| I ask the many students of the combat arts if they are | | | | words but not the intent. Now I am told it is PC |
| really practicing or training in a martial art or are they | | | | incorrect to use the term "kill" or "maim" but rather we |
| playing with the "school children's art". | | | | should use the term "neutralize". |
| First we must define martial. It is a term that denotes | | | | In my forty-two plus years of being associated with |
| military, of or appropriate to warfare, fighting, warlike, | | | | one art or another I have developed a perception that |
| brave, fond of fighting. Oxford Dictionary also mentions | | | | there is but one art. Every style, system, or technique |
| fighting sports such as Judo and Karate. These then | | | | can be found in the concept of "One Art". There is no |
| are the arts for war. Fighting sports such as Mixed | | | | such thing as mixed martial arts because they are |
| Martial Arts, Judo, Karate, Tae Kwon Do would be | | | | actually bringing together fighting concepts that were |
| better classified as "martial sports" or "martial athletics". | | | | originally just one art or system of fighting. On the |
| I get a little irritated at people when I mention martial | | | | battlefields of feudal Japan, China, Korea and else |
| arts they say, "Oh really, that's what my 6 year old | | | | where, the warriors had every thing they needed |
| does". I have operated a public dojo. It was | | | | technique-wise to survive. As schools developed and |
| incorporated as a 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization. I | | | | students went their own way did different styles of |
| did it for eleven years. I even taught little kids. If you | | | | the same art come into existence. Different cultures |
| want to make money in you have to teach little kids. | | | | have different fighting arts, right? Yes, but you can find |
| But it is not really martial art they are being taught. | | | | the same techniques or very similar techniques in |
| They get to have warm fuzzies, self-esteem, | | | | virtually every other culture claiming a fighting tradition. |
| confidence, and respect while wearing a funny looking | | | | Even the old style boxing contained jujitsu like |
| pajama like suit covered with patches and colored | | | | techniques. Only when boxing became a sanctioned |
| belts. All good things I suppose but lets not call it martial | | | | sport did all of the really lethal techniques disappear. |
| art. | | | | The media has done a great disservice to the martial |
| I still teach. I teach by invitation only. I teach a martial art | | | | arts. I have had students inquire when are we going to |
| that is not suitable for use in the ring nor is it something | | | | learn to do back flips? My response: don't do a back |
| kids should learn. I think that it can be properly termed | | | | flip in a fight. You will likely get stomped really, really |
| a martial art because we use the mantra, however | | | | bad. Some people actually believe what they see in |
| politically incorrect, from the US Army Infantry: close | | | | the movies with out any consideration to the laws of |
| with and kill or maim the enemy in the shortest amount | | | | physics, anatomy, physiology and kinesiology. So are |
| of time possible. OK, I date myself. I went through the | | | | you doing a combat art or something that is a distant |
| infantry school before political correctness was a | | | | cousin? |
| mandate in our military and I changed one of the | | | | |