Quote Originally Posted by Bacon View Post
I'd say:

Don't make claims without empirical data. This includes claiming your system is good at fighting. As much as I don't like folks who automatically side with mma they and certain other arts do have empirical evidence on their side. Muay thai, boxing, kickboxing, bjj, wrestling, judo and sometimes even karate have shown that they can be used to good effect against skilled fighters. That is why they're so well respected. They don't make claims they can't back up. When TCMA systems can produce videos of themselves repeatedly winning against skilled fighters in a full contact environment then they can make those claims but they won't until they....

Admit that TCMA have flaws (in some cases large ones). Take Lyoto Machida. He has traditional karate as his base and uses some of it to great effect BUT he still had to train in groud grappling and general mma to make it work. If you act like any TCMA system is perfect you're going to get laughed at. And if you jump to the sanda thing I'd remind you that those who've switched over to mma haven't exactly done amazingly.

So in short:
Put up or shut up
Admit that TCMA isn't perfect and needs work

For example, I train wing chun but I've also trained bjj to cover the ground fighting, learned a few basic wrestling takedowns and learned how to sprawl because grappling and take down defence is one of wing chun's biggest weaknesses.
You're right that no style is perfect. I believe all styles have advantages and disadvantages. All cultures / countries / ethnicities / peoples that did not have some type of Martial Skill would have been wiped out or taken over centuries ago.

Chinese Martial Arts have all the things you need to become a skilled fighter. Striking, Kicking, Grappling and Throwing all can be found in TCMA. I have competed using strictly Chinese Kung Fu and had a decent record fighting in Shuai Chiao and San Shou. So TCMA does work.... the only thing is fighters are not perfect and they need work.... not the systems.

One thing that I do have a problem is that people use MMA as a level of sorts to compare everything to it. I do not consider MMA / UFC as a MartiaL Art or Martial Science.. it is a Martial Sport... that's it. People keep saying show your skill in the MMA ring.... yada yada yada yada. How about lets have a MMA fighter come to my venue where the rules are:

#1 You bring your MMA gloves and I will have my sharpened daggers.

#2 Eyes, nuts, throat are all valid targets.

#3 We fight in the parking lot behind my school on the ashfault.

#4 My students and friends all will kick you in the head when you lay on the ground in your "Guard".

Martial Art or Martial Science can not be compared to Martial Sport. It's fun place to try and express some of your skills but there is no comparrison for the two. A I stated before.... I did well in sports martial arts. I aslo used my kung fu in street self defense. My being alive is proof of that as well.

MMA / UFC is not the beacon where we all aim to be like.... it's just a popular sport. So instead of trying to get kung fu to get in the ring... wht not try and MMA to fight in a real SD situation instead!

ginosifu