need enlightenment

[yu.ilo]

Enlightenment is my ultimate goal... I had a discussion on facebook with someone on facebook regard my thoughts on how parkour is martial arts... my question to you all is in 2 parts...

01. What is martial arts... and what does it mean to u...

02. Dp you consider parkour a martial arts?

Attached is the discussion screenshots from facebook... let me know if I was wrong... enlighten me

 

[yu.ilo]

Thank you in advance

 

[K-man]

Well firstly, welcome to MT.

In answer to your question ... it all depends. There is a huge misunderstanding of 'self defence' for starters. As to parkour being a martial art ... is it being trained as a martial art or is it just a bit of fun? Are you training it to move from one situation to the next in a fluid type of way or are you prepared to bet on it to save your life when you can't get away?

 

[Danny T]

My understanding of parkour is that it is freelance obstacle coursing using whatever is available in an urban environment. It is not a martial art though the skills and attributes one develops and utilizes within parkour can certainly enhance one's martial skills.
Is doing push ups, squats, pull ups etc and other physical conditioning exercises a martial art?
Is running boxing or muay thai?
No they are not however, doing them enhances one's conditioning.

 

[yu.ilo]

I'm preparing to be able to use it if I need to... Same as I train in martial arts... I study that for just in case purposes... My style is my own... I call it Circumstance

 

[yu.ilo]

Parkour is meant to train ur mind body and soul to overcome obstacles that may come into play while fighting yourself and training for the possible escape or chase...

 

[K-man]

In that case, if circumstances permit, you may be able to use it.

For me, regrettably I'm a few years too old for parkour these days, although one of my Krav students is into it.

 

[yu.ilo]

Parkour is not obstacle coursing... It is a non competitive... No judgment way of life to train yourself to overcome an obstacle... To condition ones mind body and soul... I've studied martial arts since being a kid and parkour since I was a teen... I feel the same practicing both... Gotten me closer to the art of fighting without fighting... The no sword school of teachings

 

[Danny T]

So you don't do obstacle coursing?
Came from the military obstacle course and yes it is obstacle coursing. Just as the military uses its obstacle courses. To physically and mentally condition, to strengthen, to increase one's confidence in one's self and their comrades.
You may be using parkour for your personal enlightenment but parkour is obstacle coursing within the urban environment.
I have a close friend who is a stock car racer. He also talks of the racing life as a way to condition his body, his mind, and his spirit. Is stock car racing a martial art?

 

[drop bear]

Let them self define. If they want to be a martial art. Or an element of martial arts or nothing to do with martial arts at all is equally valid.

 

[zzj]

I agree that they should be free to define whatever they want. Personally I would not define parkour as a martial art simply because it cannot be used to fight, but since for some reason Qigong is apparently represented in this forum, I shall not quibble.

 

[zzj]

*double post*

EDIT: Just like to voice my opinion that Self Defense is a subset of martial arts but it can be said conversely that Martial Arts is a subset of Self Defense. While Parkour can be very useful in a self defense situation, that does not make it any more a martial art than verbal de-escalation.

 

[Chris Parker]

Hi Ethan,

On the assumption that this is serious, as opposed to other recent additions to this forum, let's see what we have here.

Enlightenment is my ultimate goal…

Er… okay… a temple then maybe? Here's the question… what do you think enlightenment is? And how you'd go about achieving it… especially as there is no connection at any other point in this post.

I had a discussion on facebook with someone on facebook regard my thoughts on how parkour is martial arts... my question to you all is in 2 parts…

Hmm… you might want to check the rules about linking such things… not sure where it sits (I can tell you that it contravenes some of the language rules, as do some of your posting methods here, for the record), might need to get that checked at higher levels…

01. What is martial arts... and what does it mean to u…

Martial arts are systematic or formalised bodies of knowledge focused on combative methods.

02. Dp you consider parkour a martial arts?

Not in the slightest.

Attached is the discussion screenshots from facebook... let me know if I was wrong... enlighten me

You were wrong. Are you now enlightened?

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I think you are making some errors with your Venn diagrams.

Suppose category A overlaps with category B and also overlaps with category C. That doesn't mean B and C overlap and it certainly doesn't mean that B and C are the same thing.

Martial arts overlaps with self-defense, i.e. certain aspects of martial arts can be used for certain aspects of self-defense. Parkour could also potentially overlap with self-defense, in that certain aspects could have self-defense applications. Social skills such as negotiation and de-escalation also have self-defense application. Does that mean that verbal de-escalation skills are the same as Parkour? Obviously not. Martial arts, Parkour, and social skills all intersect the self-defense category, but at different spots.

The same principle applies to "enlightenment." Some folks use martial arts as a vehicle for personal philosophical self-development. (The word "enlightenment" gets thrown around, although it seems to mean different things to different people.) Some folks use Parkour for that same sort of purpose. Some people use gardening or calligraphy. It doesn't mean that all those activities are the same thing. It just means that there is an approach to self-development that can be applied across very disparate domains.

 

[Chris Parker]

A couple of other things struck me…

I'm preparing to be able to use it if I need to... Same as I train in martial arts... I study that for just in case purposes... My style is my own... I call it Circumstance

Hmm… you train in martial arts… but your style is your own that you call "Circumstance"? Do you have formal schooling in martial arts, or is it purely what you've come up with yourself?

Parkour is not obstacle coursing... It is a non competitive... No judgment way of life to train yourself to overcome an obstacle... To condition ones mind body and soul... I've studied martial arts since being a kid and parkour since I was a teen... I feel the same practicing both... Gotten me closer to the art of fighting without fighting... The no sword school of teachings

What do you mean by "the no sword school of teachings"? Oh, and you might want to read up on my posts here before answering that one…

 

[PhotonGuy]

Enlightenment is my ultimate goal... I had a discussion on facebook with someone on facebook regard my thoughts on how parkour is martial arts... my question to you all is in 2 parts...

01. What is martial arts... and what does it mean to u...

02. Dp you consider parkour a martial arts?

Attached is the discussion screenshots from facebook... let me know if I was wrong... enlighten me

I would consider a martial art anything that involves techniques for combat and fighting and that works on perfecting those techniques for that purpose but where the aim is to be effective in combat. Parkour looks to me like its mostly for show much like XMA so I wouldn't do it if my main goal was to become an effective fighter. Also, parkour looks like the kind of thing where at the age of 18 you're already considered old and over the hill.

 

[Zero]

I would consider a martial art anything that involves techniques for combat and fighting and that works on perfecting those techniques for that purpose but where the aim is to be effective in combat. Parkour looks to me like its mostly for show much like XMA so I wouldn't do it if my main goal was to become an effective fighter. Also, parkour looks like the kind of thing where at the age of 18 you're already considered old and over the hill.

18 huh? Looks like my chances are well and truly shot on that one then!!

 

[Instructor]

Parkour is running away in style.... Martial arts are more closely alligned with the opposite of running away.

 

[Dinkydoo]

I have to agree with what has already been stated; parkour isn't a martial art.

I don't doubt that the attributes enhanced through training in parkour would be useful for a martial artist, just like any other athletic form of training such as gymnastics and dancing, however that does not make it a martial art. Likewise, training attributes that might be useful in self defence don't neccessarily mean that the 'thing' your training in is a martial art either - for instance holding a world record in the 100 metre sprint would certainly result in you being very effective at escaping some types of self defence situations, but that doesn't mean that sprinting is a martial art.

To me, being a Martial Artist means that you're actively engaged in the study, and dedicated to the process of, improving your own combative fighting techniques and ability. Parkour probably ticks more than a few boxes required but its missing the major component; there is no fighting.

 

[Touch Of Death]

I think it is a martial art because speedy elusive fast guys survive battles more readily than slow clumsy guys; so, right there, I win.