When considering the advantages of martial arts competitions and thinking about personally getting involved. When reviewing the circumstances of our recent or latest participation in a tournament or competitive event. We often find ourselves asking the most commonly self contemplated questions. Why should I compete? What good was all of that? How did I benefit from this?
Any one who has ever spoken to anyone else who has ever competed in a martial arts tournament in today's circuit has heard the rumors. They have been fed the war stories and they have been made to reconsider whether or not they themselves should get involved with it.
After hearing the many complications and disconcerting opinions of martial arts competitors who view themselves the victim of a scandal, many, or even most, begin to play back all of the excuses. We ask ourselves the critical questions to determine our own interest in measuring ourselves. We do this not in the way to understand the benefits, but more like reasoning for not getting involved.
Except for the Enthusiastic Practitioner, we find fault in the system and therefore excuse ourselves from participating. Many of us have had the discussion whether or not martial arts competitions are really worth the effort. There is much talk about corruption in the tournament staff; corruption in the ranks, unfair judging and ruling policies, systematic fighting and point systems unrealistic to the basic principals of self defense, commercialization and the list goes on.
There are so many restrictions and regulations as to what can and what cannot be applied in the ring. Organized Sports Tournament Associations are a dime a dozen. Whose rules should be applied? There can be so much confusion that it may seem to reduce the effectiveness of martial style when compared to real world self-defense; which brings so many practitioners together into the same mindset as to wonder why they should compete at all.
With all of the excuses why not to compete I thought it reasonable to cover the redeeming facts why one should consider competing. Who is the benefactor? Is it the organizational party that collects the registration fees? Are they the concession owners selling foods and old but unused martial gear and accessories? Could they be the advertisement companies or marketers? Truthfully speaking the real benefactors are still the competitors. Although, martial arts competitions may have taken a turn for the worse in preparation, organization, operation and commercialization their original design and purpose remain in full affect today.
Though the focus has been turned away just a bit it is still all about the practitioner. Participating in a martial arts competition will take every thing you have learned up to the point where you now stand. Your self control, patience, endurance, camaraderie, sportsmanship, discipline, integrity and so much more is all laid out on the line. Let's see how you conduct yourselves.
Each redeeming factor should be explained in greater detail than just to list them as reasons. Because of that I have broken them down into three generalized points. Hopefully these points will help you to understand the original design and reasoning for competition, as well as give you a better guideline into deciding your own level of participating in future events.
Keeping your focus on the goal will help you reach them quicker.
Tags: Competition Fighting Usefulness
A Martial Art ceases to be an art when its application results in brutality and a consistent use of excessive force when unwarranted based on its inability to adjust or modify technique as necessary due to the varying differences of the practitioner's characteristics and the ever changing purpose for which it is applied.
When a practitioner is unable or not allowed to make changes or adjustments to how any particular technique is executed based on any intended result or conditions surrounding the immediate environment or even relative to their own physical structure and composition in order to acquire a certain desired effect then he should not be considered a martial artist, but a puppet and his art not an art but a mindless weapon.
A Defense Art is so because of a level of creativity that is allowed by the one who wields it while maintaining the integrity of its design. Every user will not need apply the same level of force or defense to every attacker that will ever confront them. With each new confrontation a new evaluation of "how much force will need to be used" should be completed and each technique applied adjusted to meet this need.
There are several "Martial Arts" that have been deemed "an art" that applies the philosophy "Better Safe Than Sorry" which would encourage the use of excessive force even when it is not truly warranted or necessary. This philosophy takes away from the practitioner's ability to truly master his own technique. Though the user can be found to be flawless in the execution of his style more times than he fails at it, it takes no amount of creativity, compassion or understanding for him to achieve this.
An individual's training into the use of a defense art must include the understanding and the ability to apply mutilating or deadly force if necessary, but the compassion and the mastery to avoid this and consider only as a last resort when no other result is possible. This is what makes a Martial Art "an art" and can be a measuring stick as to an Instructor's claim of mastery at his own style of choice and his actual level of skill of said style.
Today we have confused many styles of malicious and careless methods of inflicting pain and bodily harm as creative means of applying or achieving self defense and have mindlessly categorized them as Martial Arts. Be mindful that the design of True Martial Arts was to ensure compassionate, honorable and proven methods to protect one's life and the life of others from the onslaught during the pursuits of their personal happiness and safety.
Make no mistake that self defense with deadly force may seem appropriate to some, with the depravity to which urban life has come, but consider them not as "Arts" and do not expect their practitioners to escape unscathed, whether in battle or by law. The ability for a practitioner to modify a technique and that technique remaining to be effective to its design can mean the difference between life and death; regardless of whether if it's theirs or yours. I encourage you to truly know your style and wield as an art and not just a weapon.
Tags: Self Defense Martial Art
