Underground
The StreetGround Historically, the only means to demonstrate that your martial art was effective were argumentation and anecdote. When I started martial arts in the early 1970s, it was all arguments. Taekwondo is better because legs are stronger than arms. Kung Fu is better because internal power is nearly limitless. Kenpo is better because it is the only gaseous art; if only the adherents making that case knew how true it was. The practice of martial arts was like the children of Lake Wobegone – all the martial artists were above average. Then the first UFC was held on November 12, 1993, in Denver, Colorado. It initiated the biggest change in the practice of martial arts since someone discovered a rock hits harder than a fist. The concept was as simple as wheels on luggage – if you want to find out what martial art works best, have exponents of different styles fight each other. Royce Gracie won it all, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu was hailed as king. Then Dan Severn and Mark Coleman showed that with a little breaking-in period, wrestling could be king, too. Then Maurice Smith kicked Coleman into bolivian, and kickboxing was rightly added to the mix. Since then, influences from a wide variety of martial arts have come in, including the world’s two most popular martial arts, karate and Taekwondo. Underappreciated, sometimes woefully so, are Sambo from Russia and Sanda from China. Today there is a very distinct body of knowledge of what works when facing a dangerous opponent. Call all that martial arts in the arena. However, the rise of cell phone video and security camera footage has opened up a second means to determine the efficacy of any particular martial art. Call it martial arts outside the arena. Martial arts outside the arena can be roughly divided into several main categories: •Self-Defense: The proportional use of force to protect against an unprovoked attack that objectively threatens imminent injury or worse. •Mutual Combat: Legal in only a few states, this is when two people decide to fight each other on the street, outside of any organized sporting context. There are typically some rules, either explicit or implicit, that include no weapons, and can extend all the way to punching only - no kicking or wrestling. •Challenge Matches: These typically involve a skeptic, who wants to test his or her own skills (in all honesty, it’s always a he) vs. a coach or fighter at a gym. •Informal bouts: Participants engage in bouts loosely held under boxing, wrestling, MMA, etc rules, outside of any established sporting organization. •Bouncer: Part of the job involves dealing with aggressive behavior or non-compliance with statutory or establishment rules. •Anti-Bullying: Use of force against bullying behavior that can range from Self-Defense, to Mutual Combat, to lesser degrees of initial force. These martial arts on the streets stories can provide tremendous insight into what works and what doesn’t, and like martial arts in the arena, it can be entertaining too. Train Judo Ground This forum is dedicated to the memory of Quincy “Train Judo” Rice. S&C Underground Welcome to the Strength, Conditioning, & Diet Forum ! BJJ Ground All about South American Ground Karate
