At-Home Martial Arts

Art is found in application, not though transmission of skills.

Sure...

Only so.many ways to paint a picture, carve a sculpture, or move a body...

The tools have changed over the years to improve many of our arts....

But, the human body only has so many ways of moving, and the tools have not improved...

I would agree that Masters make something their own... Such as painting a picture, lets say... But he still has to learn the basics when he begins...

Is mma the evolution of martial arts? Possibly....

Like any "young" thing, it often mocks the "older" ways... Making fun of its roots... lol....

A Master is not a Master until he makes it his own... And he has to follow in the footsteps of his Master, first....

As a mma'er, do you all rituals? Serious question...

I am not an MMA'er. I do in fact study an art. (in the context of passed on brawling techniques) We do not have kata, we have flourishes, improv applications of strikes, like shadow boxing.

We don't have rituals in my art. We do not bow, we do not salute. We do not set up shrines to weapons, pictures or concepts. We enter into engagement range of our opponent and... engage.

I do not know any MMA practitioner that did not already previously learn the basics from some art, then depart and put their own spin on it. Much like JKD. Bruce Lee's JKD philosopy was learn what works for you leave the rest.

So, after learning the basics, what is the purpose of all this contrived excess?

I went to art school. I did not actually learn ART. I learned skill. The art was my responsibility. If all you do is repeat the success of others, how in good conscience can you call yourself an artist?

I suppose the art can be found in the items for the programming of the muscle memory, but I've never seen an actual fight that wasn't awkward and stupid. All I know is that having a body that knows how to block, strike, or grapple without any thinking will make you less of a bloody mess . . . and a body/mind with the endurance to take the beatings you can't intercept will make you less of an unconscious/dead bloody mess. I guess if your mind is fast enough to execute the more creative aspects of fighting when somebody's trying to kill you, then the more advanced martial arts techniques might work to your favor (i guess a lot of practice of a wide variety of techniques can get your body to react with them), but actual hand to hand combat with real enemies is usually really primal and ugly . . . though I couldn't stress enough how important a well muscle-memorized block set is.
Maybe a lexicon of kata might provide more hand to hand versatility in such a situation--that's where the actual creativity would come into play: allowing the synapses of one kata to blend into another to adapt to the situation on the fly.
I'd really have to lean to the Jedi policy of fighting though; practice the martial arts for that rare moment where you have no choice but to fight, remember that real fights are never fair, and be prepared to feel any one of those fights come back to haunt you when it gets cold.

Yea that reminds me of what a real fight is. Its when one guy gets messed up real bad, and the other guy is dead.

God bless hospitals and/or voices of reason.

Thanks for sharing Andy...

And the forms are our "tools" and "skills"...

It would be akin to shadow boxing for a boxer...

With no resistance, speed can be worked on... With a partner, the muscle...

When we begin to see the flow, then we become the artist....

The mma'er has to practice his skill as well as sure you do.. Being something between the two... (not trying to insult, just be accurate...)

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On the philosophical side....

Sidewalker, I've given it much thought....

Lets talk the monks for a minute....

The monks don't fight, well then why the martial arts? For control of the body, similar to control of the mind and meditation....

Would they defend themselves? Not from the stories I've read, yet they would defend another...

So, they have so much control, love, for all that they wouldn't strike back, even when attacked?

Yet would prevent abuse to another....

At least the is the impression I get...

Idk, just something ive been kicking around...

Just to reiterate, I do it for my health... lol...

Yea, fighting is not good...

I feel ya, Jestor . . . I think that's also why I quit drinking so much . . . not a very graceful existence. It's nice to have the presence of mind to defuse the physical conflict.

Violence is terrible. That's me speaking as a soldier, MP, and EMT. It is horrible and it scars you physically and emotionally. It's why when ever I hear any Jedi talk about learning it, I ask to what end. If you are going to learn it to fight, do not delude yourself with trappings. You are learning how to cause harm. Period.

If you are not willing to come to terms with the fact the martial arts are intended to cause harm, you are learning to dance. You can get all the same benifits by studying ballet. Yes there are codes that often come with the martial training, because it is irresponsible to teach people how to do harm to each other, with out telling them also when it is appropriate to cause it.

When people tell me that they are unwilling to harm another, there are usually three questions I ask them. What if it is to defend yourself? What if you needed to prevent the death of another? What if some one was trying to stab your child?

Do I support every Jedi studying martial arts? No. Not everyone can face the terrible reality that is violence. They break under the strain. I do not want them getting my back or rely on them for my safety. I do not want a person unable to deal next to me when push comes to shove.

Should Jedi know some baisc self defense? Sure. We've all seen those woman empowerment courses, that's otfen enough to get away and call for help.

Should a Jedi be fit? Yes. Hands Down. Not just Jedi, but everyone. Being healthy does not need justification.