Calling a spade, a spade....

[Fu-Pow]

It dawned on me when I was just running in the park today that what refer to as
"martial arts" is not very precise.

Martial arts or Wu Shu could be any warfare related skills. Shooting a gun or military strategy could be referred to as Wu Shu.

What practitioners of Martial Arts, Kung Fu, Mixed Martial Arts, Muy Thai, Karate, whatever actually study is "hand-to-hand combat."

Using the term "art" is too broad and opens up to much interpretation. For, example is PRC Wu Shu a "martial art?" Maybe, but it definitely doesn't have anything to do with "hand to hand combat."

Then you have Mixed Martial Arts which is a kind of misnomer in itself because practioners of MMA actually just study "hand to hand combat" and they draw from many different disciplines of hand-to-hand combat, but really the eschew all the cultural baggage that goes along with a "martial art."

So I propose that we don't use Kung Fu, Martial Art, Fist Method etc, but rather call
what we study what it actually is and that is "hand to hand combat."

And once we call it that we can move on to a dialogue about which method is better for improving skill at "hand to hand combat" not who has the most hand sets or best lineage or who won in whatever sporting event.

And we can definitely discount people that claim to teach "hand to hand combat" and yet have never and will never engage in any thing that even resembles "hand to hand combat."

Ok, I'll get off my soap box now.

FP

[neilhytholt]

And we can definitely discount people that claim to teach "hand to hand combat" and yet have never and will never engage in any thing that even resembles "hand to hand combat."

Ok, I'll get off my soap box now.

FP

And how is this argument different from the MMA vs. CMA arguments? Come on now, it's just the same argument in disguise.

BTW you're not supposed to use call a spade a spade anymore because it has racist connotations.

[Royal Dragon]

You can do hand to hand all you want, I am not giving up my Broad Sword, or kicking people.

[Yum Cha]

Philistine

[neilhytholt]

Next somebody will start saying that you shouldn't call it 'kung fu' because that doesn't mean martial arts.

Serioiusly, though, FP, I agree with you.

Although I don't think you could rename everything without making a lot of people mad.

[Royal Dragon]

It doesn't, technically it's Wu Gong, meaning martial skills

[neilhytholt]

It doesn't, technically it's Wu Gong, meaning martial skills

I guess I should have put a next to that line.

[Fu-Pow]

You can do hand to hand all you want, I am not giving up my Broad Sword, or kicking people.

I would count kicking people and broadsword in "hand-to-hand combat."

As does wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_to_hand_combat

[BruceSteveRoy]

using wikipedia as evidence is not a good idea. especially when someone could just as easily go in and re write what hand to hand combat is to prove you wrong lol.

wikiality.

[bodhitree]

whats in a name, do what you do, call it what you want. Judo is called "soft way" . Say that after getting slammed by a 200lb er.

[GeneChing]

In Japan, traditional rifle use is considered a martial art, albeit a very rare practice. If memory serves, the word they use for it is hojitsu. Archery and other traditional weapons fall under the martial arts umbrella too. We just ran an article on archery - The Missing Link: Archery in China By Tim Louie - in our 2007 March/April issue.

[Fu-Pow]

using wikipedia as evidence is not a good idea. especially when someone could just as easily go in and re write what hand to hand combat is to prove you wrong lol.

wikiality.

Wikipedia is actually as accurate or more accurate often than any standard encyclopedia. Apparently, on average anything written in there erroneously gets corrected within
4 minutes....lol

[BruceSteveRoy]

i would liek to see some evidence to back up that claim. i am not aying it isnt true but without any concrete proof i would think that is highly suspect.

[Fu-Pow]

whats in a name, do what you do, call it what you want. Judo is called "soft way" . Say that after getting slammed by a 200lb er.

Semantics ARE important! Look at the fight for words in the U.S. political culture. I
give you an example: Pro-life vs Pro-Choice (in regards to debate over legalized abortion.) Pro-life implies that the other side is anti-life. Pro-choice implies that the other side is anti-choice. What the two sides really are is pro-abortion rights and anti-abortion rights (at least from my perspective...lol.) But politicians know that if they use certain terms that they are in essence framing the debate to their advantage. Another one that floors me is the term "insurgents." When did we ever here the term insurgents in the news before the Iraq War. "Insurgents" sound a hell of a lot better than freedom fighters...now doesn't it.

But I digress....."martial art" sounds alot more innocuous then "hand to hand combat." Little jimmy's mom down the street will let her son sign up for a "martial art" but I doubt she'd sign him up for "hand to hand combat." The term "art" elevates it to an "artisitic" status. Whereas "combat" sounds down and dirty.

The Chinese call Kung Fu, "Chuan Fa/Kyuhn Faat" which means "Fist Method." I think that would be equally acceptable as "hand to hand combat."

[PangQuan]

I think the Japanese had it right with Budo.

Everything that could even remotely be considered martial or warlike in nature can be a part of Budo. From there you just break down each aspect on its own for specialization.

so yes one specialization would be empty hand stand up fighting with punches and kicks.

another would be throws, wrestling, ground submission, etc.

horseback riding, archrey, firearms......


choose your weapon