I’ve been a martial artist for as long as I can remember, and I hope that I always will be one.  I never really expected to see a the community get shaken up the way it has been by MMA.  One thing I’ve noticed a lot lately has been good, long-term, martial artists beginning to question whether or not Traditional Martial Arts have a use, or even a future, in a world where MMA is king.

I’ve seen teachers contemplate leaving the art, because the students only care about fighting in the ring.  I understand how they feel.  Many martial artists dont like seeing their art become a sport, others take issue with the lack of spirituality, and yet others feel that martial arts should be something else entirely.  I’ve been torn on the subject myself.  I dont know that there’s really anything wrong with MMA, other than the name.  If we could get the “Martial Arts” out of it, I think there would be a lot less contention in the community.  Unfortunately I really doubt the name is going to change at this point (and while it would help, I’m not sure that it SHOULD change – the name is technically accurate, even if it is being used for sport).

I’ve seen experienced martial artists question what the point is of studying a “Traditional Martial Art” anymore, because they are incomplete styles and you need to cross-train to pick up the gaps anyhow, so why not just do straight MMA?  Especially since it seems to be so effective in the ring.  I think this is mostly misconception.  Most martial art styles ARE complete styles.  The real problem is that (at least in the US) they’ve been watered down, and had a lot of components removed.  We need to bring them back.  I certainly wont argue that cross-training can be a great idea for a martial artist, but it isnt quite the same as MMA training.  MMA trains you for a specific thing – competing.  Martial Arts training does not (or should not – if you are then you’re doing a sport, and then you might as well do MMA).

Basically what it comes down to is this: “Traditional Martial Arts” are going to become a niche activity.  All the people who were just in it for fitness, or were just in it to compete, will probably migrate over to MMA.  If you run a school, this could be a big problem.  Either start offering MMA, or accept that you’re probably going to have to slim down quite a bit.  For teachers and students, I see this as a time of opportunity.  Rededicate yourselves to fully exploring your style.  Find the stuff that got left behind years ago and bring it back.  Become a better Martial Artist, and stop worrying about what the MMA guys are doing.

One thing that every martial artist wants is to stay in good shape.  It doesnt matter they are an instructor, a student, an actor, or a fighter.  That said, just because the need and desire to stay in shape exists doesnt make it easy – even for martial artists.  Putting together a good workout routine, for when not in class or specifically in training, can be extremely challenging.  Is weight lifting a good idea?  What about cardio?  There are a lot of questions that need answering.  Thankfully, I’m here to help.

I’ll start off with one of the most common areas of confusion – weight lifting.  It is not the solution to every problem, and it is not your enemy.  In martial arts, you generally do not want to bulk up.  Why?  The bigger you are, the slower you are.  Now, if you are on the scrawny side (like I am) then bulking up a little can be ok – just dont overdo it.  What does this mean?  Use a lighter weight, but do higher reps.  This will help with your stamina, which is important in a fight/sparring match.  Find a weight you are comfortable with, and do lots of sets with lots of reps.  You can gradually increase the weight if you want, but dont go crazy.  I have a Bowflex, which I think is perfect here.  I get the best of weight and resistance training combined.

Cardio is the most important thing a martial artist can work on.  Period.  I should probably end this paragraph right now, because I’ve said all that needs to be said, but I’ll explain anyway.  If you are training, or sparring, or fighting, or whatever, your muscles will stop getting all the oxygen they need, your heart rate will go up to try to compensate, you will start breathing heavier, and you will turn red and be done before you’ve started.  Cardio will help teach you how to breathe properly, it will help get your heart into proper shape to pump all that oxygen-filled blood around to your muscles, and it will help you keep going.  My recommendation for working on cardio?  Well, aside from the old standby of running/jogging, practicing stationary punches and kicks is a great way to do it.  Yes, I’m serious.  Try getting into a low stance and throwing 100 kicks with each leg without taking any breaks – you’ll work up one hell of a sweat, and refreshing yourself on the basics of your style is always a good idea anyway.

Do you have a heavy bag?  Why not?  Get one.  See how long you can go hitting a heavy bag before you become exhausted.  At my peak, I could go for ~45 solid minutes.  Great for cardio.  Not only that, but you can learn great control on one of these (try to punch the bag at full speed, but only tap it), and get a better feel for what its like punching something other than air.  Also, if you can manage to bob and weave appropriate while hitting the bag (no, you shouldnt just stand in front of it like an idiot and pound on it), you can get a great workout going for your core – which is another absolutely vital area for a martial artist.

Yes, I’m going to talk about your core now.  The most vital area for a martial artist to train is the core.  This is where all of your speed and power comes from.  It is also a vulnerable target, so building up muscle here is key.  How?  Well, first thing is… breathing!  Yes, that’s right.  You know all those kicks and punches you are doing to work on your cardio?  Well, while you’re doing them, make sure to stomach breathe (and breathe out hard on those punches and kicks!).  This will work your ab muscles.  Do situps/crunches with resistance.  Trust me – the first time you get punched in the stomach and dont double-over, you’ll thank me.

Bodyweight exercises are fantastic, and can be done pretty much everywhere.  What do I mean?  I mean, exercises that use your own weight as resistance.  Pushups are a great example – do lots of pushups.  Do lots of pullups.  Do dips.  These simple little exercises will keep your blood moving and help keep you in proper condition.

I hope this helps answer your questions, and good luck!

Choosing a martial arts school is very different from choosing any other kind of training because there is actually no single regulatory body for such schools. Anyone can easily acquire a business license and set up a martial arts school in a rented studio. Even the Better Business Bureau does not help much in this regard. That is why you have to be extra cautious in selecting these schools and should not make money or convenience your prime parameters in making the decision.

The following are some things that you have to look into:

The Expertise of the Instructors

Since just about anybody can start a martial arts school, there are several people who just have a fleeting knowledge of the art into the business. You have to make sure that the instructors in these schools are professionals. Depending on whether or not you want to compete, it can be great if you find someone who participates in competitions to train you. These are the people who really know their stuff.

The Camaraderie between the Instructors and the Students

You may not give this a lot of importance at the start, but this is a highly significant factor. You have to get personal attention when you are learning something as sophisticated as martial arts. Most martial arts schools have a viewing area, where you can seek permission to visit. You can watch classes in action from here and see how the trainers are handling the students. You can even get permission to speak with the students while they are still in class.

The Martial Arts Style

If you are a beginner, you may not have a style yet. A good martial arts instructor will suggest what kind of style you might begin with. You can schedule appointments with them so that you can speak about this. As a beginner, be wary of schools that offer to train you in several styles at once.  Focus on a single style until you learn the basics.

The Affiliations

Though there are no overall controlling bodies, there are some worldwide institutions that martial arts schools can be affiliated with. These are specific to particular martial arts styles, such as the World Karate Association and the International Tae Kwon Do Foundation. See if the school you are choosing has such an affiliation. If it has, it could be an excellent choice for you – this will often make it easier to keep your rank should you need to change schools due to a move.

The Fees

There is a world of difference in the fees that these martial arts schools charge. Though your budget is important, do not make that your only consideration. You will find schools that charge $100 a month as well as schools that charge the same amount per hour. The important thing here is that you should be comfortable learning from the school and they must have the necessary expertise.

Recommendations

This is the best way to select a martial arts school. Ask among your friends if they have ever taken any classes. This will give you a good idea. You can also check out online forums – there is an abundance of them – where you can find out the truth about what goes on in particular martial arts schools.

Do not be hasty about your decision. Learning martial arts can be a life-changing affair. Take care and make sure that your decisions are right.

Mixed Martial Hype?

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is revitalizing the world of martial arts.  It is bringing a newfound interest, new practitioners, and new media attention.  The question is, is it also destroying martial arts as we know it?  This might seem like a silly question, but it is on the minds of traditional martial artists everywhere.  MMA is in danger of becoming something of a cross between professional wrestling and professional boxing, and dragging the rest of martial arts with it, whether we want it or not.Is it too late?  Maybe, but maybe not.  Let’s see what got us here in the first place.

MMA started out with something interesting.  A bunch of guys of different martial arts backgrounds were getting together to compete – to see who was the best.  This was great, and very in keeping with what martial artists have always done.  Gradually, it started being more about just winning – regardless of what style you used.  Right around this time, the migration to Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu began.  Someone found a combination that worked – that won – and everyone else jumped on the bandwagon.  Now we have competitions of a bunch of people all doing the exact same thing – it is now just about who is the strongest.  Now, strictly speaking, there is nothing wrong with that.  If that’s what they want to do, more power to them, right?

Unfortunately, life isnt that simple.  With things like UFC, mixed martial arts started getting a lot of attention.  Special MMA schools started opening up.  Traditional martial arts schools found themselves unable to get new students, because everyone wants to train for MMA and if your school cant do it, it must not be any good.  So of course, schools started adding MMA programs.  As a result, traditional martial arts programs have been falling by the wayside.  The spirituality, and the combat effectiveness (depending on the particular style) are being lost, and what we are winding up with is another sport.

Of course, to some people this is a good thing.  To me, it is not.  I want martial arts to be more than a sport.  I want it to keep some of its old glory.  Maybe we’re becoming too modern a society for real combat arts, but I dont think so.  I think it is just a continuation of the monetization and greed that permeates the world these days.  All hope is not lost, however.  There is something that can be done.  The teachers and the schools (and hopefully the MMA bodies like UFC) need to establish something – that MMA IS a sport: proclaim it from the rooftops – and that Traditional Martial Arts are not the same.  The schools need to resist the urge to make that extra buck and try to keep their arts/styles pure.  Otherwise, us regular martial artists, with no desire to compete, will be driven effectively underground – and that would be a shame.

I hear it all the time, on the internet and in person: “I really want to get into martial arts, but I dont know which one to do.”  It is understandable.  Most people just think Karate when they think of martial arts.  Then when the time comes to pick a school they are suddenly barraged by new data: Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, Karate, Jiu Jitsu, etc…

How is someone with no martial arts experience supposed to figure out what to take?  Unfortunately, we martial artists tend to make the problem even worse by extolling our own styles to the detriment of the others.  It doesnt need to be this way.  There IS a martial art for everyone, and I’m here to help you pick the right one for YOU, not for me.

The first thing we need to do is sort out the main points of the major styles.  This will involve a lot of generalization, but at least it will get you pointed in the right direction.

The current major martial arts types are:

• Chinese
• Japanese
• Brazillian
• Korean
• Thai

There are, of course, many other types of martial arts – phillipine, indonesian, and even american – but they can generally be associated with the characteristics of one of the main types listed above.  Once you figure out which main type best suits you, it will be easier to figure out the less common ones.

Chinese: Do you dream of being Jet Li or Jackie Chan?  Do you really like graceful, flowing moves?  A Chinese style may be for you.  While movies are generally not the best place to look to find out how things REALLY are, kung fu movies arent as far off as you might think.  Chinese arts tend to take longer to master, and are not well suited for people looking to learn some quick self-defense.  On the plus side, Chinese arts cover pretty much everything – striking, grappling, you name it.  Size doesnt really matter in Chinese styles, but speed is important so you can definitely expect to lose some weight.  Unlike most other types, the Chinese arts are split up into “Internal” and “External” styles (or Soft and Hard styles).  Internal styles include Bagua and Tai Chi.  External styles include Shaolin, Wing Chun, and Jeet Kune Do.

Japanese: Ever since The Karate Kid, Japanese styles have pretty much ruled martial arts in America – at least until fairly recently.  Japanese arts are comparatively easy to learn, and are fairly effective from day one.  It is also fairly easy to find a school (in some parts of the country you can trip over Karate schools).  Japanese arts tend to be a bit more rigid in their movements, but are certainly no less useful for it.  Japanese styles, like Chinese, cover the whole gamut of self defense applications.  Japanese styles tend to favor bigger people, as there is more emphasis on strength than on speed, but even little guys like me can get by without too much trouble.  Japanese styles include Karate, Judo, Aikido,  and Jiu Jitsu.

Brazillian: UFC anyone?  The explosion of Mixed Martial Arts has brought Brazillian martial arts (Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, specifically) into the forefront.  Jiu Jitsu is all about grappling, and the Brazillian schools are some of the very best at it.  Size doesnt matter so much with this sort of style, but if you want to punch or kick somebody it may not be the style for you.  Keep in mind that there is also Japanese Jiu Jitsu, so pay attention to which style your school teaches.  For the purposes of this article, I am referring only to Brazillian Jiu Jitsu when speaking of Brazillian styles.

Korean: Korean martial arts are HUGE in America, but most people dont know it.  Chances are if you know someone going to a “Karate” school, they are really learning a Korean art (Tae Kwon Do).  Korean arts are something of a blend between Japanese and Chinese.  They are more rigid than the Chinese styles, but focus more on speed than the Japanese.  Korean styles tend to heavily favor kicking and, as a result, taller people.  If you are looking for a martial art to compete in – that is a martial art that is more sport and a little bit less self defense – then Korean arts may be right up your alley.  Korean arts include Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, and Tang Soo Do.

Thai: Tony Jaa is the new Jet Li.  Thai martial arts (Muay Thai, specifically) took off for the same reasons as Brazillian Jiu Jitsu – Mixed Martial Arts.  Muay Thai is a brutal striking art (punches, kicks, elbows, knees) that is incredibly effective, but also extremely rough on the practitioners.  Size does not matter in Muay Thai – all that matters is the ability to dish out, and to take, punishment.  For this article, when I speak of Thai styles I am referring exclusively to Muay Thai.

You might notice I didnt bring up weapons.  There is a reason for that: you should not start a martial art for the weapons you can learn.  Learn a martial art normally first – and preferrably one that you like as a whole.  Then you can always take another style just for the weapons – you’ll learn it much faster once you’ve got some martial arts experience under your belt.  In the future I will write more on the weapons of the different styles.

If you wish to learn more about individual arts, I highly reccomend you head over to Wikipedia.  Eventually I will add detailed descriptions of the individual arts to this site, but in the meantime that should help get you going.