The Difference Between MMA, Self-Defense & Martial Arts

[Bill Mattocks]

I think he brought some good points up, but yes a promotion for his school and method.

I am still a relative beginner - but to me it does depend on your (or the MA or MMA you studying) goal. Most systems have some blend of goals. I always had a hard time knowing how to define the methods I study - Inosanto JKD/Kali. Is it mixed ? Yes I study boxing, MT, BJJ, boxing and we spar. Is it self defense ? Yes I study weapons and "dirty" tactics and street scenarios . Is it TMA ? Yes I study a bit of Wing Chun, Silat, Kali, etc. also my school is big on honor and respect and beavior.

Even the Gracie's (well Royce) acknowledge that BJJ is a blend or a blur - having its roots in street defense, but also being taught mainly now for competition.

I would also agree with OP that the sport of MMA has mostly degraded into honor less, crude, insulating, disrespectful brawls. Kind of a reflection of our society. It is a pleasure to occasionally see fighters like Holly Holm bring some class into the sport.

This is what I'm talking about. TMA is far more than just MMA plus a special uniform and some bowing and philosophy about respect and honor. Far more.

And while it's OK to not understand what TMA is about, it's not OK to define what it is if one doesn't actually know.

Example:

"I don't know much about karate (etc), but I know all about how it compares to MMA."

GRRR. No. Just no.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I think the fundamental premise is flawed. "MMA", "Self-defense", and "Martial Arts" are not 3 disciplines to be compared and contrasted.

MMA is a context in which martial arts can be applied. That context is a contest under a certain ruleset for two individuals to test their martial skills and abilities against each other. Related contexts would be competitions in Judo, Wrestling (in its various forms), Boxing, Muay Thai, Savate, BJJ, Point Karate, Full-contact Karate, and so on.

Self-defense is also a context in which martial arts can be applied. Many martial arts practitioners claim that their particular art is entirely focused on application in this context. There is plenty of room for debate as to how accurate that claim is for specific arts and how effective those arts actually are for their intended purpose.

Martial Arts is an umbrella term for a huge variety of disciplines with wildly divergent curriculums, principles, purposes, and training methodologies. Depending on the school and the practitioner, a martial art may be focused on sportive competition, self-defense (in a particular context), armed or unarmed combat (which is not necessarily the same thing as self-defense) (in a particular context), exercise, entertainment, artistic expression, transmission of culture, personal self-development and self-mastery (which can mean very different things to different people), or some combination of any of the above. It should also be noted that the stated purpose of a given system (even if that statement comes from the founder or other high ranking practitioners) may be a sales pitch or a theoretical ideal that may not match up with the actual typical practice of the art.

And yes, my goal here is to promote my channel. I'm doing so because I think the content I provide can be valuable for you. Interesting talks to better understand what we do, and quality tutorials to learn and revise your techniques. I'm also interested in getting feedback so I can improve in the future.

Just a tip - MartialTalk is a community focused on conversation between martial artists (many of whom have decades of experience). If you make a genuine effort to participate in this community and the conversations, then no one will begrudge you promoting your art or your channel. If you only show up to spam the forum with your YouTube videos, then you won't get such a warm reception.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

This is what I'm talking about. TMA is far more than just MMA plus a special uniform and some bowing and philosophy about respect and honor. Far more.

And while it's OK to not understand what TMA is about, it's not OK to define what it is if one doesn't actually know.

Example:

"I don't know much about karate (etc), but I know all about how it compares to MMA."

GRRR. No. Just no.

I still have yet to see a definition of "TMA" that is both useful and consistent. The OP in his video defines TMA as any art that is more than one generation old, which is at least internally consistent, but not particularly useful for anything or in line with general usage.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I still have yet to see a definition of "TMA" that is both useful and consistent. The OP in his video defines TMA as any art that is more than one generation old, which is at least internally consistent, but not particularly useful for anything or in line with general usage.

I wasn't responding to the OP, I was responding to the statements by others in this thread that MMA and TMA are same-same. They're not. End of story.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I wasn't responding to the OP, I was responding to the statements by others in this thread that MMA and TMA are same-same. They're not. End of story.

I don't read anyone's comments in the thread as saying they are the same. I also didn't read anybody's comment as saying "TMA is MMA plus a special uniform and some bowing and philosophy about respect and honor".

To get into any useful further discussion regarding what TMA is, you have to offer up some sort of usable definition to distinguish "TMA" from "non-TMA." In previous threads, I haven't seen an internally consistent and generally agreed-upon definition which manages to sort different arts into the appropriate "TMA" or "non-TMA" buckets that the speaker thinks they should fall into.