The problem with freestyle is that it has devolved into fighting. Sounds contradictory, I know, but I began learning martial arts back in the sixties, and I have seen a different face of freestyle. This was a freestyle that was actually more effective, easier to learn, and tempers the personality to grow a better human being.
Now, I have nothing against mixed martial arts, or UFC, or learning ground and pound and all the other types of freestyle. Truth, I think some of this stuff would have been awfully useful back when I was first learning the arts. That said, consider the following objections that I have.
Controlled freestyle in the martial arts effectively died when people started putting on pads and gloves. Sure, we occasionally wore protective gear back then, but the purpose was to protect injuries that had already occurred. The breaking point, however, was when instructors realized how much money there was to be made in selling pads and gloves, they pandered to mothers fears, and this halted little Johnny from learning about true control, and effectively stopped the personal growth stage of the martial arts.
Bruce Lee really delivered a haymaker to freestyle by introducing bouncing. He watched Mohammad Ali, saw the float like a butterfly bit, and realized that bouncing disrupted timing, and he changed the world of freestyle. Unfortunately, the effect was also that people stopped learning how to observe their opponent and gauge his timing, and this stopped students from observing a whole fact of life, for time, as you may not have known, keeps this universe going.
With a lack of reality and a lack of timing eating at the innards of budding students, a loss of control was quick to follow. I remember seeing a fellow with three karate lessons under his belt taken to a tournament and encouraged to fight, not to get a point, but to fight. He fought, there were injuries, and nobody showed any control. And control, control through timing and reality, is what the martial arts evolution is really all about.
The final straw behind the downfall of the old way of doing freestyle had to do with respect. I was taught to bow when I entered the school, and to bow to my classmates and partners, and to bow before I stepped on the mat and fought somebody, and it all showed respect. Now there is an attitude of I'm tougher than you I spit on your school, and this utterly destroys the art of freestyle, and even the fact of human compassion.
I know there will be those who will not accept what I say, and, let's face it, my criticisms must be tempered by some of the marvelous things that are inherent in the arts that have developed, and this includes the mixed martial arts and the ultimate fighting championships styles. There are things to be learned in the martial arts that are popular today, and, I am not opposed to these new arts. When I see people showing a total lack of respect, fighting merely to beat each other up, I am on the other side, the old side, the side that shows compassion for their fellow man.
So, let me toss you a question, what can you do to create the old attitude of respect? Will telling people not to freestyle with gloves and pads enable people to feel the reality of what they are doing, and get rid of harmful attitudes? And, doing this, can you still make the art work? - 31373
Now, I have nothing against mixed martial arts, or UFC, or learning ground and pound and all the other types of freestyle. Truth, I think some of this stuff would have been awfully useful back when I was first learning the arts. That said, consider the following objections that I have.
Controlled freestyle in the martial arts effectively died when people started putting on pads and gloves. Sure, we occasionally wore protective gear back then, but the purpose was to protect injuries that had already occurred. The breaking point, however, was when instructors realized how much money there was to be made in selling pads and gloves, they pandered to mothers fears, and this halted little Johnny from learning about true control, and effectively stopped the personal growth stage of the martial arts.
Bruce Lee really delivered a haymaker to freestyle by introducing bouncing. He watched Mohammad Ali, saw the float like a butterfly bit, and realized that bouncing disrupted timing, and he changed the world of freestyle. Unfortunately, the effect was also that people stopped learning how to observe their opponent and gauge his timing, and this stopped students from observing a whole fact of life, for time, as you may not have known, keeps this universe going.
With a lack of reality and a lack of timing eating at the innards of budding students, a loss of control was quick to follow. I remember seeing a fellow with three karate lessons under his belt taken to a tournament and encouraged to fight, not to get a point, but to fight. He fought, there were injuries, and nobody showed any control. And control, control through timing and reality, is what the martial arts evolution is really all about.
The final straw behind the downfall of the old way of doing freestyle had to do with respect. I was taught to bow when I entered the school, and to bow to my classmates and partners, and to bow before I stepped on the mat and fought somebody, and it all showed respect. Now there is an attitude of I'm tougher than you I spit on your school, and this utterly destroys the art of freestyle, and even the fact of human compassion.
I know there will be those who will not accept what I say, and, let's face it, my criticisms must be tempered by some of the marvelous things that are inherent in the arts that have developed, and this includes the mixed martial arts and the ultimate fighting championships styles. There are things to be learned in the martial arts that are popular today, and, I am not opposed to these new arts. When I see people showing a total lack of respect, fighting merely to beat each other up, I am on the other side, the old side, the side that shows compassion for their fellow man.
So, let me toss you a question, what can you do to create the old attitude of respect? Will telling people not to freestyle with gloves and pads enable people to feel the reality of what they are doing, and get rid of harmful attitudes? And, doing this, can you still make the art work? - 31373
About the Author:
Al Case has taught martial arts for 40 years. A writer for the mags, with his own column, Al is the originator of Matrixing and Neutronics. He is giving away a free ebook about Matrixing at Monster Martial Arts.
