Overlooked Value of Traditional Arts

[MightyB]

Earlier somebody posted a thread about Cross training. The responses were interesting, valid, and varied. Everyone had good reasons to choose the arts that they complimented their core arts with. This is why it's very important that we embrace and promote the traditional arts- this is also why it's equally important and valuable that MMA'ers promote and embrace traditional arts.

If a person is looking to improve their techniques- shore up a weak area, or just to vary their training- they need to look for good/solid traditional schools that specialize in whatever it is that they are looking for. Gone are the days of one size fits all MA training. Training for competitive MAists has become more of a pot porri of blended arts.

You need good ground- go to BJJ, you need good striking - boxing or shaolin - throwing - shuai chiao or Judo. You get the drift. We need good traditional schools with good lineages that specialize in specific areas. This is why Traditional martial arts schools are good for martial arts.

[Three Harmonies]

I agree totally! Except I would not go to a Shaolin school for striking, nor would I do SC if I was competing in MMA.
Cheers
Jake

[sanjuro_ronin]

Ok, but MMA do currently use TMA, the TMA of Muay Thai, Judo, Wrestling, Boxing and so forth.
BJJ can also be viewed a sa TMA in a literal sense.

I think you need to make a distinction of Traditional Sport combative systems ( like the above ones), traditional sport non-combative systems, like Karate systems that are based on point-competition and Traditional non-sport combative systems, like some FMA for example.

[SimonM]

There is nothing intrinsic to Traditional arts that makes them "bad" and ther eis nothing intrinsic to modern arts that makes them "good". It's all about the pedagogies used and the information being communicated.

Sadly, in the past, there have been more hucksters in the traditional arts... but a good school that trains people in a correct way in a traditional art can still be good.

[David Jamieson]

There is nothing intrinsic to Traditional arts that makes them "bad" and ther eis nothing intrinsic to modern arts that makes them "good". It's all about the pedagogies used and the information being communicated.

Sadly, in the past, there have been more hucksters in the traditional arts... but a good school that trains people in a correct way in a traditional art can still be good.


+2 for correctness

[WinterPalm]

You need good skilled people that can fight, have a good program for sharing this method of fighting that allows for a certain amount of personal freedom, and the ability to teach. If we get rid of the nonsense and focus on the prize, winning fights whether they be on the mat or on the street, then there shouldn't really be any differentiation between Traditional or Modern or whatever.
The difference comes when you say you only train for the street but don't engage in realistic fighting drills...

[SimonM]

Honestly speaking some of the worst offenders in the TMA field have no analogue in MMA...

I'm speaking of weapon defense stuff.

The number of just plain DUMB weapon defenses I've seen in the past...

:rolleyes:

[SPJ]

There will always be 2 groups of people;

1. one that would stick with the old or original ways.

such as Li Shu Wen passed down Ba Ji and Pi Gua with the old "ways".

2. the other that would mix and adapt.

Wu xiu feng put pi gua into ba ji and made 12 roads of small frames.

but if you look at the functionalities or purposes of these techniques or moves

they are the same.

there are nothing "new" as they said.

popular concepts/ideas come and go.

--

http://emptyflower.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2150

:D

[Ray Pina]

Great post MightyB


From my experience I would add that even more important than finding a traditional style that can shore up a weakness, is finding a club/school/program with like minded practitioners. Finding a school with technique is one thing. Finding a school where the technique is applied with resistance during training and then tested in free play is another.

[MightyB]

... mod that wasn't smart enough to figure out that my Nascar thread was really an analogy describing how absurd it is to compare everything martial to UFC MMA?

You shouldn't have deleted the post since Nascar is about the closest thing in the sporting world to the current UFC craze that's going on in the martial arts world.

[MightyB]

wasn't deleted but moved http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52392&highlight=nascar

[MightyB]

so if all you seen was a thread about Nascar and not about how big budget marketing effects everything including martial arts... well- then you should go back to school.

[bawang]

these days i dont care anymore lol. i just punch things while looking really consipated. i thikn thats the essence of kung fu.

[sanjuro_ronin]

these days i dont care anymore lol. i just punch things while looking really consipated. i thikn thats the essence of kung fu.

You Sire, are 100% correct and have revealed to the public, the REAL KUNG FU !!
Vagabond Ninjas have been sent to mix colors in with the whites in your laundry !