# Mma



## chrismay101 (Mar 15, 2007)

Hi

Just a quick question.

Is MMA a martial art in its own right or is combination of a lot of different arts? to make a hole.

Im not trying to put MMA down I just don't know.


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## Andrew Green (Mar 15, 2007)

chrismay101 said:


> Hi
> 
> Just a quick question.
> 
> Is MMA a martial art in its own right or is combination of a lot of different arts?



Both


> to make a hole.



What hole?


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## chrismay101 (Mar 15, 2007)

whole not hole sorry!


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## Andrew Green (Mar 15, 2007)

ok, that makes more sense 

Have a look here for a discussion on what MMA is: http://martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31936


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## cali_tkdbruin (Mar 22, 2007)

Andrew Green said:


> Both


 
Yup, a combo, of the most effective arts and their techniques. It seems, from the cool matches I've watched that grapplers and ground fighters do the best in MMA scraps because ultimately fights do end up on the ground, just my observation. But you MMA types already knew that...


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## Callandor (Mar 22, 2007)

Mixed martial arts is not a martial art style but a type of tournament/competition. In this tournament, many styles are allowed to join in - hence, _mixed_ martial arts. It is in sharp contrast to former competitions wherein only those of a particular style are allowed to join. For example, in a Judo tournament a karate practitioner would not join either because he wont be allowed to or he will lose anyway due to the configuration of the rules.

If you consider Mixed martial arts to be a martial arts style which incorporates both strikes and grappling, then most arts are mixed martial arts because most of them have elements of both: Judo has atemi waza and karate ryus (and taekwondo, tang soo do, and soo bahk do, etc.) have some throws and locks.

However, in most of this multi-style competitions, competitors realized that to be effective against another of a different style, he has to modify some of his techniques and strategies. For instance, consider a Taekwondo fighter who was paired with a Jiu-jitsu fighter. The former will realize that some of his high kicks will get caught by his opponent which will lead him to be taken down to the ground - a place he is unfamiliar with. As a consequence, he adjusts his kicks to a lower level and with a muay thai flavor in it to avoid getting caught easily. He also learns how to play the guard to enable him to stand back up. The result of his modifications changes his style. It is not Taekwondo anymore. What is it? It is not karate either. It is a new style specific to that individual taking into consideration his previous style and personal strengths (physical, mental, and psychological). Naming all of these highly individual styles is impossible - there is just too many variation. So, people simply refer to this mutated style as mixed martial arts - named after the tournament which brought about its creation. 

Just my own humble opinion.


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