now disabled
Master Black Belt
As the title suggests:- No more than that to see if a discussion and swapping of ideas can flow and bring forward things that everyone can benefit from.
On this forum we all have an interest in MA and to a greater or lesser degree all study the Art or Arts of our choosing. There is discussion about where arts have their flaws, what they were "created" for and what they have evolved into or not into. That is good and it gets heated and the rest as everyone has their own views and ideas, putting forward claim and counter claim for their respective arts etc.
There is a great wealth of knowledge and experience and that is good. I feel it may be getting wasted.
All the arts (maybe a few exceptions) were created for self defense, some long ago, some not so long ago, some with terminology and concepts behind them that in this day and age are not as easily empathized with or even understood. Are we failing the public in their demand for Self Defense by not seeing past our own arts?
Are we as a Martial Arts community possibly failing in some way? Among ourselves we are looking at the term self defense from the point of view of being trained Martial artists with all that entails and seem to me anyway at times look on things as such. Meaning that we in general look on any attacker as we are, competent and aware of the skills we have or don't have and the strengths or other arts compared to our own. I agree that can be fun and also exasperating. However when it comes to self defense should we not be looking at it from the other side? The general public's side, the corporate companies side, who want to offer or in the former undertake Self Defense. They are not trained and as has been raised in different places and at times (the corporate angle) do not know all that self defense is and what they as an individual or as the corporate manager either need or want. It is easy to say go study this or go study that art or system, is that not a cop out on our part? Yes if individuals ask, then sure that can be said and is said and all to the good but I do feel we are failing in some way as telling a person to go study or even the company to introduce classes in and art is missing the point and the real crux of the matter.
Martial Arts take time to study (some to a greater extent than others to achieve any level of competence) and my view is that to study any takes a great commitment both in time, energy and finance and that to the layman may not be self evident. For sure people are seeing competitions or demonstrations but are they or the corporate managers actually seeing that to get to that level it takes years of effort, study and commitment? Should we as the current standard bearers of the many and diverse arts not be doing more? Trying to see what they are seeing and from their point of view as opposed to trained Martial artists ? Yes undoubtedly as the trained artist we can say nope that won't work or that may given the right set of circumstances and for us as a community that is easier, the general public maybe not so. Do we as the current incumbents and practitioners of our arts have or think we have a duty to keep things going? To be open honest and upfront about both our arts and what they stand for and are ?
Our testing ground these days seems to be the cage or the ring (and yes for sure that is a good and legitimate test bed) however not all want to be the fighters or the competitors. Not all will want or feel the need to invest that way. So are we failing as a community? By approaching things from the wrong angle? How do we cope and assimilate the ones who do not want to be fighters or do not need everyday to use the Skills taught in MA dojo (I mean the techniques), how do we as a community make it relevant?
@Dropbear made a point in another thread that made a great amount of sense. As have others so what is the reality of Self Defense, how do we as the standard bearers of the present , cope and carry on the immensely and hugely rewarding field of the Martial Arts and to give to people who may want the full systems but also to people that want only what they need in a way that is understandable and can be accepted in the mainstream.
We can all and we all will continue to study and pursue our own arts and systems but I do feel that we are failing in some way
On this forum we all have an interest in MA and to a greater or lesser degree all study the Art or Arts of our choosing. There is discussion about where arts have their flaws, what they were "created" for and what they have evolved into or not into. That is good and it gets heated and the rest as everyone has their own views and ideas, putting forward claim and counter claim for their respective arts etc.
There is a great wealth of knowledge and experience and that is good. I feel it may be getting wasted.
All the arts (maybe a few exceptions) were created for self defense, some long ago, some not so long ago, some with terminology and concepts behind them that in this day and age are not as easily empathized with or even understood. Are we failing the public in their demand for Self Defense by not seeing past our own arts?
Are we as a Martial Arts community possibly failing in some way? Among ourselves we are looking at the term self defense from the point of view of being trained Martial artists with all that entails and seem to me anyway at times look on things as such. Meaning that we in general look on any attacker as we are, competent and aware of the skills we have or don't have and the strengths or other arts compared to our own. I agree that can be fun and also exasperating. However when it comes to self defense should we not be looking at it from the other side? The general public's side, the corporate companies side, who want to offer or in the former undertake Self Defense. They are not trained and as has been raised in different places and at times (the corporate angle) do not know all that self defense is and what they as an individual or as the corporate manager either need or want. It is easy to say go study this or go study that art or system, is that not a cop out on our part? Yes if individuals ask, then sure that can be said and is said and all to the good but I do feel we are failing in some way as telling a person to go study or even the company to introduce classes in and art is missing the point and the real crux of the matter.
Martial Arts take time to study (some to a greater extent than others to achieve any level of competence) and my view is that to study any takes a great commitment both in time, energy and finance and that to the layman may not be self evident. For sure people are seeing competitions or demonstrations but are they or the corporate managers actually seeing that to get to that level it takes years of effort, study and commitment? Should we as the current standard bearers of the many and diverse arts not be doing more? Trying to see what they are seeing and from their point of view as opposed to trained Martial artists ? Yes undoubtedly as the trained artist we can say nope that won't work or that may given the right set of circumstances and for us as a community that is easier, the general public maybe not so. Do we as the current incumbents and practitioners of our arts have or think we have a duty to keep things going? To be open honest and upfront about both our arts and what they stand for and are ?
Our testing ground these days seems to be the cage or the ring (and yes for sure that is a good and legitimate test bed) however not all want to be the fighters or the competitors. Not all will want or feel the need to invest that way. So are we failing as a community? By approaching things from the wrong angle? How do we cope and assimilate the ones who do not want to be fighters or do not need everyday to use the Skills taught in MA dojo (I mean the techniques), how do we as a community make it relevant?
@Dropbear made a point in another thread that made a great amount of sense. As have others so what is the reality of Self Defense, how do we as the standard bearers of the present , cope and carry on the immensely and hugely rewarding field of the Martial Arts and to give to people who may want the full systems but also to people that want only what they need in a way that is understandable and can be accepted in the mainstream.
We can all and we all will continue to study and pursue our own arts and systems but I do feel that we are failing in some way
