Has pop culture changed martial arts?

[Carol]

Something I'd like to throw out for discussion...

Do you think pop culture has changed martial arts...especially since the 50s and 60s?

Do you think its changed for the better? For the worse? Some of each?

 

[Rob Broad]

Pop culture has definitely changed the martial arts and not for the better.

 

[Carol]

Pop culture has definitely changed the martial arts and not for the better.

Hey Rob, does anything stick out to you personally as something that has been particularly bad for the arts?

 

[tellner]

Martial arts haven't just been influenced by pop culture. They have become part of pop culture.

 

[DArnold]

Something I'd like to throw out for discussion...

Do you think pop culture has changed martial arts...especially since the 50s and 60s?

Do you think its changed for the better? For the worse? Some of each?

Yay Sox... ARRRRGGGH
Carol, what do you think?

 

[Carol]

Yay Sox... ARRRRGGGH
Carol, what do you think?

I think the Rockies were outmatched, you guys had a lot of heart though, my hats off too ya.

Oh...you mean about the topic...

I do, think they have changed them...in a good way and a bad way.

On the positive side, I hear stories from Hawaiian fighters that say that back in the 50s, people that fought using martial arts were thugs, gangsters, and the like, and I think martial arts TV and movies have made many of the fighting arts more accessible to more people.

At the same time, I think the hype has gone to far and its lead to some systems looking like they've become a parody of themselves from schools that have diluted their school's belt value in response for demand for rank over substance.

What do you think sir?

 

[DArnold]

I think the Rockies were outmatched, you guys had a lot of heart though, my hats off too ya.

Oh...you mean about the topic...

I do, think they have changed them...in a good way and a bad way.

On the positive side, I hear stories from Hawaiian fighters that say that back in the 50s, people that fought using martial arts were thugs, gangsters, and the like, and I think martial arts TV and movies have made many of the fighting arts more accessible to more people.

At the same time, I think the hype has gone to far and its lead to some systems looking like they've become a parody of themselves from schools that have diluted their school's belt value in response for demand for rank over substance.

What do you think sir?

First I think it would have been nice if the Rockies had even shown up!
Oh, you mean your question.

One: With any change you will always have the same three responses -
- resistance
- passive
- acceptance

Two: Every generation will have all of the above

Three: What makes anyone think that these questions (or ourselves) are so special, or different from the genereations that came before. We're not as they asked themselves the same questions we have!

As with anything we have become better and worse at what we do. The problem is thinking we can weed out the bad. (Never happen). The best you can hope to do is show the bad for what it is and lead people to the good!

But a weed will always flourish!

 

[Cirdan]

On the plus side: More people are into the arts, some even find their way to good schools.

On the down side: Idiotic things like XMA (wearing silver and black uniforms whirling lightweight weapons expecting to break the sound barrier), Backdoor Ninjas (holding 440 Katanas and with a copy of The Amorous Adventures af Ashida Kim in their back pocket), Olymic TKD sparring (I call this Tae-Kwon Show) and No Touch Knockout Cults (for the sake of.. even saw some trowing Chi balls back and forth) popping up all over the place.

 

[Carol]

First I think it would have been nice if the Rockies had even shown up!
Oh, you mean your question.

One: With any change you will always have the same three responses -
- resistance
- passive
- acceptance

Two: Every generation will have all of the above

Three: What makes anyone think that these questions (or ourselves) are so special, or different from the genereations that came before. We're not as they asked themselves the same questions we have!

As with anything we have become better and worse at what we do. The problem is thinking we can weed out the bad. (Never happen). The best you can hope to do is show the bad for what it is and lead people to the good!

But a weed will always flourish!

Asking questions comes with the uniform, sir. Moderators do more than moving threads and slapping hands for disobeying the rules, we also start topics and engage in conversation. Which, in my opinion is a heckuva lot more fun than telling squabbling MAists to behave themselves but I digress.

Do you feel that pop culture has had a particular impact on MAs? Or do you think it all gets lost in the noise in all the generational changes that happen as time progresses?

 

[seninoniwashi]

Something I'd like to throw out for discussion...

Do you think pop culture has changed martial arts...especially since the 50s and 60s?

Do you think its changed for the better? For the worse? Some of each?

I can't speak to the 50's & 60's but I can to the 80's and 90's. I think in the 80's ALOT of the martial arts movies were to thank for the growth in martial arts and dojo enrollment. I know Karate Kid and the various van dame movies, primarily Blood Sport got me into it. Still to this day without meaning to I still make references mentally. For those in the 90’s I’m sure the hit Mortal Kombat had a lot of sway on younger martial artists. With the fast pace movement of the movie and the hyped sound track a lot of kids and teenagers were hooked.

I can’t say whether or not the promotions are good or bad but I can say a lot of today’s misconceptions with martial arts are built on them.

 

[meth18au]

I can't speak to the 50's & 60's but I can to the 80's and 90's. I think in the 80's ALOT of the martial arts movies were to thank for the growth in martial arts and dojo enrollment. I know Karate Kid and the various van dame movies, primarily Blood Sport got me into it. Still to this day without meaning to I still make references mentally. For those in the 90’s I’m sure the hit Mortal Kombat had a lot of sway on younger martial artists. With the fast pace movement of the movie and the hyped sound track a lot of kids and teenagers were hooked.

I can’t say whether or not the promotions are good or bad but I can say a lot of today’s misconceptions with martial arts are built on them.

I agree. I think the media has mystified the martial arts in some sense. When I was a young boy I'd expect a Shaolin monk to throw fireballs, and be able to fight huge four armed monsters from another dimension. Largely thanks to Mortal Kombat!!! I also thought kickboxers kicked trees until their legs bled, largely thanks to Van Damme. And then I thought that washing my Dad's car every weekend (while shouting 'wax on- wax off'), would turn me into a super tough Karate master.

:boing1:

So my interest in the martial arts began, eventually leading to my commencement on a journey that I am on still......and geez it is hard work!!! But so worth it.....even if I can't throw those fireballs yet!!!

 

[Grenadier]

The culture has both helped, and hurt, the martial arts. When I look back on things, though, it seems to have helped more than hurt.

The influence of movies cannot be ignored. How many of y'all were excited when you saw your first Bruce Lee movie? Didn't you want to be just like him (minus the ones where he died)? Wouldn't you have wanted to send lightning fast kicks, ferocious punches, and limb wrenching throws towards your opponents after that?

How many of y'all got that feeling of the warm fuzzies when you watched "The Karate Kid" and saw how a weakling in the way of Daniel LaRusso defeated the mighty Johnny Lawrence after perservering through honorable training?

I'm sure that many of y'all, when seeing "Above the Law," appreciated the fact that there was a real badass in the way of Steven Seagal, using Aikido in his movies, and finding out that he was the real deal made it even more encouraging. (Thank God, that we didn't start by seeing his current 380 lb frame, though)

Even those of you who practice Capoeira, who may have scoffed at the authenticity of the Capoeira used in "Only the Strong," probably got a sense of pride in knowing that someone made a movie about Capoeira, and exposed the system to the outside world.

I'm quite sure that those of you who study Tae Kwon Do got at least *some* appreciation for the first "Best of the Best" movie. OK, so it was a rather biased, nationalistic flick, painting the Koreans as destructive, evil warriors, but it is one of the very few movies that ever focused on Tae Kwon Do.

How many kids enjoyed seeing Chuck Norris in "Walker, Texas Ranger," and realized that it's OK to be the good guy?

Even if Hollywood tends to paint the wrong picture at times (or even most of the time), it's still giving some exposure to the general public that otherwise would not have been there.

I've always held the belief, that as long as people walk into the dojo, and see what we teach, that we have a good chance of enrolling them into the program, and that has held true throughout the years. The hardest part, is getting people to walk into the dojo in the first place, which is why I actually appreciate it when Hollywood generates hype about the martial arts, since it gets more people to take that first step.

 

[newGuy12]

I like watching movies with Martial Artists in them. Haha, back in the day, I an remember things like this: The movie "Good Guys Wear Black" opens up. You go to the theater to see it (I don't think we had vcr movies back then).

You would see so many other students of your school and other schools there! You may see some students of schools standing together, wearing t-shirts with their school's name on them.

Haha --> you could not help from wondering, "Hey, maybe we should all mix it up right here in the lobby of the movie house!"

Good, good times!

Karate movies are good! I like them.

 

[still learning]

Hello, Pop culture has change martial art for sure....when people see movies of these karate in action....

everyone wants to be like that? .....Fads...Fads

just that it takes hard work, years of dedications, most people do not like that....plus schools make money for each student that stays

Today we see very few schools that train like the old days, lots of full contact training, long hours, do things over and over for a full hour (just one thing).is NO longer seen!

If we did this today...most students would quit and most schools would close....

Today... the training is NOT as effective like the old days of training.....the pop culture (the people) want to learn...but the easy way and less work at it too!

The training change to meet the pop culture....just look around......

Aloha ...people still think...we live in grass shacks in Hawaii....amazing!

 

[thardey]

For me, the pop culture of karate turned me off as a kid, I wanted to be the "good guy" and always fight fair. (You know, shoot the gun out of the BG's hand instead of killing him, don't take cheap shots, don't stab in the back, duels were to be done in honor, etc). I was a kid during the "ninja craze", and my friends were crazy into "ninja swords" (they couldn't tell the difference between a katana and a breadknife, but it didn't matter), throwing stars, etc.

I just thought it was a bunch of cheaters, so I wasn't into it. I remember hearing about being able able to kill while drawing your sword (of course, it must have been the ninja's invented that!) and at 12 years old, I thought that was despicable. That's an assassin's trick.

I liked the 1st Karate Kid movie, but that was more of the "honorable underdog" thing, which I've always liked.

As I got more exposure to real life, I changed my opinions about cheating, and now realize that when your life is on the line, cheat cheat CHEAT! I still think of karateka's as a bunch of cheaters, but now I proudly count myself as one of them!

 

[tshadowchaser]

Television and movies have brought to the public the use of such things as balisongs, nunchucks, and to day naked chocks. Because of the influence of the media many criminals have used and abused weapons that would not have come to their mind if the media had not made them look so spectacular. So pop culture has been bad in that respect.
On the other hand martial arts may not have grown so fast with out Bruce Lee being made into a hero for the masses on the big screen. How many youths of the day and even today have started studying because of him?