Martial Arts

Archive for August, 2006

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is the fastest growing sport in the world. It has given individuals an outlet to test their skills against other skilled fighters in the name of sport. MMA utilizes a variety of strikes such as kicks, punches, elbows and knees depending on the rules governing that particular event. MMA also enables fighters to take their opponent down using throws or wrestling and once on the ground MMA fighters use grappling in order to submit their opponent or punish them with strikes until the referee stops the fight.

Fights can be won by submission, knockout, technical knock out, or judges decision. I myself have competed in MMA and did fairly well. I won some fights and I lost some fights but I had a blast competing. I personally love MMA and what it brings to martial arts as far as sport. MMA fighters are some of the best athletes in the world and best conditioned. I have great respect for anyone willing to put their body through the grueling training required to be a successful fighter. The problem I have with some MMA fighters is their total lack of respect for the traditional martial arts. These fighters are in the minority in their way of thinking as most MMA fighters have immense respect for traditional martial arts.

These fighters are most often amateurs who do not put in the time nor the energy in training but rather do it solely for the purpose of the label. These guys think being labeled a “MMA fighter” will bring them respect and give them a higher standing within society or at least within the martial arts community. My question is what exactly do these “MMA fighters” think they are doing? Afterall if you break down the moniker MMA it stands for MIXED Martial Arts. MMA fighters are martial artists who train in a variety of styles of martial arts in a hybrid fashion. Sure many MMA schools don’t carry with them the traditional values and philosophies of traditional dojos such as discipline, self-esteem, respect, integrity, and honor………but the majority of them do. The fact is these fighters who lack respect for traditional martial arts are naive. Simply put they are practicing traditional martial arts and they don’t even realize it. Albeit it is a watered down version of different martial arts combined hence the “mixed” in mixed martial arts.

They use boxing for hand strikes; Taekwondo, Karate, and Kickboxing for their kicks; Ju-Jitsu for their submissions; Judo and wrestling for their throws and takedowns………all traditional martial arts. Again MMA is designed for sport NOT self-defense. MMA is regulated by rules such as weight classes, no small joint manipulations, no strikes to the groin, no strikes to joints, no kneeing a downed opponent in the head, no eye gauging, no friends allowed to join in the fight, no rocks, no knives, no chairs, no glass bottles…….you get my drift. Traditional martial arts such as Karate, Ju-Jitsu, Judo, and Aikido etc were developed and designed for life or death situations. The entire point of this post is that I firmly believe that ALL martial art styles need to be respected. Each and every martial art brings a unique aspect to self-defense. Sure we develop our own philosophies, opinions, and way of looking at other martial arts but in the end they all should be respected. This is my opinion and my opinion alone although I am sure many will agree.

There are many different styles of martial arts and by far the most popular is the martial art Karate. What sets the martial art Karate apart from the rest is how and why it was developed. It developed out the basic necessity of survival by peaceful people and became a way of life. Karate became a formalized martial art that developed in Okinawa as a way of defending a culture against armed warriors.

The martial art Karate in its purest form is an art of weaponless self-defense. It is comprised of punches, kicks, and strikes executed in circular or linear thrusting and striking motions. Combining these techniques with proper breathing and body position, forming animal like stances, Karate becomes a self-defense system worthy of defending against an armed or unarmed assailant or assailants.

With roots dating back to China, Karate emerged as a martial art capable of withstanding any adversarial challenge. Many of the techniques and self-defense philosophies within the Okinawan fighting systems came from the original form of Shaolin Kung Fu. The people of Okinawa did make minor changes to concentrate on power that would focus on inflicting injuries to opponents wearing armor.

Since Karate develops around the strengths of a practitioner some techniques were modified from original Kung Fu techniques to adapt to the physique of the Okinawan people and terrain of Okinawa.

Most martial arts have many essential aspects that make up the respective systems. Karate maintains the nine original essential aspects brought from China. Not many Karate practitioners know about these aspects nor do they practice all of them. The nine aspects of Karate are:

Breathing Striking Vital Areas Pressure Points Joint Locks Grappling Pain Control Throwing and Sweeping Choking Counters to all the above aspects

Through Okinawan Kata (forms) and drilling of basic techniques these aspects are practiced and perfected. Within the Okinawan kata most of theses techniques are hidden movements. With some techniques just too dangerous to practice on another human being some of these nine essential aspects have been neglected, put aside, or just forgotten. Most Karate practitioners only concentrate on two or three of these.

The uniqueness of the martial art Karate is the powerful strikes a practitioner can deliver to an adversary. Through countless hours of training Karate practitioners develop physical and mental strengths that seem super human in nature.

A benefit from practicing the martial art Karate is that it builds extremely strong bodies. A practitioner not only develops strength in the body, but the mind as well. This keeps the Karate practitioner young and healthy.

Modern day Karate has evolved into a mixture of many martial arts. Traditionally, there were only two types of kicks – the back kick and the front kick. Today you find just about every type of kick within Karate, which more than likely was influenced by sport Karate. Karate was never intended to be a sport, but only for use in life or death confrontations.

Sport Karate evolved as a way for practitioners to test their skills against other martial artists. The first karate tournaments awarded points for a kill strike or blow. Today points are awarded for tagging the opponent, and in many cases these techniques in sport Karate lack power.

Understand one thing about the martial art Karate, the techniques practiced and if executed properly can deliver tremendous power making it an effective self-defense system for anybody regardless of their size and gender.

The world of martial arts is vast and plentiful to say the very least. Countless individuals from around the globe decide at some point or another to begin studying an art. Maybe it’s a Korean style like tae kwon do, maybe it’s a Brazilian art such as Gracie Ju Jit Su or maybe it’s simply traditional Japanese GoJu Ryu Karate. Regardless of what style you have in mind, there are wonderful instructors out there to teach you well. Naturally the key is finding the best teachers for the types of martial arts you’re considering.

What are you looking to attain from it? Are you seeking styles that focus on health and getting into better physical condition, or are you searching high and low for effective types of martial arts that teach great self defense. Believe it or not, but there are differences amongst the styles. Not all forms are created equally. Each art of self defense tends to have strong suits and weak aspects.

Let’s say you’re considering traditional Tae Kwon Do. This is considered a hard style and it focuses greatly on high kicking techniques. A hard style is essentially one that places more focus on brute strength over technique. An example of a soft martial arts style would be tai chi chuan. This ancient art places more focus on relaxation, adapting to your opponent and using less effort to exert more force. As you can see, different types of martial arts offer different attributes.

A great place to begin your search is in cyberspace. This not only allows you to learn ample information about various types of martial arts, but it additionally grants you access to what’s available near you. Sadly not all styles will be accessible. So much depends on where you live. However, if you reside in a large urban area such as Los Angeles or New York City, you’ll probably have your pick of countless styles. Just remember, if the teacher is not good, the art won’t be either. Who’s teaching you is always crucial!