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What TMA can learn from MMA

MMA (mixed martial arts) is without a doubt the biggest thing to happen to the martial arts in the last few decades. It has seen the martial arts become mainstream as a spectator sport for the very first time and it has had a very big influence on the martial arts generally.

In some quarters it is now common to divide the martial arts into the two camps of MMA and TMA (traditional martial arts), with each seen as being opposed to the other. The more “fundamentalist” MMA practitioners see traditional martial arts as archaic and ineffective systems, with the more “militant” traditional martial artists seeing MMA as lacking in discipline and depth. Personally, I think both of these conflicting viewpoints are wrong.

My own take on things is that the two approaches have more common ground than is first supposed and that both approaches have much to gain if they were to emulate the best aspects of the other.

Assuming that most reading this article will be traditional martial artists, I’d like to explore what traditional martial artists can learn from MMA. Although, we will discuss one or two things from the other side too.

In order to put this discussion in the right context there are a few things I’d like to make clear now. Firstly, I like MMA. I like watching the sport, I think MMA has done much for the martial arts generally, and I think it has many qualities the traditional martial arts world would do well to emulate. But all of that said, MMA is not for me.

All martial artists have to find an approach to the martial arts that engages and enthuses them. They need to find an approach that meets their training objectives and delivers the skills and experiences that they want. For me, that has been the traditional art of karate. It’s karate that fascinates me and that has me prepared to spend hour after hour, month after month, decade after decade training hard in order to advance what I do.

For others it will be MMA that resonates with them in this way, but for me, MMA simply does not do it. It’s a matter of personal taste, and not a statement of inherent value, when I say that I need something with a deep past and a history.

I like to feel part of that chain from the forgotten past to the unknown future. I like the process of delving into that deep past and seeing what is relevant to me today. MMA, as good as it is, is therefore a little “young” for me. I can however see how that “youth” would be the very thing that attracts others.

So while I like MMA, it is not for me and I consider myself a traditional martial artist. This exploration of its value to traditional martial artists is therefore not done from a position of either being inherently pro- or anti-MMA. This is therefore just a look at the plain facts as I see them.

The other thing we need to make clear is that I am fully aware that within MMA and within the traditional martial arts there is a wide range of views and activities. So my comments and criticisms certainly won’t apply to all and may not apply to you. So I am using the terms in a general sense, which I feel will be generally appropriate for most of the practitioners who use those labels.

OK, so here we go, what can traditional martial artists learn from MMA?

1 – MMA is objective driven.

MMA practitioners know what they are training for. They know what it takes to win a MMA bout and their training is focused on that. As I covered in the Martial Map podcast, most traditional martial artists are confused about their training objectives. They use the terms “martial arts”, “fighting” and “self-defence” like they are interchangeable; whereas in reality they represent very different things. The most common example of this confusion is art and culture being confused with practical self-defence.”

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An excellent article that makes some great points.

I particularly liked this:

“Generally speaking, MMA people train to win MMA fights. Because they have a clear objective, their training is focussed and they get good results.

Traditional martial artists are often unclear why they are training. They just “train” and everything gets lumped together in an unfocused, homogonous mass. Traditional martial artists need to know what training methods will develop what attributes so the various elements of what they do will be most effectively developed. MMA practitioners tend to avoid any confusion and are more goal focused in their training. They know how to isolate skills and how to train to develop those specific skills.”

Specificity, so important when training for reliable skillsets.