Thread: Any martial arts practioners out there?

If self defense is your main goal; I would suggest mma. This may start a riot but traditional martial arts are not practical in a real fight (some exclusions) I love Bas Rutten's story of how some traditional artists visited his gym only to naysay everything out of his mouth. At one point he had someone in a rear naked choke and the die hard ninjas said they would gouge his eyes in that position rendering him blind. Bas said "Ok come over here let me put you in the choke and you try that out, but if you even go for my eyes I'll snap your neck. Don't ever screw with someone in a dominant position like that"

MMA is a product born from what many call "Traditional Martial Arts" ; this is a term that is often used to dilute or depreciate the value of fighting systems that have benefited mankind for thousands of years.

I enjoy the teachings of Bas Rutten, so I won't make this a post to contradict him.

The instructor, of any fighting system, makes all the difference in the world. The instructors knowledge & his ability to transfer the same to his students means everything.

Most all top level MMA fighters & their clubs seek out the knowledge of instructors/sensei's of "Traditional Martial Arts" , to help establish a system of fighting that will bring them success.

Last, a student must want to learn & have the right motivations to do so. A dedicated student trained by a skilled instructor, makes for a formidable opponent regardless of his "Art".

Originally Posted by Hirlau

MMA is a product born from what many call "Traditional Martial Arts" ; this is a term that is often used to dilute or depreciate the value of fighting systems that have benefited mankind for thousands of years.

I enjoy the teachings of Bas Rutten, so I won't make this a post to contradict him.

The instructor, of any fighting system, makes all the difference in the world. The instructors knowledge & his ability to transfer the same to his students means everything.

Most all top level MMA fighters & their clubs seek out the knowledge of instructors/sensei's of "Traditional Martial Arts" , to help establish a system of fighting that will bring them success.

Last, a student must want to learn & have the right motivations to do so. A dedicated student trained by a skilled instructor, makes for a formidable opponent regardless of his "Art".

Basically MMA is a sport, combining some elements of several sports. I do not see any depreciation of the traditional fighting systems.
Self defense is a bit different animal. You have to be fast hit hard and run away if possible.
In one on one situation wrestling and jujitsu knowledge will be handy. If you are fighting more than one at the same time, you will get knocked out if you tangle with one of them, because the other guy will not sit and wait his turn like in the movies.

Originally Posted by mainaman

Basically MMA is a sport, combining some elements of several sports. I do not see any depreciation of the traditional fighting systems.
Self defense is a bit different animal. You have to be fast hit hard and run away if possible.
In one on one situation wrestling and jujitsu knowledge will be handy. If you are fighting more than one at the same time, you will get knocked out if you tangle with one of them, because the other guy will not sit and wait his turn like in the movies.

You misunderstood what I was saying or I did not explain it well enough. I could have choosen the word "sport" for MMA , but choose the word "product" for a reason; as it does combine elements of several arts.

When I stated that "this is a term that is often used to dilute or depreciate the value of fighting systems that have benefited mankind for thousands of years. " , this was in context with what aa1192 had to say.

MMA does nothing to depreciate the other arts, it cannot, the other arts are solid in their own standings, as they have been for years.

What I was referring to is the countless times I have encountered parents of my students & others outside the dojo that have been told this misinformation about the "Traditional Arts", usually from people who should know better, trying to recruit new students or sell a product.

I started wrestling in high school, was very successful,,, at 18 years, I entered the military & spent 9 months researching the arts & choose Judo at age 19. I had a successful career competing until 1997,,, then I concentrated on instructing, mainly children. Throughout those years our club was most successful in staffing many US Olympic Judo teams. When not teaching judo, I traveled, courtesy of my employer, to learn techniques from instructors of other arts, to establish a system that could be taught to police officers in South Florida. It was successful for a couple of years.

Originally Posted by aa1192

If self defense is your main goal; I would suggest mma. This may start a riot but traditional martial arts are not practical in a real fight (some exclusions) I love Bas Rutten's story of how some traditional artists visited his gym only to naysay everything out of his mouth. At one point he had someone in a rear naked choke and the die hard ninjas said they would gouge his eyes in that position rendering him blind. Bas said "Ok come over here let me put you in the choke and you try that out, but if you even go for my eyes I'll snap your neck. Don't ever screw with someone in a dominant position like that"

Nothing to do with traditional vs non traditional.
The guy in the choke simply had no clue if he thought that attack = defence.

If someone is allowed to put you into such a situation you must first protect your windpipe, neck etc, have your balance & steal your attackers balance. If the guy is falling over or chasing a moving target he cannot apply any leverage to you. You can only counter attack if in a positive polarity not when some guy is about to snap your neck