Hey UG what's up? Just a quick video with some of my thoughts on why traditional martial arts don't seem to work. What are your thoughts?
Traditional martial arts 'alone' doesn't work in MMA but incorporating the fundementals of the martial art into MMA does. That's why guys like Cung Le, Lyoto Machida, Gunnar Nelson, Michael Page and Ronda Rousey are so special. Their unique traditional martial arts backgrounds are clearly evident in their fighting styles. It's effectiveness only comes from the fact that they've implemented every other aspect missing from that martial art, specifically grappling and wrestling. Basically, it's like asking which tool is more useful/effective? A knife or a Swiss Army knife? Don't forget, traditional martial arts is what makes up "Mixed Martial Arts", so it's kind of dumb to say that traditional martial arts in general doesn't work when parts of it do.
I guess you should tell Lyoto Machida to stop practicing kata. And I guess Anthony Pettis or Anderson Silva haven't implemented ANY of the traditional martial arts they were brought up on.
Lyoto machida is not susscseful because of the traditional kata That he Might have practiced.
He is susscseful because he's been kicking and punching Since he Was a kid and his Sucsess in the cage doesnt nessceraily come from practicing moves (from kata) That are unlike anything he does in the cage.
What he does use in the cage is a mixture of his extensive tournament karate experience (which really hás zero to do with kata ) along with added experience of muaythai ,judo,sumo and basically training with and learning from many other great MMA fighters and trainers.
Most traditional karate people That advocate purê karate and kata do not train or adhere to any of the karate competition That machida hás been exposed to. 
Kindly - Traditional martial arts 'alone' doesn't work in MMA but incorporating the fundementals of the martial art into MMA does. That's why guys like Cung Le, Lyoto Machida, Gunnar Nelson, Michael Page and Ronda Rousey are so special. Their unique traditional martial arts backgrounds are clearly evident in their fighting styles. It's effectiveness only comes from the fact that they've implemented every other aspect missing from that martial art, specifically grappling and wrestling. Basically, it's like asking which tool is more useful/effective? A knife or a Swiss Army knife? Don't forget, traditional martial arts is what makes up "Mixed Martial Arts", so it's kind of dumb to say that traditional martial arts in general doesn't work when parts of it do.
Voted up!
Good video, OP. I'd add that the lack of hard contact drilling in realistic scenarios is the biggest problem. Traditional martial arts are fine. The people who practice them are the problem. 
WHAT IF... those practising traditional martial arts today are just REALLY shitty at it.
People like to say that Martial Arts has progressed more since 1993 than the previous 1000 years. I say we have actually gone backwards. 2000 years ago fights lasted no longer than 30 seconds and all ended like an Anderson Silva highlight video.
The traditional techniques don't work in the hands of today's fighters. But back then they had honed those Tiger Paws and Death Claws into lethal weapons.
GhostOfYuki - WHAT IF... those practising traditional martial arts today are just REALLY shitty at it.
People like to say that Martial Arts has progressed more since 1993 than the previous 1000 years. I say we have actually gone backwards. 2000 years ago fights lasted no longer than 30 seconds and all ended like an Anderson Silva highlight video.
The traditional techniques don't work in the hands of today's fighters. But back then they had honed those Tiger Paws and Death Claws into lethal weapons.
" 2000 years ago fights lasted no longer than 30 seconds and all ended like an Anderson Silva highlight video"
How do you know that. Did your master tell you that?
TDD -I don't think he's joking. Who gives out mma bb?DalyDentedDecimated'sDome -TDD - I think the reason why traditional martial arts are not working is being cause it gets nulled by traditional MMA. Take any mma Blackbelt and throw him in against a aikido Blackbelt and you'll see the mma throwing the dancer around.
in the name of the lord, where have you seen an "MMA blackbelt"? didn't know there was a belt system
are you joking?
mdrndaysamurai -I am a self appointed MMA Black Belt.TDD -I don't think he's joking. Who gives out mma bb?DalyDentedDecimated'sDome -TDD - I think the reason why traditional martial arts are not working is being cause it gets nulled by traditional MMA. Take any mma Blackbelt and throw him in against a aikido Blackbelt and you'll see the mma throwing the dancer around.
in the name of the lord, where have you seen an "MMA blackbelt"? didn't know there was a belt system
are you joking?
Kneel before me.
Traditional arts do work just fine. Muay Thai is about as old and traditional as it gets. Every culture in history has wrestling as part of it's traditions.
Or are you referring to arts trained in a gi with a lot of bowing? BJJ, judo and karate all spring to mind. All of them have been proven to work just fine in a cage. From Lyoto foot sweeping Couture and crane kicking the shit out of him. There have been numerous champions of BJJ and judo who crossed over and done fine. Lets not forget TKD, with many a fighter starting out there (Pettis ftw). Kung fu has Sanda which is probably one of the most bad ass kickboxing sports on the planet.
The only few I can think of that follow your paradigm are aikido, and Japanese jujutsu, a few systems of Kung fu like wing Chun and lau gar.
And there I already have your explanation. Those arts don't work because of the way they are pressure tested. Basically they aren't.
Pressure testing is the key to successful martial arts.
GhostOfYuki - WHAT IF... those practising traditional martial arts today are just REALLY shitty at it.Cant find any of these highlight videos you speak of on youtube. Are they on vimeo or live leak?
People like to say that Martial Arts has progressed more since 1993 than the previous 1000 years. I say we have actually gone backwards. 2000 years ago fights lasted no longer than 30 seconds and all ended like an Anderson Silva highlight video.
The traditional techniques don't work in the hands of today's fighters. But back then they had honed those Tiger Paws and Death Claws into lethal weapons.
Newaza freak - Lyoto machida is not susscseful because of the traditional kata That he Might have practiced.
He is susscseful because he's been kicking and punching Since he Was a kid and his Sucsess in the cage doesnt nessceraily come from practicing moves (from kata) That are unlike anything he does in the cage.
What he does use in the cage is a mixture of his extensive tournament karate experience (which really hás zero to do with kata ) along with added experience of muaythai ,judo,sumo and basically training with and learning from many other great MMA fighters and trainers.
Most traditional karate people That advocate purê karate and kata do not train or adhere to any of the karate competition That machida hás been exposed to.
So I guess he hasn't been kicking and punching since a kid in those katas. I'm not saying it's purely where he gets his success from, but I'm pretty sure they helped him develop the amount of muscle memory he has now to trip, sweep and counter the way he does.
sparring with resisting opponents is key to making a martial art work
ranier wolfcastle -This. TMA is often ineffective because practitioners only train on pads/dummies or with students who don't fight back but rather react in the way they're instructed to. It's basically a scripted performance.
sparring with resisting opponents is key to making a martial art work
ranier wolfcastle -Came to say this. Resisting opponents is what sets BJJ, MT, wrestling, judo and the "hard" karate styles apart. If you are not working with resisting opponents you have no way of knowing if what you are doing will work when you need it
sparring with resisting opponents is key to making a martial art work
Some great replies so far! I'm on the same page as most of you guys, my video is actually about the phrase being thrown around by people who don't understand the application of martial arts, traditional or otherwise. They key to anyone being prepared for a fight under any rules is realistic training.
Anyone who thinks I'm suggesting that people who train in traditional martial arts cannot fight is mistaken (and maybe didn't watch the video). I'm originally from a traditional karate background and I find it very useful.
Newaza freak - Lyoto machida is not susscseful because of the traditional kata That he Might have practiced.I disagree, I think his karate training is a primary factor of his success. His traditional low stance is very practical for defending takedowns and keeping a strong base (the judo and sumo helps also).
He is susscseful because he's been kicking and punching Since he Was a kid and his Sucsess in the cage doesnt nessceraily come from practicing moves (from kata) That are unlike anything he does in the cage.
What he does use in the cage is a mixture of his extensive tournament karate experience (which really hás zero to do with kata ) along with added experience of muaythai ,judo,sumo and basically training with and learning from many other great MMA fighters and trainers.
Most traditional karate people That advocate purê karate and kata do not train or adhere to any of the karate competition That machida hás been exposed to.
His ability to be elusive is transferred directly from the style of karate. His angles, movement, feints, and traps are a result of karate being a more defensive-based art. Remember when the main objective in fighting was to hit your opponent and avoid being hit yourself?
That's his style. That's why people get frustrated at his lack of volume sometimes, because he is primarily a counter striker whose attacks are based off the mistakes of his opponent. His kicking technique (no wind up) also originates from his karate background, as well as his mental discipline and focus.
His trips derive from judo, and the strong base he developed there (along with sumo and karate) allows him to take down bigger guys. His mental fortitude gives him an edge, and his fight IQ gives him the ability to see tiny openings.
Chadderz - Traditional arts do work just fine. Muay Thai is about as old and traditional as it gets. Every culture in history has wrestling as part of it's traditions.Great post. LOTS of TMA's are very practical in MMA, it's mostly the guys that don't want to leave their base style and mix it in with present training methods that aren't successful.
Or are you referring to arts trained in a gi with a lot of bowing? BJJ, judo and karate all spring to mind. All of them have been proven to work just fine in a cage. From Lyoto foot sweeping Couture and crane kicking the shit out of him. There have been numerous champions of BJJ and judo who crossed over and done fine. Lets not forget TKD, with many a fighter starting out there (Pettis ftw). Kung fu has Sanda which is probably one of the most bad ass kickboxing sports on the planet.
The only few I can think of that follow your paradigm are aikido, and Japanese jujutsu, a few systems of Kung fu like wing Chun and lau gar.
And there I already have your explanation. Those arts don't work because of the way they are pressure tested. Basically they aren't.
Pressure testing is the key to successful martial arts.
Although most think of Anderson as a master of Muay Thai, his TKD developed a large part of his game. That front kick he landed on Vitor wasn't a Thai technique.
Just look at guys like Pettis, GSP, Machida, etc. Jones uses karate techniques, along with Lawler (most don't realize), McGregor, Thompson, Cruikshank, and a lot of others. This includes guys who don't have a TMA background, but do demonstrate traditional techniques in their fights.
....……………OK