How is a new Martial Art created?

[Kung Fu Wang]

Confucius had spent 3 days and tried to create. At the end of 3 days, he said, "I prefer to spend those 3 days to study instead."

Before you start to write your paper, you need to do survey first.

 

[_Simon_]

The answer to that question is nothing is needed to create a style. As proof, I will create one now, bukado, which is based on the teachings of the great and honorable @Buka (so I say, I haven't trained with him yet).

Ooh! Ooooh! I'll join! I'll join!

 

[oftheherd1]

To answer your question: I am not sure. But when I first got into the world of martial arts, I was (and still am) perplexed by all the ways that the human body and its mechanisms can be used for the sole purpose to protect yourself and others, or to cause others harm. The Art of Eight Limbs, Muay Thai, was the one that got me thinking about this. I want to create a martial art that allows you to defend yourself with every single part of the body imaginable, and also allows you to exploit those parts. I am not just talking the knees and elbows which I had first seen to be used in Muay Thai. I speak of the idea that you could find a way to strike with the wrists, though it hardly seems plausible considering the structural weakness they are known for.
I was also inspired by Ving Tsun, that the martial art I want to create would allow a "maximum flow" that allows multiple strikes to be made from one movement. For example, go in for a hook punch, and after it connects, bend your elbow and use the momentum to further the slashing motion and strike with the elbow in the same place you did with the knuckles.

Already been done. I doubt there are many ways to do things that aren't already in use in some martial art. That doesn't mean you or anyone else can't create a new art that concentrates on certain aspects of defenses and attacks. But as somebody mentioned, you need to study as many arts as possible, and to a high level, before you decide what things should be gathered into a new art, and why. Good luck.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Ooh! Ooooh! I'll join! I'll join!

Sure! The great thing about it is that the style is absolutely FREE! No monthly dues, no contracts!
Although...if you want to be registered in the style there is a small processing fee of $250...but thats just once. And then there is a belt testing fee, but we can worry about that during your first test. And we have specific gi's...we would let you buy your own but we get a bit rough so we need to make sure your gi is good. You can buy one, and any other equipment you might need at my store. Any other expenses we can go over in 3 months at your first belt test (once you're more invested in the style).

 

[skribs]

Already been done. I doubt there are many ways to do things that aren't already in use in some martial art. That doesn't mean you or anyone else can't create a new art that concentrates on certain aspects of defenses and attacks. But as somebody mentioned, you need to study as many arts as possible, and to a high level, before you decide what things should be gathered into a new art, and why. Good luck.

This thread has made me wonder if maybe as much as Ameri-Do-Te is a parody of the typical "new" art, if Matt Page doesn't use Master Ken as a way to try out silly ideas on the notion they'll actually work.

For example, their "thrust of freedom" is a striking technique using the hips (which quickly becomes awkward on kicking shields or ground fighting). But at the same time, I've seen him use the "thrust of freedom" in the context of hip throws and body-grab defenses which look eerily similar to what we learn at my school.

While his "hurticane" and his "kill face" are obvious jokes, his two-hand grab defense is genius in its simplicity.

So I kind of wonder if part of "Master Ken" is the opportunity to do stupid stuff on the hopes you stumble across something great.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

This thread has made me wonder if maybe as much as Ameri-Do-Te is a parody of the typical "new" art, if Matt Page doesn't use Master Ken as a way to try out silly ideas on the notion they'll actually work.

For example, their "thrust of freedom" is a striking technique using the hips (which quickly becomes awkward on kicking shields or ground fighting). But at the same time, I've seen him use the "thrust of freedom" in the context of hip throws and body-grab defenses which look eerily similar to what we learn at my school.

While his "hurticane" and his "kill face" are obvious jokes, his two-hand grab defense is genius in its simplicity.

So I kind of wonder if part of "Master Ken" is the opportunity to do stupid stuff on the hopes you stumble across something great.

I would reverse this thinking. He's not experimenting, he's using his knowledge to parody other stuff. With the grabs, he's parodying the overly complicated defenses, when he knows if someones just laxly holding you like that, you would just punch them. With things like the thrust of freedom, hes including that BECAUSE its like those defences that exist. If he didnt already know that stuff, and hadnt already explored and questioned himself, it wouldnt be anywhere near as funny.

 

[skribs]

I would reverse this thinking. He's not experimenting, he's using his knowledge to parody other stuff. With the grabs, he's parodying the overly complicated defenses, when he knows if someones just laxly holding you like that, you would just punch them. With things like the thrust of freedom, hes including that BECAUSE its like those defences that exist. If he didnt already know that stuff, and hadnt already explored and questioned himself, it wouldnt be anywhere near as funny.

True. But I can't help but wonder if some of the way he does things is an experiment in teaching style. For example, using the conga line to teach a hip throw. From what I've seen on Youtube, he's done seminars in actual classes (I think Royce Gracie was there, too), and it's made me see some techniques differently.

 

[_Simon_]

Sure! The great thing about it is that the style is absolutely FREE! No monthly dues, no contracts!
Although...if you want to be registered in the style there is a small processing fee of $250...but thats just once. And then there is a belt testing fee, but we can worry about that during your first test. And we have specific gi's...we would let you buy your own but we get a bit rough so we need to make sure your gi is good. You can buy one, and any other equipment you might need at my store. Any other expenses we can go over in 3 months at your first belt test (once you're more invested in the style).

Well... I can't see any reason NOT to sign up! I'd assume I'd be taught to be a fighting machine with a defence no one could possibly get through too, and that works in every single situation possible. Take my money!

 

[pgsmith]

This thread reminded me of a conversation I had with one of my instructors in Japan a number of years ago. A couple of other guys and myself were complaining about the proliferation of new styles and schools that people were inventing. My instructor said he wasn't worried about it as it was his great grandchildren's problem, not his.
When we looked at him blankly, he explained that anyone can make a new school or a new style no matter how inexperienced or advanced they may be. The real test of any new style though, is how long it survives. If a school that is new now is still thriving when his great grandchildren grow up, then it's up to them to decide if it's good enough for them to study.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

My dream is to create a new martial art. I work very hard to diverse myself in my training to learn as much as possible from different martial arts, what works best in different situations and such; thus I don't think knowledge will be a problem in the future. But how do you actually go about founding a new style or martial art? Do you start a school, do you have to earn some sort of acceptance from different boards or something like that?

Basically, you just develop what you're doing until you decide it's no longer really any one of the styles you learned. When it's different enough that calling it by one of those names would be confusing (or even incorrect), you need a new name.

But I'd ask why you're set on creating something new. That's a goal without a purpose. Find the best (for your purposes) you can find, and build on that. If you find an art or mix that already exists and that you can build within, there's no need to diverge from it. If you learn enough to build your personal style and find that personal style (and the way you teach it) don't fit within the framework of an existing style, it is a new style/art.

 

[pdg]

For example, go in for a hook punch, and after it connects, bend your elbow and use the momentum to further the slashing motion and strike with the elbow in the same place you did with the knuckles.

Yeah, we do that in kickboxing.

And TKD...

 

[Tez3]

Yeah, we do that in kickboxing.

And TKD...

And karate.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

And karate.

And whatever the hell it is I teach.

 

[jks9199]

My dream is to create a new martial art. I work very hard to diverse myself in my training to learn as much as possible from different martial arts, what works best in different situations and such; thus I don't think knowledge will be a problem in the future. But how do you actually go about founding a new style or martial art? Do you start a school, do you have to earn some sort of acceptance from different boards or something like that?

Most "new" styles evolve somewhat organically. Someone starts in an old style, but has a personal insight or adds some unique ideas that they begin to teach. They gather students, and, in time, they're approach gets recognized by others as a new style. Sometimes, a teacher breaks with their old teacher over something (personal, technical, both...) and creates a new style of teaching the old art. Typically, things that develop this way maintain a certain level of functionality and usefulness.

Some "new" arts are deliberate synthesis of existing arts, either to preserve them or to create a "common base" of that art. My own style of Bando is one such; the modern version of Bando that I train in was pulled together in Myanmar(Burma) out of numerous indigenous styles in order to preserve the functional aspects of them. The inherent genius, in my opinion, of those founders was finding a common base to underlie the whole, and cataloging it. There is also an iaido, that, as I understand it, collected basic techniques and kata from several more traditional Japanese sword styles.

Today, lots of people are "creating" their own style out of practically thin air, throwing a label on some personal amalgamation of experience in a few different things, or stripping things they feel are unnecessary out of a base style, adding other things. Lots of these are messes. At best. People with little experience trying to make things work they way they think they should...

A very few styles are the result of true, innovative insights and an ability to convey those insights. Ueshiba's shift in aikido, Ibi Lichtenfeld's krav maga... these are a couple of examples. One can make an argument either way for Jeet Kun Do... Why do I add the ability to convey it? Because there are martial artists out there who are geniuses, and can do incredible things -- but you look at their students, and it's not there. Sometimes what they came up with is too personalized, and just doesn't adapt to another person well. If it can't be passed on or conveyed... it's just a personal expression, in my opinion.

So... what makes you think you need to or should create a new art? What special insight do you have? What do you want to do that might not be already done, within your base style?

 

[jks9199]

Well... I can't see any reason NOT to sign up! I'd assume I'd be taught to be a fighting machine with a defence no one could possibly get through too, and that works in every single situation possible. Take my money!

The techniques will never fail -- if done properly. Any problems you may experience in application are clearly not the fault of the technique nor the system -- but of the user...

Maybe in some rare cases, the attacker failing to use proper form when they attack you... but that's really still your fault for not schooling your attacker in proper attacks!