Lost meaning?

**Jeff Kostic** · Posted On: 4/20/2011 9:29pm

Anyone ever feel like MMA may be making better "fighters" because no style is perfect and needs other styles or at least techniques to
supplement it where it falls short but it is taking away the art in martial arts. are we not suppose to be gaining more than just fittness and fighting ability when we study a martial art? I know this is just an opinion but I still think that we should still learn everything from an artform and not just take what we want from it and leave it.

idk i jsut wanted to throw this out here to because it has been bothering me because i want to learn katas and i see the point in learning control even though i dont need these things to be a good fighter. i just feel like i should be more than a brawler when i achieve my black belt hopefully in a few years.

**Mello** · Posted On: 4/20/2011 9:33pm

You can gain more than fitness and fighting ability from MMA, you just don't have someone to guide you through it. You can learn discipline, do structured shadow boxing instead of forms/katas and practice throwing technically perfect and controlled punches all you like. Nothing about MMA stops you from doing any of that.

**Jeff Kostic** · Posted On: 4/20/2011 9:37pm

well i know i can gain all these things from other sources outside of a fighting style completely from plenty of sports. i just like studying a MA and the traditional side of it feels important to me even though it doesnt add anything concrete to my ability. I just wanted to know if others felt the same.

**Vieux Normand** · Posted On: 4/24/2011 2:13pm

You do realise--don't you?--that there's a middle path between training just one "TMA" and training MMA. Many people who have a base or primary style also crosstrain in other styles to fill in whatever gaps they perceive to exist in their primary style. Judo plus boxing, for instance, or Karate plus wrestling. Crosstraining isn't MMA, but it's more than single-style training, thus making for a better-rounded fighter.

**It is Fake** · Posted On: 4/24/2011 2:32pm

Originally Posted by Jeff Kostic

Anyone ever feel like MMA may be making better "fighters" because no style is perfect and needs other styles or at least techniques to
supplement it where it falls short but it is taking away the art in martial arts. are we not suppose to be gaining more than just fittness and fighting ability when we study a martial art? I know this is just an opinion but I still think that we should still learn everything from an artform and not just take what we want from it and leave it.

No. I believe that this is what unenlightened TMAers push to legitimize their arts instead of evolving. I often wonder what would have happened if Kano held on to this belief. What about the Gracies? Heck, I'll throw Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris in there as well.

Oh, go study MMA before making assumptions. Many MMAers, as vorpal points out, study multiple styles and continue to train them. They don't just study takedowns, move to the next art and continue.

idk i jsut wanted to throw this out here to because it has been bothering me because i want to learn katas and i see the point in learning control even though i dont need these things to be a good fighter. i just feel like i should be more than a brawler when i achieve my black belt hopefully in a few years.

Then go find a school that teaches these things and keep your bias strong. Would you tell us what "traditional instructor" told you these "Martial Truisms?"

**Jeff Kostic** · Posted On: 4/26/2011 7:11pm

i intend to study plenty of martial arts. ive had a few mind changes since i wrote this. my only problem write now is how expensive the judo dojos are compared to my colleges karate club.