Can MMA really be thought of as a martial art?

[JowGaWolf]

Bjj is not the same fighting system.

Correct. But it is considered a fighting system correct?

 

[drop bear]

Correct. But it is considered a fighting system correct?

Yep.

Hence mma.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Yep.

Hence mma.

If that's the case then what makes it a fighting system?

 

[drop bear]

If that's the case then what makes it a fighting system?

Because it is a system that helps you fight.

Good and stuff.

 

[Taiji Rebel]

A much more interesting question is what is MMA really good at/for? What are the limitations and drawbacks to MMA training? How can MMA be applied to self defense, personal development, fitness, and/or (fill in the blank desire for martial arts training)? Things like this. I think it's valid to say that MMA doesn't work for you or is missing elements you find important, but I'm not clear on how it matters whether it "is" a martial art or not.

This is a much better way of looking at the topic 🙏

 

[JowGaWolf]

I'm not clear on how it matters whether it "is" a martial art or not.

It only matters in terms of classification and awareness of the roots of your training. Knowing what you are training and the history of it.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

but I'm not clear on how it matters whether it "is" a martial art or not.

Can one use MMA to build up his foundation? Or can one only build up his foundation from a particular MA system?

 

[Steve]

Gerry once said that he thinks aikido is like an advanced degree, where it really works best if you have a foundation in other arts. Maybe MMA and aikido are similar in that respect.

 

[Hot Lunch]

Gerry once said that he thinks aikido is like an advanced degree, where it really works best if you have a foundation in other arts. Maybe MMA and aikido are similar in that respect.

I can agree with this. I've taken a few classes in a style of Japanese jiu jitsu that closely resembles aikido, and I find it useful to add to my karate. Would I ever go for a black belt in it? Probably not.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

Gerry once said that he thinks aikido is like an advanced degree, where it really works best if you have a foundation in other arts. Maybe MMA and aikido are similar in that respect.

I believe JKD also fall into that category. I don't remember Bruce Lee ever mentioned about "foundation building".

Does MMA or Aikido have leg stretch training?

 

[Flying Crane]

I believe JKD also fall into that category. I don't remember Bruce Lee ever mentioned about "foundation building".

Does MMA or Aikido have leg stretch training?

View attachment 29837

I can only speak to my own experience, but in the aikido school where I train, yes we have leg stretching as part of our warmup. Not that particular exercise as illustrated, but other ones that are commonly seen.

 

[Tez3]

It's actually quite simple, say the words instead of the abbreviation. Mixed Martial ArtS note the S denoting multiple martial arts. Not A martial art but mixed ones, it's in the title. 😒

 

[JowGaWolf]

It's actually quite simple, say the words instead of the abbreviation. Mixed Martial ArtS note the S denoting multiple martial arts. Not A martial art but mixed ones, it's in the title. 😒

I have nothing else to say lol

 

[Taiji Rebel]

In June 1999 Dave Lowry's Black Belt column was titled: Ultimate Fighting in Japan - 100 Years Ago!

Here are a few excerpts for your consideration:

A frequent characteristic of the thoroughly modern person—the kind who believes he’s on the cutting edge—is ignorance of a simple fact: Whatever he’s invented or created or postulated has almost certainly been done before. In fact, chances are it was done better previously, as well. A good example of this comes in the form of those who believe that pitting combatants of various fighting arts against one another is a late 20th-century invention. One hundred years ago, the Japanese were doing much the same thing.

The creation of gekiken kogyo was claimed to be instructional. A central figure behind it was Sakakibara Kenkichi, a prominent figure in the history of early kendo and an expert swordsman who, like many others of his kind, had been reduced to unemployment and destitution. Supposedly, Sakakibara reasoned that, if the masses (who had never seen martial arts intended solely for the warrior) could watch the “real thing,” they’d have an appreciation for the value of those disciplines.

Sakakibara soon realized that, despite whatever noble hopes he’d had for the presentations, they were just as awful as their detractors claimed. He was disappointed that the contests’ rules and tactics created new strategies that had little relevance to real combat, and he was saddened by the emphasis on showmanship, vanity and greed that separated the contests from the way of the warrior.

The original aims were noble, yet they failed. It soon became pure entertainment with little relevance to real combat. Most sports start out as quite revolutionary and different to begin with. Then over time, the playing field is levelled and most contestants end up using the same techniques and tactics.

What began as a way of showing the value of the individual disciplines, eventually becomes a contest where everyone follows the same rules and regulations.

Japan's ultimate fighting contests were eventually banned and the mayor of the time had this to say:

“These gekiken kogyo aren’t much more than peddling the names of those participating. Even worse, they deceive people and expose them to violence. [The participants] would be much better off using their energies for real work, striving to have a healthy and meaningful life"

 

[J. Pickard]

This is a non question. By definition it is a martial art. Martial means dealing with combat and comes from the word "Mars" which refers to the Roman god of war and art is derived from the Latin "ars" which means skill. Anything that trains any type of combat is definitionally a martial art.

 

[skribs]

art is derived from the Latin "ars" which means skill

Is that why so many artists are ars...

You get where I was going with this.

 

[J. Pickard]

Is that why so many artists are ars...

You get where I was going with this.

makes sense to me 😆

 

[Taiji Rebel]

This is a non question. By definition it is a martial art. Martial means dealing with combat and comes from the word "Mars" which refers to the Roman god of war and art is derived from the Latin "ars" which means skill. Anything that trains any type of combat is definitionally a martial art.

It was clearly an error to ask a non-question. By definition, martial arts could apply to any kind of skill in combat. Soldiers therefore must be considered martial artists as they are skilled in the art of war. MMA is obviously a style based on competition fighting, similar in many ways to both American wrestling and Western boxing - a spectator sport which uses various moves from different fighting arts to entertain the crowds (and test the fighting prowess of the participants) hence the name 'Mixed Martial Art'

 

[drop bear]

It was clearly an error to ask a non-question. By definition, martial arts could apply to any kind of skill in combat. Soldiers therefore must be considered martial artists as they are skilled in the art of war. MMA is obviously a style based on competition fighting, similar in many ways to both American wrestling and Western boxing - a spectator sport which uses various moves from different fighting arts to entertain the crowds (and test the fighting prowess of the participants) hence the name 'Mixed Martial Art'

Exept there is as much evidence that MMA is a non sport martial art as well

And this gets overlooked a bit.

You could remove the sport examples and still have a case for MMA as a martial art.

 

[Taiji Rebel]

Exept there is as much evidence that MMA is a non sport martial art as well

And this gets overlooked a bit.

You could remove the sport examples and still have a case for MMA as a martial art.

The first documented use of term MMA came from an American television critic as referenced in the following link:

What Is MMA? Things to know about Mixed Martial Arts Things to know about Mixed Martial Arts | Speak MMA

What is MMA, or mixed martial arts? Find out information about the sport, who the biggest UFC stars are and more in this article.

speak-mma.com

Boxing and wrestling can also be used outside of sport settings (as can a baseball bat) - it is just fun to learn the origins of the sport that's all