Why Traditional Styles Are So Important!
Sorry it's been so long, folks! We have been doing other projects to wrap up the end of the year and by so doing we've neglected the website. However, since the new year has begun, we have great plans! The site will be updated weekly, with articles, and we plan on putting up a bunch more videos as well, so check on the site regularly!
There is something I'd like to discuss briefly.
Yesterday I was teaching a class about gross motor skills and fine motor skills, when I got a question about which is more important. I answered that they both are. I had explained that fine motor skills have more to do with things like katas (forms) and the "perfection" way of doing things, which often looks pretty. Gross motor skills are sloppy, and what you normally see in street fights.
After doing some drills that cater to gross motor skills, I was asked the question, "If gross motor skills are more common in actual fights, then why do we do katas to perfect our fine motor skills?" The answer is simple: the better your fine motor skills are, the better are your gross motor skills. Somebody who has a lot of experience in fine motor skills will have a nice conversion into better gross motor skills.
Even though street fights are sloppy, someone with traditional martial arts experience will be more centered, solid, and more powerful when gross motor skills are needed.
Why can't street fights be as pretty as Jet Li's perfectly choreographed fighting sequences? Because when the adrenaline is pumping so much in an actual violent encounter it is near impossible to summon fine motor skills. There are exceptions out there, but they are few and far between.
The importance of katas (forms):
When I think of my experiences with katas and the power and discipline they give me, I instantly think of my original martial arts instructor, Master Scott Southwick. He was not only able to show me by example how powerful katas are, but he was able to instruct me to find a necessary combination of speed, power, precision, and control from practicing katas.
This is something MMA just does not get. They don't train using katas because they find it impractical because you don't see kata-like movements in those fights. They are missing the point! The lessons katas teach convert beautifully into both street fights and sports-oriented bouts.
I no longer support MMA because I have yet to meet a practitioner who carries the principles and values present with most traditional martial artists. The ability to achieve great things without letting your ego or pride get in the way is a humble attribute of a traditional martial artist. They understand that they won't necessarily use the step-by-step kata formations in a street fight, but they DO understand that those skills convert to any form of combat, not to mention the incredible discipline it takes to subject your body to your mind (instead of vice-versa, like in MMA).
MMA is neither on one end of the spectrum (of fine motor skills and gross motor skills) nor on the other. They are somewhere between. At times you may see clear execution of a technique, but most of the time you'll see a brawl of sloppiness. Some of the punches are swift like a boxer, but many of them are telegraphed haymakers. If one knew to practice a traditional martial art to supplement his normal training in kickboxing, takedowns, and grappling...he would be one tough opponent.
If you like MMA to death and wear Tapout shirts everywhere and perhaps are getting ready for your first "fight," you will probably disagree. I don't care. Those who have devoted themselves to traditional martial arts for years and years have qualities that supercede any that an MMA fighter possesses, and I would much rather have them by my side in combat, plain and simple. (I do realize that some mixed martial artists have backgrounds in Karate and other styles...but obviously not enough.)
Oh, and one more thing. Many people think that people resort to traditional martial arts instead of MMA because they are skinny, weak, out of shape, unathletic, or otherwise inadequate. Guess what y'all, I am an athletic, 200 lb muscle-bound powerlifter...and a traditional martial artist. ;-)
Patrick Asay
Applied Martial Arts