What is the most damaging thing to martial arts?

**m4949** · Posted On: 2/17/2004 10:15am

I think there are two things missing on that list. TKD, specifically "sport TKD" and Mightly Morphin Power rangers ( not the toys, the show).
I noticed a rapid decline in the quality of Korean MA after TKD became an olympic sport. Now many TKD only Teach sport TKD and finding a traditional TKD that actally still teaches Self defense has become near impossible.
Mightly Morphin Power rangers have given kids and parents a delussion of what Martials arts is and should be. It's lead to the mass marketing if the MAs and fuels the rise of the Mcdojo and the creation of XMA.

**SamHarber** · Posted On: 2/17/2004 10:17am

Mysticism is definately the worst thing, be it "aikidoka don't need to be physically fit to defeat 10 muggers" to "Tai Chi is teh ancient skill of non combat martial art" (no joke - thats how its described on a flyer for my local gym).
MMA has been a great debunker of these myths, and has allowed the more open minded TMAers to rethink their arts into a better way of training.

**KageReaper** · Posted On: 2/17/2004 10:18am

yeah..that what I voted for too. All the mystic stuff can get annoyed..stop trying to shoot firballs and just fight.

**infidel** · Posted On: 2/17/2004 10:24am

mysticism , but ego plays a major role in causing a person to believe they can achieve power that is incomprehensible to others.

**drunkenj** · Posted On: 2/17/2004 10:24am

mystecism enables many of the others like charlatans and stupid movies

**virtual_mantis** · Posted On: 2/17/2004 10:30am

All the mystic stuff, the video games, the power rangers and bruce lee are all good for martial arts. It's all hype but it generates interest. I think it's up to the school to level with the students and say all that crap is just Hollywood. It's the schools that actually teach the hype that are bad for martial arts. That's why I voted for the McDojo.

**The Wastrel** · Posted On: 2/17/2004 10:38am

I really, really wanted to vote for Bruce Lee. But I have to admit it, the sinister infection of mysticism is what divorced martial arts from physical reality. Within the last week, we actually had a poster claiming that Wong Kiew Kit could move clouds...Words fail.

**Ronin** · Posted On: 2/17/2004 10:42am

How about adding "all of the above" as an option?

**Gremlin** · Posted On: 2/17/2004 10:46am

C'mon, there's alot of things. You can't really put it to a vote. But, anyone that learns something serious and makes a joke out of it doesnt help. Also, when people see a movie and believe that's what they'll learn, it doesn't help. So many reasons....

**zardoz** · Posted On: 2/17/2004 11:34am

ok I voted for Charlatans/BS, but of course a lot of damage comes from the stupid attitude that some Westerners have to worship everything that comes from Japan/China etc. And also, Westerners shouldn't try to teach and learn the way that Jap/Chinese do. We have different culture and different scientific concepts, and we shall respect ourselves and not only respect the others.
Only in the 1990s UFC/vale tudo events showed that wrestlers were not inferior to Karate/Kung Fu/TKD styles; they were even better, especially if they could boxe decently. No fuckin' "Chi/KI": just good hardcore training, bio-mechanics and will to win. How much is cinema guilty then? a LOT! all that crap showing high spinning kicks or ppl breaking 25 bricks instills a false idea of security in students who think they can defend themselves b/c their "Master" can do such spectacular circus moves.
Also, you guys on Bullshido forums often make fun out of RBMA, but some concepts like awareness, striking first, keepin' it simple, avoiding useless rigid blocks etc. etc. all come from h2h combat that was tested in battlefields (like Fairbairn/Applegate stuff). And it's a very good think happening in the MA world.