Deconstruction of MMA

[Hermes3X]

I was a philosophy major back at school, so here goes. I hope you get the joke

Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA as they are more commonly known, are a fairly recent phenomenon in the American Martial Arts scene. While MMA display a typically American approach to problem solving (throw all possibilities into a big vat; mix; pick one which "works") its concern for "reality" and realistic fighting techniques border on the pathological. Of wider scope, MMA epistemological methods are yoked to a heavy metaphysics of presence and display the same disdain for the alterity of anecdotal evidence . Specifically, MMA, especially of the UFC camp, have created a literal arena where the truth of any martial arts proposition can be tested. Further, by disallowing any claim of efficacy from any technique that cannot be shown to work inside this arena, MMA discount completely that which is not immediately present. Upon discounting techniques that have anecdotal claims of efficiency, MMA strives to acheive an atemporal paradise of grabs, chokes and bars. By discounting oral history and bounding the ground of truth with literal bars, MMA strip rich possibilities of expression from unarmed martial endeavors and leave only the desert of logocentrism behind.

[LEGEND]

YUP. MMA is a litmus test for those willing to go at it. Surprisingly though...techniques that were thought useless has been displayed to be effective. No one thought kicks would work until Marco Ruas used it to knock down a bigger Paul Varlens; OR the spinning back fist use by Shonie Carter to KO BJJ stylist Matt Sierra; Caro Uno has displayed a flying knee KO in various Japanese matches.

[Glimmer]

Nice bit of satire

Just in case anyone thinks he is being serious..

If anything, MMA has produced a decent method of testing techniques and styles that otherwise rely on faith. This is a good thing for everyone in MA.

MMA shows that some methods are more effective then others and that some styles/trained methods producer better fighters (in a one-on-one ring fight) then others. It also shows that some exceptional fighters can make certain techniques work i.e. spinning backfists etc. It aims for %'s so that even the worst student in MMA will have a better chance then the worst student in TKD or sporty kung-fu.

However, MMA aims for results and has a noble attempt at being an 'open' system that will continually progress and bring in any new trad methods that might prove useful.

[Aqira]

The concept of MMA of fine, the real problem has been the attitude displayed by many of the participants. In time it as more skilled artist become involved in some degree it may refine itself.

[MonkeySlap Too]

Actually, most of the really good MMA types I've met were really cool guys. They are alays shocked when they got tossed or tossed a kung fu guy. They expect less from us I guess.

Been invited back by some good gyms to work clinch material and SC throwing skills.

MMA is what the ACSCA has been trying to do all along... although MMA isn't always as 'real' as we would like.

As a testing ground it may save CMA from becoming SCA.

[SevenStar]

Originally posted by Aqira
The concept of MMA of fine, the real problem has been the attitude displayed by many of the participants. In time it as more skilled artist become involved in some degree it may refine itself.

my experience has been the opposite. I've never met a closed-mnded MMA guy - they tend to respect whatever works - if you prove to them that it works. I've met several CMA however, who are completely close-minded.

[NeedsPractice]

CMA people do need to train harder to pull off what they are trying/ expect to be able to pull off.
Alot of martial arts (I believe) is designed for a quick and damaging finsh, which at the same time can be hard to pull off, and isnt necessarily sporting when something is a sports competiion. In other words cma may need to go the way of jujitsu > judo to develop a good middle ground for randori type activity.
So you can practice a semi safe variation at full strength that can also be modified back to the original. throw someone on thier back instead of thier head, choke them till they pass out instead of death, joint lock until they tap instead of break.