The End of FMAs?

[LoneRider]

I don't think that our martial arts are in any danger of dying out. Escrima and Kali are perfect weapon usage arts and with a slight modification could even help soldiers of today use their weapons as impact weapons.

There will always be a market I think for such arts to be utilized if not by the mainstream then by soldiers and law enforcement/security forces personnel. In my travels I ran across a retired soldier and now private military contractor/law enforcement trainer that swore by Escrima for its applicability in law enforcement defensive tactics.

 

[K831]

Over on the Wing Chun sub-forum a poster offered the opinion that traditional Kung fu was on its way out, do to the interest in MMA. Kung-fu, like Karate and TKD before it, had it's heydey way back in the 70's. Then came ninjutsu in the 80's. Now, except for small die-hard groups, these arts mainly survive in McDojos for kids and in really cheesy movies. Is this true? And are the FMAs the next passe martial fad destined to join the realm of kids entertainment and movie parodies? What's your take on this?

Don't have time right now to read the other posts, so I hope this isn't redundant.

I think there are three main niches or "types" that a style and school falls into; 1.) TMA 2.) MMA 3.) Combatives.

Obviously lots of schools and styles are in a gray area. I think FMA tends towards the "Combatives" aspect. This is a niche that is growing more popular as people realize that MMA isn't realistic for the street and the TMA's are often stuck in too much forms, kata, belts, and not enough sparring, live drills and situational training.

Here in Phoenix/east valley there are a lot of MMA schools. Between rage in the cage, AZ combat sports and South west mixed martial arts we have a lot of pro fighters and up and comers in the area. We have a lot of TMA schools too, although most are the kiddie/McDojo kind. We also have a Krav Maga school that has now opened up 4 locations and growing. Why? Because they fill that niche of "combatives". The Krav school isn't a rule oriented competition school like the MMA schools, and while the sytle has historical and cultural roots, it isn't stuck in them like most TMA's. They work striking, realistic ground work (note, they don't hunt for submissions) and they work gun, knife etc. Most FMA's I have been around fit a niche much more similar to Krav. There is a growing number of people who want real SD, and they are learning that MMA doesn't provide that on its own, but they do want the hard contact and sparring MMA does provide.