Not everyone is a cage fighter.... so what?

[Ray Pina]

That's the thing. The meat head wannabe contingent on this board thinks that everything traditional is dead until an mma guy reintroduces it.

It's all traditional. All the ways to kick, punch, throw, lock....these have been around for a long time. Maybe some forgotten and rediscovered and given funky names like Rubber Guard or X Guard. There's nothing new.

At least from my perspective, when I hear "Traditional Chinese Martial Arts" I think of white kids in Chinese uniforms practicing Kung Fu forms, some non-too-intense line drills, fake weaponry and some lion dancing to earn sifu extra cash around Chinese New Years and weddings. I think of deep horse stances with iron ring adorned forearms. I think of wooden dummies and jow. Iron Palm. Dim Mak. And many animal styles.... unfortunately I also think of posers, non fighters, dreamers, defensive insecurity based on later.

When I think of "MMA" or "Sport Combat" I think of sweat soaked men collapsing and sitting back against wall-to-wall padding after live rolling or sparring.... which took place after live drilling. After intense physical training.... I think of black eyes, bloody noses, jammed fingers and toes. I think about preparing oneself or team mates for an upcoming match. About pushing myself further than when I want to quit because that's what establishes one's reputation.... not belts, or years or if you take sifu to dinner. I think about what it's like to set an appointment to fight someone in 3 months. Knowing there is someone out there training specifically to hurt you. And hurt you bad and fast. I think about sitting backstage in a locker room and hearing the crowd roar and know someone just got slammed or KOed and I'm up next. About entering the cage to fight and having to step over the pool of blood collecting in the corner from previous fights.

There's a difference between "TCMA" and "MMA". Not saying one is better than the other... that depends on one's goals. Though I will say training MMA is preparing for the now. Working and training and fighting now, not preparing for an unknown encounter sometime off in the future. It's very alive. Which is why I prefer it now. I don't always agree with approaches or techniques... I keep my mouth shut and do what the coach says when drilling. Then there's live free play. You can incorporate anything you want then. I prefer this to training an ideal technique without live interaction/testing/proving.

[HumbleWCGuy]

I think of this as a stereo type. There is truth to it on some level, but the choice isn't Larp as a TCMAist or be a ultimate bad dude with mma. Like you said, it's all traditional.

[wenshu]

At least from my perspective, when I hear "Traditional Chinese Martial Arts" I think of white kids in Chinese uniforms practicing Kung Fu forms, some non-too-intense line drills, fake weaponry and some lion dancing to earn sifu extra cash around Chinese New Years and weddings. I think of deep horse stances with iron ring adorned forearms. I think of wooden dummies and jow. Iron Palm. Dim Mak. And many animal styles.... unfortunately I also think of posers, non fighters, dreamers, defensive insecurity based on later.

Not to say that I disagree with your assessment of the connotations of "TCMA" but there is a flip side to that coin.

At least from my perspective, when I hear MMA I think of fat sub-literate date-rapey white kids in Affliction and Tap Out uniforms watching instructional YouTube videos, joining a gym for the t-shirt, showing up once a week, talking about wanting to get a fight, incessant chest puffing and posturing about the superiority of techniques they can barely grasp but have seen on the internet. Constant ball-clapping of this or that persona/technique variation. I think of beer soaked professional wrestling fans. I think of unjustifiable ego and swagger. Sub par striking and wet blanket tactics... unfortunately I also think of posers, non fighters, dreamers, defensive insecurity based on the latter.

(Edit: I forgot board shorts and wallet chains. To be fair I have seen a lot of form collecting glorified figure skaters often make the same questionable sartorial decisions)

[KC Elbows]

It's high time date-rapey made it back into the lexicon of english adjectives.

[lkfmdc]

At least from my perspective, when I hear MMA I think of fat sub-literate date-rapey white kids in Affliction and Tap Out uniforms watching instructional YouTube videos, joining a gym for the t-shirt, showing up once a week, talking about wanting to get a fight, incessant chest puffing and posturing about the superiority of techniques they can barely grasp but have seen on the internet. Constant ball-clapping of this or that persona/technique variation. I think of beer soaked professional wrestling fans. I think of unjustifiable ego and swagger. Sub par striking and wet blanket tactics... unfortunately I also think of posers, non fighters, dreamers, defensive insecurity based on the latter.

ah, but in a reall MMA place they are always on the fringe because they can't beat anyone in rolling or sparring and they never actually fight

in many TCMA places, the LARP'er is raised to a high level and the entire program "pats him on the back" in his dillusions

[wenshu]

ah, but in a reall MMA place they are always on the fringe because they can't beat anyone in rolling or sparring and they never actually fight

Did you really just say in a "real" MMA place. . . like in "authentic". . .I knew it, you really do moonlight as Hardwork108! I knew you were trolling yourself.

Mediocrity is not on the fringe when everyone is mediocre.
The top, what? maybe 5% of any given gym has any real talent or chance of even making a decent amateur (and that's a generous assessment). Any sport or human endeavor measures out this way. It is not so much that "not everyone is a cage fighter" it's more like "not everyone can be a cage fighter even and especially people who want to be cage fighters"

in many TCMA places, the LARP'er is raised to a high level and the entire program "pats him on the back" in his dillusions

I am certainly not going to dispute this, I just wanted to point out that the delusion exists on both sides. Everyone makes regrettable sartorial decisions at some point.

[lkfmdc]

Did you really just say in a "real" MMA place. . .

Team Quest
The Academy
CSW training center
AKA
USH training center
Roufus Sport
etc etc etc

There are tons of legit MMA training locations

[KC Elbows]

Team Quest
The Academy
CSW training center
AKA
USH training center
Roufus Sport
etc etc etc

There are tons of legit MMA training locations

Too late, you gave yourself away. You are Hardwork, Gene Ching, Bawang, and the Taiji guy who is always deconstructing things.

Don't try to deny it.

[wenshu]

Team Quest
The Academy
CSW training center
AKA
USH training center
Roufus Sport
etc etc etc

There are tons of legit MMA training locations

Nevermind. It wasn't a very funny joke anyways.

[Frost]

Team Quest
The Academy
CSW training center
AKA
USH training center
Roufus Sport
etc etc etc

There are tons of legit MMA training locations

this, i dont think anyone here would argue wenshu is wrong (even if it was a joke) i have seen more than a few like that, but they dont last long at the good schools, and in MMA the good schools are easy to find, they are the ones always winning in the local MMA events

[lkfmdc]

It's high time date-rapey made it back into the lexicon of english adjectives.

it is

"date-rapey (tm)" and you can paypal the $1 NOW

[KC Elbows]

Glad I didn't mention McReacharound.

Cr@p!