Is it pure?

One of the questions I occasionally get from a prospective student is, "Is the style pure"?  
I smile to myself, and then, although I know the answer, ask them what are they referring to as "pure"? 

The last caller that asked this replied, "You know, pure, as in the exact same way it was studied in China, and can trace its roots back a long way". 

My response, "By that definition, no it is not, but then by that same definition I don't believe there is a single art you will find that is".

"Well, I'm from so-and-so, and we had several schools in the area that taught pure styles.  Its near impossible to find any pure styles in the southern U.S."

"Oh, I see.  What styles did you learn there?"

"Well, I did Choy-li-fut for about a year, and a five animal style for awhile, but we also had a Wing Chun school nearby".

"Well then you were fortunate to have so many schools to choose from, however, I would argue that there is no such thing as a pure style". 

silence....

"Are you familiar with the history of Choy Li Fut"?

"Well, no, but...."


A transcript of the dialogue followed along the lines of my explaining to him that all arts evolve and change to some degree.  Even his shining example of purity, Choy Li Fut, was created by a man who combined the teachings of his three different teachers to create a new system, hence the name. 

We adapt.

So to clarify, I do not teach a pure system.  In fact, its pretty far from it.   Our system originated in China, picked up influences from Korea, and eventually Japan when the inheritor went there for medical care.  It also has influences from the styles of Wing Chun and Hung Chuen.  It has further gained influence from my studies in Chang Chuen (long fist) and other Shaolin styles.  In addition, I try to apply modern training ideas like strength training and conditioning into our studies to compensate for the differences in lifestyles of past generations of students to present day.  For example, generations ago, students led fairly tough lives.  They farmed, worked machinary, and basically scratched out a living.  Nowadays, we watch several hours of TV per week, work in offices, and eat high sugar/high fat foods.  We have to train differently in order to make an ancient art work for the modern times. 

Pure is a very relative term.  Instead, focus on the quality of training and the quality of your instructor, wherever you may go to learn.  A fancy pedigree and a pretty studio can't guarantee you either.  Go in, ask questions, do some trial lessons, and observe how the instructor interacts with the students. 

Why I hate MMA

Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, is the still the "big thing" in the martial arts world.  Many said it would just be a flash in the pan, and then go away, but then simply isn't the case.  I think its here to stay...and I hate it.

I don't hate it for the reasons you might think.  Running a traditional style martial arts school, I know that I am missing out on a pretty big demographic (males, age 18-32 ) that watch the UFC and The Ultimate Fighter.  They usually have no desire to train in a traditional martial art (kung fu, karate, etc).  But that's not why I hate MMA.

Why I hate MMA

1)  Standing on the shoulders of giants - much of the techniques used in MMA have roots in traditional arts like Jiujitsu, Muay Thai, Boxing, Kempo, etc.  Those techniques deserve respect because they have been tested, practiced, and honed for hundreds of years.  The teenage kid who walks into an MMA gym will not give it any respect, or realize where it came from.  They will then likely attempt to explain to me why MMA is so superior to "XYZ" style of martial arts.  No respect for the heritage or history.

2)  MMA makes TMA (traditional martial arts) look bad.  Let's face it, the MMA crowed often gets into the ring with a kung fu, TKD, karate practicioner and owns them.  Watch the first handful of UFC bouts, back in the early 90's.  It gives the TMA's a bad name.  We get owned, but not because MMA technique is better.  Quite simply, they intensity with which they train makes them outclass most TMA fighters with regards to strength, endurance, muscle/technique memory, and perseverence.  If TMA students trained as hard and as long as these guys, I think there would be more balance in the matchups. 

3)  The average MMA guy's attitude truly sucks.  I once heard a funny bit of advice, "You know the guy in the car in front of you is an A-hole if he has a "TAPOUT" sticker on his back window".   
Now, there are obvious exceptions to the rule (George St. Pierre comes to mind), but by and large, you see an overwhelming number of these guys acting agressive towards others, losing their temper, and sometimes picking bar fights in an effort to test their grit.  They also tend to shout as loud as they can to the world "Traditional Martial Arts suck and are worthless!"     Values and Character Development is not something that is taught in the MMA's as part of the curriculum.  It sometimes seems like quite the opposite.

so that's it.  I hate MMA, but I sure do like to watch it.