tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8152344823764273771.post-77838827477012727072008-05-15T21:58:00.001-04:002008-05-15T21:58:34.485-04:00This was briefly discussed on the Animal List as well. The consensus seems to be that while MMA will remain popular as a form of entertainment/spectacle, its’ presence in martial arts schools may be somewhat limited. I have to agree with this consensus for the reason that the appeal of MMA is limited to a certain demographic group and that is the 18 to 35 year old males. I don’t see the desk jockeys, professionals, soccer moms, or children joining schools that teach primarily MMAs. Again, MMA will primarily draw in the aforementioned demographic.<br /><br />This entry is limited to discussing the impact of MMA on the martial arts industry, not about what they teach or some of the problems inherent in what they teach.<br /><br />However, the presence of MMA shows on TV may help create more informed consumers. When one hears announcers talking about a “well rounded game” in terms of punching, kicking and the ground game, the fan/consumer is going to say to himself/herself, “anybody getting into the ring better have all three elements lined up or he’ll lose.” Pretty soon, the fan/consumer will start hearing terms like “reality based martial arts” and start assuming that these are more effective than what is being taught in a lot of martial arts schools such as the McDojos.<br /><br />Let’s think about the potential impact of MMAs on the martial arts business based programs. Let’s face it, there is a lot of bullshit being taught in a lot of martial arts schools. Sorry for the strong language folks but it’s reality. Like a lot of martial artists who have figured it out, I have seen my share of this bs. And it’s bs on several levels.<br /><br />First, alot of what is being taught will not work in real self defense situations. Many of them assume a compliant opponent in order for a technique to work. Sorry folks, but life ain’t like that out there. The impact of MMA and other “reality based” systems such as Krav Maga, Muay Thai, brazilian jiu jitsu, Filipino Martial Arts etc have opened a lot of people’s eyes and have caused a lot of rethinking of how martial arts/self defense is taught. Many of these martial arts assume that they are working with non compliant partners/opponents.<br /><br />So when someone, familiar with MMA but not wanting to practice it, walks into a martial arts school, he or she may want practical self defense skills, not the kind of stuff that is taught in a lot of McDojos. I have seen TKD students who couldn’t defend themselves against a wrist grab or a knife attack. I have seen schools teach students to use a high/rising block against stick attacks. Ugh. That may have seem realistic back in the 1950’s and 1960’s but the bullshit meter of the average Joe and Jane Sixpack will go way off the chart. Oh yes, take a look at a typical karate book from the 1950’s and 1960’s and see their depictions of “effective” self defense scenarios. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the effectiveness of these techniques are extremely questionable.<br /><br />According to some on the Animal list and, also in my opinion, the impact of MMA on the martial arts industry is to force many schools to address realistic self defense situations or start losing business. An example might be the traditional karate school that does not know the bunkai (applications) of traditional Okinawan/Japanese kata, thereby reducing kata to a meaningless dance. I’ve seen a fair share of those types of schools. Unless this kind of school starts addressing this deficiency, the savvy consumer may move onto something else that will address their needs.<br /><br />While there may be more savvy and aware consumers in today’s environment, there will be probably be a large number of those who will unfortunately be hookwinked by some of the schools out there. I would think that it’s up to the responsible martial arts instructor to ensure that effective self defense is taught and not go the way of the McDojos. Whether he wants to or not, the martial arts instructor may have to respond to the presence, popularity, and impact of “reality based” self defense systems such as MMA, Krav Maga, Muay Thai, BJJ, JKD and Filipino Martial Arts by instituting some element of the above in his school.Going with the Flowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317014147679419992noreply@blogger.com