What exactly qualifies as a Traditional Martial Art?

**SpinKiK** · Posted On: 1/11/2013 1:54pm

This may be the wrong website to bring up this argument due to the stigma that the phrase "traditional martial art" carries to some here. But here goes...

Let's say 100 years from now if Gracie Jiu-jitsu is still around (or the earth for that matter) would it then be classified as a "Traditional Martial Art?"

It can't just be how old a martial art is that determines its label as a TMA. Muay Thai is older than TKD, but it's not really thought of as a TMA. So the question is, what exactly makes a martial art traditional.

I have my own ideas which I'll post once I get back from teaching some 1st and 2nd graders TMA for 90 minutes. But I'm interested in hearing everyone else's thoughts.

**bombom** · Posted On: 1/11/2013 2:44pm

Chop Sockey. With Chop Sockey, it is TMA. Without Chop Sockey, no TMA.

***Omega Supreme*** · Posted On: 1/11/2013 2:47pm

Originally Posted by SpinKiK

This may be the wrong website to bring up this argument due to the stigma that the phrase "traditional martial art" carries to some here. But here goes...

Let's say 100 years from now if Gracie Jiu-jitsu is still around (or the earth for that matter) would it then be classified as a "Traditional Martial Art?"

It can't just be how old a martial art is that determines its label as a TMA. Muay Thai is older than TKD, but it's not really thought of as a TMA. So the question is, what exactly makes a martial art traditional.

I have my own ideas which I'll post once I get back from teaching some 1st and 2nd graders TMA for 90 minutes. But I'm interested in hearing everyone else's thoughts.

Yeah, just did a thread similar to this right before the holidays. Basically I was saying that we should rename Traditional Martial Arts to something more like "Classical Training Martial Arts".

**thrutch** · Posted On: 1/11/2013 2:54pm

Forms? Is it forms? Does "traditional" translate as "learning through forms"?

**slamdunc** · Posted On: 1/11/2013 2:56pm

Originally Posted by Omega Supreme

Yeah, just did a thread similar to this right before the holidays. Basically I was saying that we should rename Traditional Martial Arts to something more like "Classical Training Martial Arts".

I was in the middle of searching that out.
http://www.bullshido.net/forums/arch.../t-118730.html

**W. Rabbit** · Posted On: 1/11/2013 3:16pm

Originally Posted by thrutch

Forms? Is it forms? Does "traditional" translate as "learning through forms"?

No, traditional training includes many things other than forms.

**thrutch** · Posted On: 1/11/2013 3:23pm

Yeah, I know that but forms are present in them all right?

In what people think of as "non-traditional" arts, forms aren't present.

**doofaloofa** · Posted On: 1/11/2013 3:24pm

BJJ is pretty old (nearly 100 years) and judo is only 30 years older

Judo is considered trad, BJJ not so much

**Rock Ape** · Posted On: 1/11/2013 3:55pm

Originally Posted by doofaloofa

Judo is considered trad

Actually, that's not technically true.

Yes there's a strong association to the "traditional" or old school jujutsu from which Judo was developed however, any martial tradition created in Japan post Meiji Restoration is very much "gendai" - modern and not classical or "traditional" in nature because they have evolved or developed from their origins.

Aikido, Seitie Iaido, some forms of Karate-do etc are all gendai budo but are all strongly based of older classical systems.

"Classical" is a better descriptive however from a Japanese perspective there's already two specific terms which more than adequately define the difference :

Koryu - Old school

Gendai - Modern

The reason why BJJ isn't generally considered traditional is because it is current and relevant to our present era. That's the same as how martial systems in Japan were considered when they were current and relevant to that era