why do some martial artist compare other styles of martial artist?

[Mr.NayNay]

I know am a white belt in the community, however I wanted to ask why do some martial artist compare other styles of other martial artist, I do not want to offend anyone at all. I was just curious this has happened to me couple of times as well. from other fellow martial artist's.

 

[skribs]

Competition, both good and bad.

Comparisons can be good for a variety of reasons:

1. Helping you flesh out your understanding of your art
2. Allowing you to learn about another art
3. Helping you take techniques you learn, and learn new ways of doing them or applying them
4. Helping you figure out the weaknesses in your art or your training if you want to cross-train or pick up a new art

Comparisons can be harmful, sometimes, though:

1. If you listen too much to the sales pitch of the other art, you might lose confidence in yours
2. People who feel the only way to validate their art is if their art is "right" and everyone else's is "wrong" and you need to show them why they're wrong...you know...to help them.

 

[Martial D]

I know am a white belt in the community, however I wanted to ask why do some martial artist compare other styles of other martial artist, I do not want to offend anyone at all. I was just curious this has happened to me couple of times as well. from other fellow martial artist's.

Ya, that is weird isn't it. Why would one compare a system of punching, kicking, and grappling to another system of punching, kicking, and grappling.

Apples and oranges.

 

[CB Jones]

I know am a white belt in the community, however I wanted to ask why do some martial artist compare other styles of other martial artist, I do not want to offend anyone at all. I was just curious this has happened to me couple of times as well. from other fellow martial artist's.

Human nature.

That is one of the ways our brain looks and analyzes things.

We compare everything....Sports, Food, Movies, People, Art......Its how we put things into perspective.

 

[dvcochran]

Competition, both good and bad.

Comparisons can be good for a variety of reasons:

1. Helping you flesh out your understanding of your art
2. Allowing you to learn about another art
3. Helping you take techniques you learn, and learn new ways of doing them or applying them
4. Helping you figure out the weaknesses in your art or your training if you want to cross-train or pick up a new art

Comparisons can be harmful, sometimes, though:

1. If you listen too much to the sales pitch of the other art, you might lose confidence in yours
2. People who feel the only way to validate their art is if their art is "right" and everyone else's is "wrong" and you need to show them why they're wrong...you know...to help them.

Agree. I am sure @Mr.NayNay has met people in other aspects of life who are much the same. Like the guy at work who is always right and you are always wrong. We have to let most of that negativity shed off like water and not let it leave too much of an impression. Sure, we all need to reflect and evaluate whether some of what Mr. negativity is saying has merit.

 

[Danny T]

Lack of knowledge and understanding.
The tendency of humans to believe that whatever group or thing they are associated with is better/superior/more advanced/etc... than others. We compare to affirm that. Us verses them. The larger your us is within the martial arts (the more your knowledge and understanding of other systems) the less comparing and more integration will happen.

 

[skribs]

Agree. I am sure @Mr.NayNay has met people in other aspects of life who are much the same. Like the guy at work who is always right and you are always wrong. We have to let most of that negativity shed off like water and not let it leave too much of an impression. Sure, we all need to reflect and evaluate whether some of what Mr. negativity is saying has merit.

We have a couple guys like that where I work. The funny thing is they both agreed on something and still spent 10 minutes arguing about who was right.

 

[skribs]

Ya, that is weird isn't it. Why would one compare a system of punching, kicking, and grappling to another system of punching, kicking, and grappling.

Apples and oranges.

Then you have to compare systems of kicking, punching, and grappling to systems of grappling, punching, and kicking, and then systems focused on re-stomping the groin.

 

[Yokozuna514]

I suspect it comes from a lack of confidence, not only in what they do but who they are. Whenever I am in that type of situation I cut to the chase and suggest, "Why don't we just pull our pants down now and compare. That is really what you want to know isn't it ?"

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Some of it comes from buying the internal "marketing" found in many styles. For instance, many self-defense-oriented styles have instructors that say things like "that MMA (or insert other competition) crap won't work on the street." Students hear enough of that, and they start to think there's an important difference between their kicking/punching techniques and those taught next door.

Sometimes there is an important difference. Sometimes there isn't. It's rarely the difference mentioned by the internal marketing.

 

[hoshin1600]

Because. ....
Chevy is better than Ford
Corvette is better than mustang
New England Patriots are better than the Rams
A Glock is better than a Sig
The book is always better than the movie
The first Star Wars was better than all the others
The Beatles were bigger than Michael Jackson
Led Zeppelin is better than Everyone
today's music sucks compared to the 70's
Coke is better than Pepsi
Samsung is better than I phone

Shall I continue. ..

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Because. ....
Chevy is better than Ford
Corvette is better than mustang
New England Patriots are better than the Rams
A Glock is better than a Sig
The book is always better than the movie
The first Star Wars was better than all the others
The Beatles were bigger than Michael Jackson
Led Zeppelin is better than Everyone
today's music sucks compared to the 70's
Coke is better than Pepsi
Samsung is better than I phone

Shall I continue. ..

I agree with your reasoning. Not with some of the heresy you included to support it.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Mostly for marketing purposes, if you're talking about the videos that get posted.

 

[JR 137]

Because. ....
Chevy is better than Ford
Corvette is better than mustang
New England Patriots are better than the Rams
A Glock is better than a Sig
The book is always better than the movie
The first Star Wars was better than all the others
The Beatles were bigger than Michael Jackson
Led Zeppelin is better than Everyone
today's music sucks compared to the 70's
Coke is better than Pepsi
Samsung is better than I phone

Shall I continue. ..

Other than Pepsi and iPhone, you’re 100% right.

 

[Martial D]

Because. ....
Chevy is better than Ford
Corvette is better than mustang
New England Patriots are better than the Rams
A Glock is better than a Sig
The book is always better than the movie
The first Star Wars was better than all the others
The Beatles were bigger than Michael Jackson
Led Zeppelin is better than Everyone
today's music sucks compared to the 70's
Coke is better than Pepsi
Samsung is better than I phone

Shall I continue. ..

I don't know that making comparisons is tantamount to partisanship.

I can, say, compare Mui Thai and boxing without picking a side.

 

[skribs]

I don't know that making comparisons is tantamount to partisanship.

I can, say, compare Mui Thai and boxing without picking a side.

You already picked a side by putting Muay Thai first.

 

[Martial D]

You already picked a side by putting Muay Thai first.

Ya but my phone autocorrected and spelled it wrong, so I guess I choose ameridote

 

[Dirty Dog]

Ya but my phone autocorrected and spelled it wrong, so I guess I choose ameridote

Sinanju for the win.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I wish a MA teacher will not say, "My style is better than ..."

Instead, a MA teacher should say, "I can do X and Y better than most people. After you have learned X and Y from me, you can leave and find any MA teacher that you like."

Can a

- boxer's uppercut, hook combo better than yours?
- MT guy's roundhouse kick better than yours?
- TKD guy's side kick better than yours?
- BJJ guy's arm bar better than yours?
- ...

You cannot be good on everything. But as long as you are good in 1 thing, Whoever wants to learn that 1 thing will have to come to you. You will have value in the MA society.

 

[Mr.NayNay]

The thing is though the first martial art I did was taekwondo which was at a local small town, when I went to college I found aikido and I tried that as well, however I had some aikido students say that "taekwondo is easy" or " taekwondo is not really a martial art cause you can get your black belt easily." and I have had students assume that I was "collecting black belts" but I told them that I am doing martial arts to help my mental emotional health.