What are USA's contribution to MA?

Joab

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I would say America's biggest contribution to the martial arts are the combatives forms such as American Combato, John Perkins "Attack Proof", and many others, that borrow from many systems and develop a more realistic, scientific approach to the martial arts. There are probably others, and certainly the first combative form, WE Fairbairn's Defendo, was British, and the American combatives certainly borrowed a lot from Fairbairn's work, but they further developed it with Fairbairn's student, Rex Applegate's classic "Kill or be Killed" book, (This is certainly true of American Combato, Applegate's contribution to that system can not be over stated, ask the founder of American Combato, Bradley J. Steiner for verification if you desire at www.americancombato.com) and Applegate was of course American. And this approach is very American, borrow from anything that works, eschew tradition for pragmatism regarding street effective self defense.

What other contributions has America given to the martial arts? All opinions appreciated.
 
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Joab

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kenpo

Was Kenpo originated in the USA? My research indicates it began in China than went to Japan than Hawaii than to the mainland. Are you referring perhaps to Ed Parker's Kenpo Karate?
kajukenbo

Your right about kajukenbo

modern teaching methods

Yes, I can see that.
chuck norris.......

Chuck Norris was born in the USA, yes indeed

on the other hand

5 year old BB's

5 year old BB's isn't much of a contribution, more like an embarrassement.
 
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Nolerama

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Didn't the US soldiers in the Spanish-American War change their stance and strategy when it came to boxing due to Filipino guerrillas slashing at their wrists?

For some reason, I can't seem to write a decent sentence today ;P
 
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Joab

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Didn't the US soldiers in the Spanish-American War change their stance and strategy when it came to boxing due to Filipino guerrillas slashing at their wrists?

I have no idea really.

For some reason, I can't seem to write a decent sentence today ;P

That happens to the best of us once in awhile.
 

searcher

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Organization and exploitation of boxing.

And we are a great melting pot for various styles. Our contribution is that we have so many people from so many various backgrounds that come together under one roof to share what we have learned.
 

Carol

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stickarts

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One thing that comes to my mind is fostering its overall growth, in terms of cross training, making information available though books, seminars, videos, and so many schools opening up. Capturing peoples interest through movies and media, etc... This expansion may have caused both good and not so good results, however, there has been growth nonetheless.
 

frank raud

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I would say America's biggest contribution to the martial arts are the combatives forms such as American Combato, John Perkins "Attack Proof", and many others, that borrow from many systems and develop a more realistic, scientific approach to the martial arts. There are probably others, and certainly the first combative form, WE Fairbairn's Defendo, was British, and the American combatives certainly borrowed a lot from Fairbairn's work, but they further developed it with Fairbairn's student, Rex Applegate's classic "Kill or be Killed" book, (This is certainly true of American Combato, Applegate's contribution to that system can not be over stated, ask the founder of American Combato, Bradley J. Steiner for verification if you desire at www.americancombato.com) and Applegate was of course American. And this approach is very American, borrow from anything that works, eschew tradition for pragmatism regarding street effective self defense.

So America's biggest contribution is copying a British system ? There is minimal difference between Applegate's system and Fairbairn, that would be why they are classified as FAS systems (Fairbairn Applegate Sykes).

Fairbairn has no connection with Defendo, his first system was a police restraint system called Defendu, not a combative system like shown in KOGK or Get Tough.

If you believe that the contribution is the combining of different arts, you ignore the history of martial arts in general, where multiple arts are combined to develop a new system, examples wold include judo, and wado-ryu.
 

frank raud

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While it is true that FAS is the basis of Bradley Steiner's Combato, American Combatives and Attack Proof(or a major influence), the fact is each one of these system has taken the basic stripped down system and added additional techniques to "flesh out" the curriculum, padding it for more techniques to be shared amongst belt levels, something which goes against the concept of Combatives.

I would think America's contribution to the martial arts would be the more open atmosphere in which most arts are trained, allowing exposure to the arts via open seminars, and tournaments.
 

SteffenBerg

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I was thinking the McDojo...

In all seriousness, I think one of the greater contributions have to be the various Kempo / Kenpo systems to come out of Hawaii and the mainland. Then probably the JKD movement...

I think the US has also been instrumental in the spread and popularity of arts like BJJ (if Rorion Gracie had not moved to the States, it probably would have taken a lot longer for BJJ to get the recognition that it now has), Ninjutsu (Stephen Hayes anyone), even Okinawan Karate.

/Stef
 

Jeff Richardson

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I was thinking the McDojo...

In all seriousness, I think one of the greater contributions have to be the various Kempo / Kenpo systems to come out of Hawaii and the mainland. Then probably the JKD movement...

I think the US has also been instrumental in the spread and popularity of arts like BJJ (if Rorion Gracie had not moved to the States, it probably would have taken a lot longer for BJJ to get the recognition that it now has), Ninjutsu (Stephen Hayes anyone), even Okinawan Karate.

/Stef

You are forgetting the American Freestyle and the American Open Style Karate systems. Both excellent and hardcore systems which brought you the likes of Jerry Piddington, Ricky and Randy Smith, Keith Haflick, Jimmy Horsley and Danny McCall not to mention a few others.
 

Guardian

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After reading all of these, in my view, what America has given to the Martial Arts is exposure pure and simple, it has given any Martial Arts System/Style exposure which has allowed them to been seen world wide due to the media outlets that this country had at the time and still does. It allowed them to be seen on a grander scale then they could have if they had stayed in their own country. This country has a way of popularizing almost anything.
 

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