What happened to the sanctity of Martial Arts?

A few years go, before the mass introduction of UFC, martial artists were very reserved and shy when it came to fighting. Now, it seems that everywhere I go, all these really high ego guys who train in UFC style fighting just wants to pick a fight and prove themselves? I train in Jiu jitsu too and I love it but I'm in it for the art, not the brutality? Any way for me to look at Jiujitsu for what it is, and not for what its become?

What happened to the sanctity of Martial Arts?
The only sanctity martial arts has is that which the practioner gives it.





Most of these guys who hang around bars claiming to be ufc fighters are phonys.They see the tackle and the ground and pound and figure thats the whole deal.One look at them and you can see they have never trained in anything a day in their pathetic wannabe lives.


The real mma's and bjj guys I know aren't into that bullshit.
Reply:I don't know where you train but 99% of people who train BJJ with me don't want to fight and they get challenged ALL THE TIME because of BJJ claims but they usually just blow the challenge off





Sure there is always one or two who want to prove themself and there are guys who train to fight in the cage, the guys who fight in the cage suprizingly are never the guys who want to fight, they do want to challenge themselves and test their skills as well as get over their fear but I havent seen many guys who are mucho and to tell the truth there is more style bashing in the TMA places I have been than in my BJJ class, infact I never herd a style being bashed by anyone there, hey, maybe it's just where I train
Reply:I saw this coming.Everyone and their uncle has been asking "where is there MMA training near me?" And now only Muay Thai %26amp; Jiujitsu work,all the other styles suddenly stopped working.


* I am positive the MMA training centers are getting a steady stream of new students and making some good money.





It will take awhile for things to settle down.The fact is when some people see that it is "a lot" of hard work year after year no end in sight,many will quit and go back to watching TV and messing with the computer and enjoying video games. Drop out rate should be about 8 out of 10 students in the first 18 months.


This is only natural.There's the money for lessons %26amp; equipt.,a couple of Doctor visits,(more money),and the big one,time.


People are already jammed up with stuff to do,it's tough to find time now-a-days for a 2 to 3 times a week lessons and the stretching/training/running/weights %26amp; workouts at home.


Then make time and spend more money to go to tournaments.


People now-a-days,for the most part,don't have the time or the patience for things that don't happen fast.


Instant coffee,instant soup,instant message,the fastest download,a fast car,a fast bike,they want stuff "Now"


not 5 or 6 years down the line after spending tons of time and money.Just won't happen.


* As for your outlook on Jiujitsu,you have to be your own person,follow through with your plans and just consider "your" frame of mind and "your" focus.





There is nothing any of us can do about this,it just has to run it's cycle.
Reply:really if u look at martial arts from the ufc perspective and not for wat it once stood for then ill have to call you a fool martial arts was a fighting style made to protect and not for show it was made from necessity and really shouldn't be shown as a massive fighting show like the ufc. if i understand your question then you once looked at jiu jitsu as a way of life not just a fighting style and I believe if you ignore ufc and crap like that then finding that perspective again shouldn't be any hard





hope i didn't loose any one
Reply:Its funny how I see these questions pop up every once in a while. I think the main problem your experiencing is your stereotyping of MMA practitioners. If you took the time to actually look at the questions on this forum you would see more traditional artists bashing MMA practitioners then the other way around.
Reply:The questions is always, what works. The real question should be in what enviroment.


To want to enter a caged area where you must fight another person wanting to harm you whom is also a trained fighter, well that is not street reality. And to train that way for the streets is not only non real, but foolish. The laws are so simple and take no real discussion. If you train and harm anyone, goodbye.


But also note that if you enter that Caged area unprepared, well your even a bigger fool.


Now if you want street smarts you need to learn both verbal and body movement skills. This has nothing to do with fighting as most encounters that most folks find themselves in should never esculate to having to fight. When you allow it to you already have lost in a sense in that your taught belief has placed you in danger or harms way. The secret is to avoid the harm possibility not enter. Bravery comes from doing the right things in life for those you love and are to take care of. Not beating the tar outa someone that may have been your superior in life to those that love them.


WE need to look at what an Art offers a person in todays world based on what is survival today. That is doing well in a group of people. Co existing, not conflicting. The old teachers taught this principle, and when you see a good artist. The style they use seems to allow them to flow with their opponent. They seem to become a part of their opponet, as BJJ flows thru it's moves, or Greco. A Thai boxer going thru an combination they learnt,or boxer. A Kung Fu practicioner doing a set pattern of form.


It all comes down to what is survivng to you. Not how brutal or bad you are. Imagine that concept, and your kid gets born weak. You would want to die, and take your kid with you. ( Sound familiar ) Feeling less is not right, and if your style is guilty or your guilty of ever forcing this on anyone, well your style needs to be bashed.


As once I heard a great person say, ( It was in Shrek ) , can't we all just get along. Or else what we have created for survival, will smash us all to the concrete or pavement.
Reply:Please do not think all martial artists behave like the select few you are asking about.


True martial artists know that when two tigers fight, one will die and one will be injured for life.


A true artist has the confidence to turn down a challenge.


In our art we learn to be inwardly humble. We also learn the art of self-defense, not the art of fighting. Big difference. Many modern sport martial artist learn how to "fight", this is very different than real world, applied self-defense.





Stay true to yourself and your arts' teachings and these ideals will not fail you.
Reply:To a large extent, it is the fault of the martial arts themselves. For a long time they took a duplicitous stance in regard to what they taught. They tried to take the "martial" out of the martial arts, while at the same time using mythical fighting prowess to help sell their schools. Many practitioners took a sanctamonious high road saying that the martial arts were not about fighting, but self-discipline, skill etc, etc, etc. While it is certain that you don't want to create a bunch of people in love with hurting others, fighting skill should be the goal of martial arts training. This doesn't mean that you have to go out and look for fights, but you should be able to fight if necessary. If you don't want to learn how to fight, almost any physcial endevour can build discipline and other positive attributes. You could take up power-lifting, ballroom dancing (I'm not being sarcastic), running. biking or rowing and get the same benefits as the martial arts in those regards. At the same time that this attitude prevailed, they still claimed "practical self-defense" in their advertising, had posters of movie martial artists who perpetuated the myth of unbeatbale fighters and held seminars with movie-stars that gave the aura of fighting ability. Some schools went so far as to claim "realistic self-defense" and didn't even have full-contact sparring!





When the UFC showed that many martial artists couldn't fight, they lost their credibility, and thus the sanctity they tried to claim. People had been snookered, now they wanted PROOF to the claims that they were effective for self-defense. Unfortunately, now the pendulum has swung to far the other way and people no longer see any value to the "arts" side of the martial arts. When I got back into the martial arts after a several year lay-off, I purposely chose jiu-jitsu over other traditional styles because of it's effectiveness and over mma because of its arts, or tradition side. I know it's not a complete system, but it does make you better able to defend yourself, while it has a cultural and artistic component. The martial arts have only themselves to blame for the current state of conditions in my opinion.
Reply:I think it depends on the school in which you train. It also depends on the style as in my opinion certain styles attract certain types of people.





The only thing is schools can't screen their students (for the most part) and if some loud mouth wants to join and then pick fights you can't help that.





I do believe some schools need to get back to the discipline focus that was so predominate when I started learn TKD. I think these days (at least where I am from) there are so many schools around they are being run like a business and leaving out some of the important things.
Reply:yes but when they realized there money was being taken they got me and said lets have fun and kick ***. Thus vale Tudo and UFC were born
Reply:I think its going to pass like any fad. The same thing happened in my old country (Philippines). Before the Americans colonize the country my people proved there skills through death matches until the Americans band the practice.It happened again when the boxing craze started mostly because of Muhammad Ali. Now it is none existent, it is even forgotten.


Give it time, and be true to yourself and master the art you've chosen.


Good luck to you brother.
Reply:As someone who has been in and around martial arts for 29 years now, in my view those who are martial artists do it for every reason other then realistic combat, of which the entire concept was developed Martial (military). Those who train for the main reason of combat do have a very different way of looking at these skills than do those who do it for exercise, health, and what ever other reasons. The truth of the matter is that the sanctity of martial arts were diluted when training became about everything but combat. Of course I am one of those who takes the martial of the martial arts to heart . In fact I am not a martial artist I train in martial skill.