To me martial arts is something that people have tried to change for thousands of years. Similar to religion, many different martial art sects have been created throughout history, which some people believe are better than others. In my opinion this is a fatal flaw in our basic perception of martial arts and all forms of art for that matter. I don't claim that I am a master by any means or that I know what I'm talking about, all I know is that human beings have not changed much since martial arts were first established. Essentially we are talking about our first form of survival, the original tools we used to hunt with were simply our hands and feet. Our heightened intelligence allowed us to use strategy and timing to help us become the greatest predator, and martial arts presumably helped us along the way.
So where did it all go wrong? When did we start developing different styles, different ways of doing the same exact thing? External styles, internal styles, different stances, weapons, no weapons, throwing weapons; when did one become better than the other? The same can be said for modern day MMA, it is a combination of essentially 3 forms of martial arts, but still neglects a large variety of other styles. Why isn't it possible to master everything? Wouldn't it be better to have every tool available to you. In any other profession or art, we generally don't compare styles against each other, no painter goes up to a sculptor and says "That's not real art, this is real art." Yet when it comes to fighting, we argue about it constantly. The UFC was actually created because of this controversy, to rule out once and for all which style was hands down the best. When I was training in a fighting gym, I felt like it was similar to being in church. You sit there and listen to an authorities interpretation on a subject and then only practice that interpretation over and over and over again which in my opinion limits and skews the real message. I never had an experience with God my whole life going to church, going to Sunday school, going to Catholic school, I had my first experience with God when I broke off from the church and began studying other religions on my own. No one translating for me, no one telling me what to read or what to think or what to do. Simply me, on my own, learning and feeling what it really means to be spiritual; that's how I feel about martial arts. Everyone is so stuck in this mindset that there is a list of things to learn, you learn them, you repeat them, and you are a martial artist belonging to some particular sect and anything else is wrong. That mentality to me kills the essence of martial arts. It's supposed to be a personal and spiritual journey. It's art and all art is a journey, is it not?
In modern day, martial arts isn't really a major importance in most peoples' lives. It's a hobby, something fun for the kids to do, it's something that is learned in a school, it's memorized and repeated over and over again. Because of modern technology and the rare occurrence in our lives and lack of a need for physical violence, martial arts has become more of something to show off, rather than a necessity. We rarely fight with our fists anymore and because of that, who needs martial arts? We have guns and missiles and lasers, isn't it time we say goodbye to these weird ancient rituals? The UFC helped revitalize martial arts, but if we are really honest with ourselves, it didn't really revitalize it at all, this is more or less the first time in American history that martial arts has been as influential as it currently is. The UFC likes to boast that modern day fighters are the epitome of what martial arts has become, but I feel the true essence of what martial arts entails has been lost.
What is the essence? What could possibly be more exciting than what we watch on PPV? Well, that's what I hope to find out. I'm not claiming that I am better than fighters in the UFC, I'm not claiming that the cookie cutter MMA styles are wrong, all I'm saying is that what martial arts has become is an imitation of what it once was or what it can become. When I'm talking about martial arts, I'm not just talking about the physical aspects of it, but the mental aspect especially, the spirituality that used to be associated with it. Martial arts became so popular with monks in China not because of the violent aspect of it, but because it was the ultimate way to express the human body. Nothing before or since martial arts came to fruition could ever show the power and discipline of the individual. The human body is capable of doing so much more than it currently does, it has power that is trapped inside just waiting to come out, waiting to be channeled, I intend on doing just that.
I hope one day I can back up what I've just typed. One day I am going to have to test my methodology and MMA is probably the most realistic way in modern day to do just that. Will I one day become a fighter? That I do not know. Like all things it is easy to write opinions and much harder to follow through with them. As my journey progresses, many obstacles will greet me, I hope to overcome them and show you this power that I am talking about.
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