The Cage, has now become the proving ground for a Martial Art. It seems to be the great 'filter', making the cage Martial Art's greatest 'mythbuster'. In the cage, philosophy is tested, and the need for 'tradition' is questioned.
What we see in the cage, is now seen as a microcosm--an example of what every person concerned about self defense needs to prepare for. Though this is somewhat true, I believe this to be mostly false.
What is true of the part, is not always true of the whole.
You see, to understand the value of MMA, vs. Traditional Martial Arts, we must understand what we mean by the term 'reality'. Many people are judging the validity of many Martial Art (Karate, TKD, Muay Thai, BJJ) by their performance in a 'real fight'.
Some arts, have been completely written off as irrelevant because of their limited application in an MMA setting, like Tae Kwon Do, Karate, or Tai Chi; these esoteric arts are 'ineffective' in a real fight and therefore irrelevant.
Other arts, such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Muay Thai have been highly praised, but they have not been completely left intact--the MMA eruption has ignorantly stripped these arts of the characteristics that people feel are irrelevant to know. In Muay Thai, the Wai Kru/Ram Muay is being phased out of events throughout the entire country. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has already begun to shed their gi.
The effect, is that students are no longer learning Martial 'Arts' they are learning Martial 'Sport'. Students sign up for a Muay Thai program thinking they are learning 'Muay Thai', but in reality they are given a diluted version of it. They are taught a form of Muay Thai that some instructor believes is irrelevant in a 'real situation' and therefore discarded what could quite possibly be a fundamental piece of education, out of the curriculum (if said instructor even has one).
Now, one can make the argument that such portions of an art the Wai Kru/Ram Muay of Muay Thai, or the Gi in BJJ gives no physical advantage in an actual fight--and that is exactly what I call into question:
What is, a 'real' fight?
In order to understand this question, we need to understand several 'realities':
Time: The year is 2010. Not 1810. We (in the west at least) do not live in a feudal society. Most of us are students, office workers, industrial workers, etc. Our actual lifestyle very rarely involved physical conflict. Take a quick glance at North America's obesity rates, that is enough to tell you that our actual lifestyle is a rather sedentary one. We are using our heads, more than we use our body.
Space: If you live in North America, your day probably consists of this exact rhythm--Transport, Attend, Transport, Decline. In the morning, we transport ourselves (via car or some form of commute) to our particular institution(s), ie. school, employment, etc. and spend the better part of that day within that institution, most likely in a sedentary setting. At the end of one's shift in the institution, we transport ourselves again to another setting, our home, to rest and repeat the cycle the next day.
This represents most of societies human rhythm. Whether you choose to believe it or not, we are docile creatures. Two statistics prove this: The National Obesity rates, and the internet.
Both are rapidly inclining, due to rapid mental incline, and rapid physical decline. Face it, we are on the computer more, and moving our bodies less. Our challenge on a day to day basis is not for physical survival anymore, we strive for economic survival--capital success.
This, is the reality of our setting. What therefore, is the relevance of Martial Art?
From a physical point of view there are the obvious benefits of general fitness and well being. But that does not really answer the question. What is the benefit of learning how to fight, in a society where we no longer fight hand to hand with one another?
In order to understand this, we must revisit the definition of a modern 'fight':
In the past, a 'fight' used to mean two individuals in physical conflict. The method in which they employed their survival, or 'fought', referred to their 'fight style', or 'Martial Art'. The settings in which fights occurred, often influenced the 'way' in which a nation fought--this is how Martial Art 'styles' were born.
In Naha Japan, common farmers had to learn how to defend themselves using their own farming tools, Bo, Jo, Tonfa--this was the birth of Karate.
In Brazil, slaves practiced their Martial Art under the hidden mask of music and tribal dance--this is the birth of Capoeira.
Throughout human history, Martial Art was always born from necessity--Form, followed Function.
We have to realize our present function. Statistically speaking, we are at our most peaceful time in human history (this may seem like a stretch but watch this video and you'll understand). This is not to say that we, are without any 'conflict'.
In our modern era of technology and collaboration, our conflict in comparison to our feudal history has elevated--we face on a day to day basis a 'higher' form of conflict:
Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Conflict.
This is not to be too esoteric, but the monks had it right. Think about our everyday problems. What do they often consist of?
Political Disagreement.
Personality Clash.
Racism.
Stereotypes.
We are no longer nomads, fighting other clans for land, we are human beings struggling to find ways to coexist with one another. When we fight, (physically on the street) it is not because we set out to do so...it is often because of a break down of communication towards the above matters (not limited to of course)
"Thoughts become action, Action becomes habit, habit becomes character, Character becomes Destiny"
-Sensei Richard Kim
'Conflict' in todays sense is no longer about the person in front of us--it's about the person inside of us. The person who wants to be angry, vengeful, deceitful, etc. Those are the types of people within us that find ways of manifesting physical confrontations in our lives.
Think about the 'anatomy' of a physical fight--what are the processes that occur before the fight for one to erupt. It often involves a negative thought, which turns into negative words exchanged, which erupts into Physical blows exchanged, which then becomes some form of regret--for self or others.
The real art therefore, is the ability skillfully fashion one's character that attracts peace, not violence. The modern day martial artist is not one that can blend all the different styles together in a cohesive physical manner, but the one who can find a mental and emotional solution to a conflict before it erupts into a physical disaster.
What does this have to do with Martial Art?
The true value, for most of the people who do not fight in rings, and will most likely never fight in a combat event is not found in a cage.
The true value, is found in the traditions, and philosophy of an art.
Learn, from a Martial Artist, not an 'instructor'.
Posts
