Before I post this: This is NOT... I repeat NOT to become a MMA vs Trad arts argument thread. It's NOT here to BASH MMA, or TMA, or anything like that... Its meant to be a discussion of the issue I bring up herein... regardling perception, the law, and martial arts, period. Thanks in advance for keeping to the topic.
Ok.
Rightly or wrongly, Someone commented to me several months back, maybe even a year ago that they were all for everything that brought martial arts into the "limelight" by showing them as "sporty" or "kiddie" like Olympic TKD and Ninja Turtles, etc etc... because if peoples opinions on martial arts were based on that kind of image, then its a safer bet that people wouldn't see martial artist as brawlers and fighters looking to fight... in other words, the idea that Martial Arts are about Violence would be toned down.
however working the door in a Bar, and doing some independent security gigs, I have run across a lot, A LOT, of people who assume that if you are doing that you are an "Ultimate Fighter"... I'd say I get asked at least... at least once a week. Sometimes more. "Dude! Do you do UFC? Are you an Ultimate Fighter?"
With UFC, Pride, and other versions of this so prevailant on TV, to me it seems that the UFC mindset is what people REALLY think of martial artits now...
And with some states looking to ban "Extreme Fighting" events because they see them as "Human Cock-fights"... will that image that all Martial Artists are "Extreme Fighters" hurt the arts, or possibly cause frightened, ignorant lawmakers to pass laws restricting martial arts training?
Ok.
Rightly or wrongly, Someone commented to me several months back, maybe even a year ago that they were all for everything that brought martial arts into the "limelight" by showing them as "sporty" or "kiddie" like Olympic TKD and Ninja Turtles, etc etc... because if peoples opinions on martial arts were based on that kind of image, then its a safer bet that people wouldn't see martial artist as brawlers and fighters looking to fight... in other words, the idea that Martial Arts are about Violence would be toned down.
however working the door in a Bar, and doing some independent security gigs, I have run across a lot, A LOT, of people who assume that if you are doing that you are an "Ultimate Fighter"... I'd say I get asked at least... at least once a week. Sometimes more. "Dude! Do you do UFC? Are you an Ultimate Fighter?"
With UFC, Pride, and other versions of this so prevailant on TV, to me it seems that the UFC mindset is what people REALLY think of martial artits now...
And with some states looking to ban "Extreme Fighting" events because they see them as "Human Cock-fights"... will that image that all Martial Artists are "Extreme Fighters" hurt the arts, or possibly cause frightened, ignorant lawmakers to pass laws restricting martial arts training?