Hi everyone!
I have taken the time to read all of the earlier posts in this thread, and I must say there is some great stuff there! Many have said things I agree with, while some have made comments or expressed points of views that I do not, but I do not want to nitpick.
Let me share some points that I believe are relevant. Traditional Martial Art training (or TMA as it is referred to here) was the way things were done from the beginning of this concept known as the "Martial Art." Bearing in mind that the vast majority of
complete "Martial Art" training is about life, one's personal development, and enhancing their enjoyment, experience, and appreciation of life. Defense of one's self, and the preservation of life is only a small portion of the full curriculum, but an important part.
Any Martial Artist, and
any Martial Art self defense training needs to be only
one thing - -
effective. If anyone knows of any genuine,
Traditional Martial Art that was
not designed to be "effective," please let me know. Were they effective? Yes. Consider the movie "Last Samurai" with Tom Cruise (I know, its just a movie, but...). When the samurai fought in battles, it was those who were good that survived, and returned home. Those were the ones who taught the next generation..... and they taught what works. This was true for all Traditional Martial Art, and should hold true today.
In the Army, I was trained by drill sergeants who had fought in Viet-Nam, and survived. They knew how to prepare you for combat, but, of course, nothing prepares you for combat quite like combat itself. In any case, we did not have privates who had never fought in combat teaching new recruits. The problem with many Martial Art schools is that there are privates, who somehow got promoted to generals, and are teaching without knowing what they are talking about. These are not "traditional Martial Artists," even if they claim to be.
"MMA," stands for "Mixed Martial Art!" Mixed what? Over time, as traditional Martial Art has been imitated, with less qualified instructors, and sport oriented curriculum, many schools who claim to be "Traditional" are teaching portions of the whole. Over the centuries, the true, traditional Martial Art has been ripped apart, taylor made for everyone's personal desires, and the pieces have crumbled to the ground. Then, some people with limited training starts picking up these pieces, putting them back together, and claiming to have created something new, superior, or the "light" and the "connection" between the Martial Art and street defense - - not so.
If they are lucky, they will find all of the pieces, and re-assemble what already existed in Traditional Martial Art. Often times, they discard pieces themselves, and claim to use only what works -
what works for them. The "true" Traditional training has remained intact all along, yet continues to modify and adapt to modern situations - as the Martial Art was originally intended to do. It is a false notion to think the this so-called "MMA" is the link, connection, or completion of an effective self defense system. It is modern re-invention of the wheel. It already exists. Those who call themselves "Mixed Martial Artists"
can be effective in real-life encounters, the same as any other
skilled Martial Artist.
As to competition, there are skills that come from participating in these events which
can carry over into street defense, and give that fighter an advantage in
most real-life situations. However, we know that being good in any type of competition does not
automatically equate being successful in the street. Example: I have competed in the past, and often done well in tournaments. However, at age 46, with 41 years of Martial Art training, and 28 years of teaching Taekwondo, if I were to compete in a tournament and lose a match to a twenty-some year old 2nd Dan, it would be a mistake for him to think that if we met outside (and he had an attitude, and wanted to kick my butt), that the result in the street would be the same as just happened in the ring - - not likely!
The notion that Traditional Martial Artists are "stiff," "flat footed" in their stances, or "slow" to respond and don't flow smooth can only come from observing those who are not trained
properly in "TMA." The basics that teach solid stances, firm blocks, and powerful counter attacks are a foundation that many novice never move beyond. Advanced "traditional" training is smooth, quick, and light on the feet. Those textbook stances and blocks are to be used in certain circumstances, and should flow into the advance skills.
Those who would respond with such rudimentary basics are not applying advanced Traditional Training Methods. Just as the Aikidoka successfully uses a parry, restraints, and controls in the LEO scenarios, so should any other TMA (Taekwondo, with an inclusion of Hapkido, and Hoshinsul, does this. This is not "Mixed" or "Cross-Training" in Korean Martial Art, but the culmination of what the total package of Korean Martial Art should be under the heading of Taekwondo).
[Note: Just to qualify some of my statements, I worked 5 years as a police officer, 7 years as the security director of a night club with a staff of 10 - 12 (some off duty-police, and several Martial Artists), and about 28 years in and out of the security industry, including currently training executive protection officers].
This thread is a good dialogue about a serious topic with deep-rooted opinions. I commend those for expressing your views with respect to others. I hope I have done the same without offending anyone!
Sincerely,
CM D. J. Eisenhart
