HOT TOPIC 2: Mixed Martial Arts is neither mixed nor a martial art, it is a spectator sport

2008-09-01T06:39:00.000-07:00

The mixed martial arts (MMA) style of fighting is the latest martial arts fad; following on the heels of other fads, such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Taebo, and Aerobic Kick Boxing. The original concept was based upon the martial arts, but it has become just another contrived moneymaking sport.

At the beginning of MMA development, fighters were trained martial artists who fought no-holds-barred fights (actually there were rules to prevent life-threatening techniques, maiming, broken bones, etc.) to see which martial art was the best for fighting. Mixed martial arts meant that these were fighters who were trained in different martial arts who fought each other to see how their different martial arts faired against each other in actual combat. Many times what was at stake was the reputation of the martial art more than the ability of the fighters; they were fighting for their martial arts more than for themselves.

Some matches were very short (not enough action for spectators) and some were very long and boring for spectators (such as with the Gracie hour-long hold-downs). Some matches were brutal and gory; so many states banned the matches, which led to changes in the rules to make the matches more palatable to the public. However, most of the rules changes came from a desire to make the fights more profitable, to both the promoters and the fighters. As the sport becomes more popular, the rules are becoming even more limiting; MMA is fast becoming a version of professional wrestling with contact allowed.

With limitations on which techniques can be used, limits on periods of inaction, use of gloves, time limits, etc., fighters are less susceptible to career altering injures so they can fight more often. Fighting more often allows fighters to develop a base of fans, allows promoters to hold more fights, and allows fighters and promoters to make more money. Nowadays, most mixed martial artists have no formal martial arts training; they have only trained in MMA, which has now become a sport, such as Olympic style Taekwondo.

In the beginning, most of the MMA fighters had martial arts training and were testing their arts against each other; this is where the term “mixed” originated—different arts fighting against each other using some common rules for safety. Now the term supposedly means each fighter is using a mixture of different martial arts (nothing original here, everyday a new martial art is “founded” that uses the “best” techniques from other arts). However, these “mixed” techniques are pretty much limited to wide swinging punches, some grappling, kicks to the thighs, and very few locks and strangles (these are strangles, not chokes; chokes cutoff the air supply to the lungs, strangles cutoff the blood supply to the brain).

Martial arts by definition have a “martial” component (the fighting), and an “art” component (the way or the artistic). The martial component is composed of numerous, often intricate, difficult to use, techniques that take months, if not years, of training to perfect. The art component is where the fighting component takes on an almost spiritual aura in the quest for perfection of form. A martial art transforms fighting into an art form where artistic expression is paramount and perfection of human character is the goal. The goal is not to just win the fight, but to win it majestically.

While boxing is called the “the art of boxing,” by definition, boxing is not a martial art. It has the martial component where fighting skill is pursued but its only goal is to punch the opponent harder and more often than he or she can punch you; how well the punching is performed is of no concern as long as the result is the defeat of the opponent (how much can you give and how much can you take). When they are fighting, this is also the goal of MMA and of any martial art. However, boxing and the MMA have no art component. Perfection of technique is of no concern and is not trained. You will never see boxers or mixed martial artists compete against each other in artistic expression.

Therefore, the term mixed martial arts is deceiving. While the fighting makes it martial, there is no mixed and there is no arts. Using the term “martial arts” in the name degrades the martial arts.

HOT TOPIC 1: Are ranks awarded by correspondence as valid as ranks awarded from testing in person?

2008-02-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

In the Certificate Mills topic, TKDTutor wrote:

A legitimate rank issuing organization issues rank to students who have been:

Trained by a certified instructor of the organization.
Tested in person by a certified instructor, or a group of certified instructors, of the organization.
Recommended for rank by a certified instructor, or a group of instructors, of the organization as having met or exceeded the organizations requirements for the rank.

A karate 5th degree recently took offense with the part of the description that said that for rank to be legitimate, the person must have been tested in person. He said that I must be ignorant of the current way rank is awarded in the martial arts industry. He said that lower ranks are, and should be, tested in person but that high ranks (4th degree and above) are usually awarded rank by means of correspondence (previous rank certificates, resume, letters of recommendation, thesis, video of performance, tournament records, etc.). He said he had competed extensively around the country and that most of the high ranks he knew had received their rank this way. and that this was the way most organizations issue high rank. He said most ranks above 3rd degree were honorary anyway and were mostly awarded for time in rank and for work in the art and the organization, not for physical performance. He said most of the high ranking TKD martial artists he knew had received their rank through correspondence and that my statement that rank should be awarded in person was disrespectfull toward them. He thought that people who expect high ranks to test in person were ignorant of the way high rank is issued nowadays, must be envious of the rank, and are probably criticizing the rank in an effort to increase the status of their own rank.

What about you; what is your opinion on this HOT TOPIC? Some questions:

What is high rank? The writer says it is 4th degree and above.
Do high ranks have to test in person in your organization?
Should high ranks have to test in person?
Should high ranks even have to test?
Is it wrong to expect high ranks to test?
Is awarding high rank by correspondence now the accepted industry norm?

TKDTutor HOT TOPIC!

HOT TOPIC 2: Mixed Martial Arts is neither mixed nor a martial art, it is a spectator sport

HOT TOPIC 1: Are ranks awarded by correspondence as valid as ranks awarded from testing in person?