Sammy Naur
Blue Belt
Ok.
A fight is a fight is a fight, you seem to be splitting hares about "what is fighting" and I don't think that's a valid question.
Asian wrestling? Very familiar.
So your answer is....what?
Wrestling?? Maybe we are having a communication language issue?
Yes I am experienced in a full contact, no BS sense in a lot of different styles, especially traditional wrestling styles that are commonly disavowed by the "TMA crowd" as not real martial arts.
And still I don't begrudge a TMA only person but also am not silly enough to claim that MMA does not include practically every traditional wrestling practice going back to prehistory.
Ok. Mantis kung fu? I am not a kung fu person but I appreciate it.
That said there is very little Mantis kung fu representation in the full contact combat community. Why is that? From what I know Mantis techniques are just basic boxing, kicking, wrestling, but maybe to my point, they seem to stick to forms and philosophy.
Are there any notable Mantis fighters today? By that I mean people who train and fight with that particular style, as opposed to do forms online etc.
I've seen a lot of push hands online and agree it's a little similar but, clearly not on th same level.
Judo, Sambo, and SJ have very active full contact fighting circuits, and even people who don't compete outside their schools often do it inside. It's part of the process.
Tai Chi doesn't seem to have that going for it. Please done take that as a poke at Tai Chi, more of a critique. I think it would be awesome if some Tai Chi students started throwing down in places like MMA.
So I get what you are saying but let me make a point
There is many different levels of testing, and martial arts happens to be one of those fields where a lot of people make claims about ability, and then fail miserably.
In the context of this thread, as I've said before, MMA learned a lot from many TMA. But I don't think it follows that proves any particular TMA is somehow better, wiser, etc.
A judoka and a Wing Chun student with no grappling experience have a street fight, my money is on the judoka who spends time learning to throw, fall, get up, lock limbs, choke. Can the Wing Chun "fighter" actually fight? Maybe but there are so few examples.
And, there is a good history of TMA instructors who noticed this lack of contact training and re-focused on it. Also, a number who reject it, and my suspicion is that it's about keeping students and making money
One life lesson I've learned helping run gyms, boxing and wrestling make no money, unless you score a PPV deal.
