What is MMA'S Impact on Kung-Fu Should MMA be its' on Art Now?

[jstreet]

How has MMA changed or impacted Kung-Fu? There is no denying the impact UFC has had on the Martial Arts World. More and more schools offer multiple styles. I know you will have traditionalists and revisionists argue these points, but MMA has its place in the Martial Arts world, for now anyway. Does it have staying power? Should it now be it's own Art? Your thoughts?

[Ray Pina]

MMA has pushed me to get better .... it should push every MA to get better. Now there is a venue to test all ranges of combat. Before I had an interest in fighting MMAists, I was content to have what I thought was good striking, thought I couldn't be taken down.

Now I know better.

I don't think you need to train MMA, but I think you need to train whatever you train as realistically as possible against all ranges of fighting.


MMA as it's own style? I think it has already become that. The only down side is when you don't specialize, you can be pretty good at ground, pretty good and striking, pretty good at kicking. I think MMA is best when someone already has a strong background in either wrestling, BJJ or a striking art. But to start fresh, I would think it would take more time then many want to put it or expect. 3 year MMA are well rounded, but no one weapon is razor sharp. But that can go for any style I guess.

[MasterKiller]

MMA is training format...a set of rules; not a style.

Kung Fu can (and should) be trained like MMA. My kung fu has progressed tremendously over the last 18 months since I started training MMA fulltime.

[MasterKiller]

The only down side is when you don't specialize, you can be pretty good at ground, pretty good and striking, pretty good at kicking.

I would argue that CMA has always been about this...a little bit of striking, a little bit of throwing, a little bit of wrestling. I think it tries to produce a more well-rounded fighter when compared to other traditional arts.

[Ray Pina]

I would argue that CMA has always been about this...a little bit of striking, a little bit of throwing, a little bit of wrestling. I think it tries to produce a more well-rounded fighter when compared to other traditional arts.

Then where are all the kung fu fighters?

[David Jamieson]

Then where are all the kung fu fighters?

You're saying that some mma guys haven't trained in kungfu? or karate? or any number of other things.

mma is getting to a point where because of the venue, training methods are aligning to work towards competition in the venue.

where's all the mma guys at kungfu tourneys is basically the other side of that coin.

besides ray, don't you call yourself a kungfu fighter?Aren't you looking for some mma action on a regular basis?

mma is not what you train, it's how you train, it's "mixed martial arts" and there's a few guys on the circuit who have trained in traditinal martial arts.

so "where's teh kungfu fighters" is moot.

[Ray Pina]

I think all good fighters focus more on the HOW than the WHAT.

Everyone can shoot, but serious fighters focus on how they shoot, the precision. Everyone can punch. I don't train punching the bag or the air nearlrly as much as I train coordinating my movement so my punched come from driving off the foot.

I agree that MMA is a set of rules on one hand, but I think we're fooling ourselves if we deny MMA for the most part means some form of grappling (grecco, BJJ, etc.) + Thai kicking + boxing.

I also think we'd be fooling ourselves if we really don't know why MMA's don't come to Kung Fu tournaments.... if you don't know, I'll be the bearer of bad news: they think we're a joke... and our rules won't allow them to fight the way they train to fight.

Now I know you can argue the same, that they won't let you poke their eye, etc. etc. But inside you don't need me to explain the difference... that Kung Fu won't even let them punch their nose, take them down. Forget about dirty tactics. Even my niece knows kicking me in the balls hurt.

I don't mean to come down hard on Kung Fu. I love Kung Fu. But if it's to become something we need to stop the self denial. We have to look at ourselves in the mirror and say, "we're fat." .... it's not the mirror and we don't have a glandular problem.

[David Jamieson]

my point is ray, were i to enter a competitive match, then it would be "me" fighting and no the style i train in.

i would change every thing i am doing to fit the venue, but i wouldn't abandon the principles of engaging in combat. I would look at what I have and can use and that would fit with the rule set and teh rest I would leave behind, I am not interesting in poking someones eye, or any of that.

I personally think the whole mma v kungfu is an empty argument that is not perpetuated amongst for real mma types anyway. Just keyboard warriors play that story out over and over again for whatever reason.

[jstreet]

Good responses. How has it affected schools in your area? Has MMA changed Kung Fu's philosophy on sparring for instance? Instead of punching air, do schools now use more bags and one on one sparring to better develop punching power and motor skills?

[lkfmdc]

Originally, TCMA was MMA.... everyone needs to go back to the four character concept

KICK
STRIKE
TROW (wrestle)
SUBMIT (chin na)

But Chinese martial arts people need to also drop the attitude about how it has to be CMA or they won't use it.... that isn't "traditional" at all. Old timers cross trained, lots of western boxing and Japanese judo influence in the old timers. Maybe even more than they want to let on

Think of fighting a war, you are on a battlefield and you are out of ammunition or your weapon misfires, there is an AK 47 sitting in front of you. Do you not use it because it's the weapon made by the enemy or do you pick it up and fire?

You can learn a lot from non TCMA, Muay THai, boxing, western wrestling, Judo, BJJ etc and still keep your frame and your unique concepts

[Knifefighter]

MMA has definitely become its own style. It is a unique combination of standup, clinch, takedown, and ground.

MMA's biggest influence on TMA's is probably opening their practioners' eyes to the importance of grappling and groundfighting.

MMA has also had a huge impact on modern methods of CQC weapons training and self-defense training.

[gabe]

So called reality based martial artists distinguish MMA from themselves. Some train exactly the same arts, but not for competition or rule-based situations. I've been lectured to before that you are not a MMAst if you do not enter competitions. Just semantics I guess. But intentions and motivations do differ, which both impact strategy and training methods.

[Green Cloud]

For Christ sake, MMA is not a style it is what it is MMA. As far as any style goes the idea of becoming well rounded is all part of advancement in any art.

As far as CMA is concerned it already utilizes grapling, a vast array of boxing tech, throwing and ground fighting tech.

Is it important to adapt CMA tech. to win at MMA ??? Yes it is if you want to become a champion in that sport.

For most of us that have half a brain and careers and family and what not MMA is not what you want to do. Lets face it most guys that want to compete in the UFC don't have much going for them.

The only guys that make any money are the smart ones that aren't fighting but promoting.

[shaolinboxer]

MMA is also more about creating professional athletes than most CMA. It's like boxing...there are hobbiests and professionals tied to huge pro league. Although some CMAists are certainly professional martial artists, it's a different type of vocation.

That makes it different from CMA in a big way in terms of training and personalities.

[MasterKiller]

For most of us that have half a brain and careers and family and what not MMA is not what you want to do..

I have a huge, massively rotund brain, a career (well, a job that pays me a lot), and family and I train MMA. Training and fighting for a living aren't the same things. You'd think Kung Fu guys would know that by now.