Benefits are everywhere when you look for them, even if you are not a fan of where the benefit comes from. Many TMA practitioners (Traditional Martial Arts) don’t like MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). Many MMA fighters don’t like TMA. The reasons are everything from a lack of an open mind to arrogance. TMA practitioners can learn so much from MMA like how they incorporate different styles and have a tendency to be more aggressive in training. And, MMA practitioners can learn so much from TMA such as the mindfulness of forms.
There is an idea in Chinese Martial Arts that we are all ‘climbing the mountain’. The lower on the mountain things are very different from another part of the mountain; the sunny side or shady side will have different plant life, etc.…. But the higher one goes up, the more similar the mountain becomes. There are many paths, but all end up at the top. The human body is the same for all of us, a head on top, two arms and two legs on the bottom. We all move the same. And our brains and minds work similar enough that we can learn from each other.
Traditional Martial Arts Culture
One layer of all TMA is cultural that is closely knit with history. Chinese Martial Arts, for example, have 5 major influences: Daoism, a heavy dose of Confucian philosophy, Chan (Zen) Buddhism, health (basic survival from disease, war wounds, and general aging), and of course a systematic military theory and military training stemming back to Sun Zi’s (Sun Tsu) Art of War. These are inseparable from Chinese Martial Art culture. In your study of martial arts (study vs training), study the culture and history of your chosen art. And it doesn’t take that much time. A rough history and culture understanding is enough.
Traditionalists from Asian martial arts tend to follow exactly what the master taught, even if it doesn’t make sense. This is part of Confucian influence on Asia. “A prince is a prince, an official is an official, a father is a father, and a son is a son.” (Confucius, The Analects, Ch. 12.11) The idea is that each societal role stays in its place and should not leave it otherwise there would be disharmony in the society. Agree or do not, this is a major philosophy from Asia.
Therefore, students will not question (teachers question students), challenge (the student would be on the same level as the master) or change anything because it is disrespectful, even if the teacher has long past away. The student is expected blindly follow the master and his lessons even if the techniques do not necessarily work. It is culturally better to give face to the master than make sure the teachings work. It is a problem, but, like it or not, it keeps a ‘harmonious society’ to a certain extent.
TMA Techniques
TMA has a wide variety of techniques. In order to be a ‘master’ at a chosen style, one must study most of them. There are too many to become expert at all, and many are not very practical. On top of that, each technique has at least 6 applications. For example, a straight punch is one move that can be used in almost any situation. (1. Straight hit. 2. Block by striking above the incoming punch and the forearm pressing it out of the way while hitting the opponent. 3. Pulling back to yank the opponent off balance. 4. Elbow person behind 5. Punching the leg 6. Getting out of a grab.) But, does the practitioner have the wisdom to figure them out and apply them in the right situation at the right time? Many masters sometimes just never figured out or tried the techniques, but still teach them. When tested, the master cannot perform, but others can. With that said, perhaps it isn’t the style, but the practitioner.
MMA Tests Tradition
MMA follows the Western science and mindset; dissect things to find the reasoning underneath that makes it work. This is great, but as we do, people accidentally throw away the things they see as not useful. But, is it useless, or do they lack the understanding to use it properly? Or is it a lack of cultural understanding? For example, young fighters of today like MMA or BJJ. It is common to think low of Tai Chi. “It’s too slow and for old people.” What they don’t get the theories are actually in their art. Externally, it looks different. If they were to take MMA to a higher practice with more years of understanding body mechanics, physics… Tai Chi isn’t necessarily a style, but an understanding the nature of the body which turned into many styles (there are at least 11 unique tai chi styles I know of).
Relaxation
A big misunderstanding is relaxation. It doesn’t mean to be weak, it means to let go of tension. How do you move faster? How do you slip out of a grab? By letting go of tension. This is not easy. Hence why it is hard to practice and takes a very long time to be good at. And by the time someone is good at Tai Chi, the person could have been a BJJ black belt. But, can the body take the violence of martial training into old age? A person can do tai Chi into their 90s, and by then, fighting is of no interest.
Common Tai Chi doesn’t work in a fight if the training is done as it is done for health. There is little training for highly intense situations, then of course the master would easily get beat up by a MMA practitioner. There would be a different story if a master trains like an MMA fighter, but uses the theories of Tai Chi. It isn’t the style, it’s the training. These simple misunderstanding are also a reason why things are disregarded and laughed at, and should not be. Just because one doesn’t understand, doesn’t mean something is wrong.
Modernize our Arts
Our desire to breakdown, analyze and test old knowledge lets us grow and improve. This is very important. The problem is how it is done. In martial arts, this happens a lot and things change. The funny part is, when the new martial artists get older, they do what the TMA do. Many prominent MMA fighters meditate, do yoga, pay attention to diet… because they see the benefits not necessarily in the octagon in fighting, but in better mental fitness and less injuries, healing faster and basically feeling better.
TMA and MMA can both be counter-productive. Because, many can’t see beyond their own punch or kick. People are short sighted and dispute other practices without much insight. Both are blinded by pride, and arrogance. The worst part is, both do not even recognize the problem is with the individual’s lack of introspection, and fear of trying new things or care to understand something new.
In order to build a balance of keeping tradition and modernization, we must see past terms, schools of thought, methodologies, and any other layers of distraction. TMA can learn so much from MMA, and vice versa. Stay focused on your training. Study your art’s past. And be open minded in what others can teach you.
I recently finished writing my book on virtue. Please go to my Facebook page of Virtues Path and follow for more essays on virtue. Also, please visit my website thevirtuespath.wordpress.com
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