Tuesday, August 4, 2009
MMA and the Reality of Combat
Does MMA (mixed martial arts) fighting in the ring represent real fighting? Perhaps to a point. Is it useful to the person that is interested in real fighting? Again, perhaps to a point. What can MMA do for me? Get you in great shape, good strength, endurance, flexibility, etc... and most importantly it can start introduce you to taking a punch and the will to win. What's the down side to MMA? You are training for a fight in a ring, and life doesn't happen in a ring. No weapons in the ring? Some rules in the ring. On the streets there are always weapons, and never rules. Thoughts? Agree or disagree? Want to expand this line of thinking further?
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MMA is perhaps the best thing to happen to martial arts in recent history. Not because it's superior system to the combat arts of old, but because it beckons to practitioners of those arts, "You're fooling yourselves."
ReplyDeleteThe vast majority of martial artists believe they fit for combat, simply by virtue of their martial art. Well, as it turns out, it doesn't work that way. In combat the best martial artist wins, not the best martial art.
MMA combatants have brutalized martial artists from just about every style.
You mentioned that they train to fight in a ring, and that life doesn't happen in a ring. I agree one-hundred percent. However, most martial artists don't train to fight at all.
I think it's important to look at MMA from the stantpoint of - How are they trained? What are their limitations? How do we exploit those limitations?
To be honest with ourselves we must also ask - How are we trained? What are our limitations? How would one exploit these limitations? And finaly, how do we break free of these limitations?
We train it, so we can defeat it AND learn from it.
On a side note: Come winter, we really should look at some ground fighting (BJJ, etc). It is becoming more and more common and is just so damn effective. If you don't at least know what to look for, you can get an arm broken in a hurry.
I agree with pretty much everything you guys have touched upon. Another important difference (of which I'm sure you are both aware but I find fascinating): in the ring, you can be certain there will be a fight, but in reality one may be thrust into combat, or forced to make a split second choice, while under stress, to either engage in combat or use other means. I'm particularly interested in how to train to make sound decisions when faced with stressful situations.
ReplyDeleteGreat point Zach! Just as there is an eb and flow of combat, there exists one with interaction. A sensitivity that is tough to cultivate. We can't really drill it. Also, there is an interesting stigma attached to striking first.
ReplyDelete"You started it, you hit him first."
"I hit him first because I knew he was going to hit me."
Although this may be true, it won't fly in court.
Court however, is prefferable to concussion, laceration, brain damage, and death. All possible outcomes of losing a fight.
Fact 1.) It takes around a quarter of a second for you to figure out what I'm doing and select a response (add beer = add time).
Fact 2.) I can hit you from a standing, rested position in about that much time.
Fact 3.) There's another one coming.
You cant wait. You have to go home. So, either stay out of those situations or be ready to recognize them and strike first.
We look at different martial arts for two main reasons. First to pick up what might be useful in their art, and secondly to know what we might face on the streets. It is great to study a single martial art, and to "master" it; however, to not look at different combat styles which you might encounter means that you are studying your particular martial art for a variety of reasons other than you might be using it to save your life. When you study martial arts with a 'real world combat' mind set, it forces you to expand your point of view.
ReplyDeleteFascinating. First off, Casey, I LOVE the point you made, "Most martial artists don't train to fight at all." I think that is SO true. In today's world people think if they learn a martial art they are just a total bad-ass. Most are either interested in it as a sport, or for bragging rights.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all other points brought up here too. So far, in my training the one thing I feel I'm lacking on is intensity. Granted I only get to train with you guys once a month, but I LOVE getting put on the wall at the end of the day. It's the time when I finally get to experience an inkling of what I may face being in a real fight. I could train for years on technique, balance, and sensitivity. But when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter one bit if I haven't trained for that intensity. MMA has been doing a great job of bringing that back to martial arts, and started to re-educate the general martial artist.