If you think in "black and white" you are wrong

[David Jamieson]

lol at your title.

Just thought I'd stop in and have a look at the dead horse.
Yep, still dead.

[lkfmdc]

Jamieons being the mature, professional moderator he always is

[pazman]

I would go one step further and say, if it is truly martial, it is not an art!

The "arts" part of "martial arts" refers to skills, not the stuff found in museums.

Real martial arts in the past where teaching people how to hold spears in formation, how to march and swim, how to use bows, how to set up ambushes. Real martial arts today might include operations research, setting artillery angles, making car bombs.

Hand to hand combat is one of the few martial arts that provide benefit to civilians.

[David Jamieson]

Jamieons being the mature, professional moderator he always is

Hey it wasn't me making the declarative statement and then ironically dashing it all in one sentence with absolutism. lol

[Faux Newbie]

I think most long term practitioners join martial arts to learn fighting methods.

Along the way, they get coopted to defend silliness.

Defending silliness requires massive amounts of time (ask any forum moderator).

Eventually, defending silliness is all they do.

Defending silliness is a martial arts universal, whether tma or mma.

Forms will make me a fighter.

Training with so and so makes me a fighter.

Paying for boxing lessons will make me a fighter.

I am thankful for these people. Without the people spending more time on the social aspects of seeming to have good kung fu, I'd have to deal with their students. Without the average mma practitioner, I'd have to pay full price for heavy bags instead of finding them on craigslist after they quit.

[Kellen Bassette]

Without the average mma practitioner, I'd have to pay full price for heavy bags instead of finding them on craigslist after they quit.

They have been a real blessing as far as the price of "like new, gently used" equipment is concerned....

[Faux Newbie]

They have been a real blessing as far as the price of "like new, gently used" equipment is concerned....

They are so cute, with their ufc video game shirts and chinstrap beards.