport fighting.
I have to admit, I find value in the MMA training and enjoy watching the strategy that unfolds within the ring, however, I also feel disappointed in the superficial and shallow character that it promotes. but you could say the same for some traditional martial arts schools , depends how a school of traditional martial arts is run.
I am lucky enough to be part of a traditional school that addresses the martial artist for what they should be. Someone who develops not only body with skill but character of the individual through training and practice of all three aspects ...Body, Mind and Soul. Our Silent River Kung Fu strives to practice what it preaches.
Not all martial arts schools that boast traditional training embody what they advertise.
All that being said, the current day thinking or bold statement is... the ultimate martial artist or "fighter" is the practicing student of an MMA school.
Ultimately I feel it is not a logical comparison.
The way I look at it is this...
MMA and the traditional martial arts(kung fu, karate, etc) The two "systems" do not parallel each other but instead the MMA fighter is a branch from the traditional martial arts or at least they should be a branch of the traditional martial arts. If they choose to bypass the foundation that martial arts philosophies and training provide then what they have become is a short term ring fighter with a finite life. They are missing out on the lifestyle, the character building, the ability to endure, adapt, and embrace all aspects of life. This foundation, which some individuals in the MMA circuit started from utilize this to become successful in their professional fighting careers.
The training that is the corner stone for a traditional martial art is to master the basics so you build a foundation that is solid and from there you can specialize.
You can see the foundation in some of the fighters by way of their solid foot work, stances, balance etc. ,(the part that becomes boring and looses its luster for the impatient student).
So bottom line for me, of course kung fu is valid in the ring, but lets think how this would work.
Anyone who chooses to compete must focus on some pointed training aspects to achieve a win.
Kung fu has laid out the foundation , the platform from where you shall choose pieces of your training to focus on and practice relentlessly for a fight or competition. Centering, mental focus and the discipline to train and respect your opponent come from your practice of the traditional martial art, although we may not train on a day to day basis to fight in pro -competition the pieces are there within our lessons to specialize if we so choose.
Again, in summary, the MMA is the collection of specialized pieces of the martial arts. It is about creating a fighter for sport, who can apply certain aspects to dominate an opponent who does not see it coming...
The argument is illogical...Traditional Martial Arts vs MMA, but the question is a baited question that fires up an emotional defence.
As for our kung fu, the fighting skills are there, riddled throughout our training, the focus is up to us, but we have the benefit of the foundation it provides and the lifestyle it advocates.
