Chuldow Squad Pages

ART OR SPORT?

What is a martial art?
I suppose it means different things to different people, a hobby? a sport? a way of life? The term martial art is made up of two words, �martial� and �art�. I think to start we should look at the definitions of these words.

Martial � of or appropriate to warfare, warlike, brave: fond of fighting (from the Latin martianus of mars)

Art � a human creative skill or its application, human skill or workmanship as
opposed to the work of nature.( from the Latin ars / artis)

From these definitions we can see that a martial art should be a human skill or its application to war / warlike behaviour that is not natural. Now, does this mean that what we are doing is un-natural and therefore wrong? Does this mean that everyone that participates in the martial arts is a thug and
likes violence? I think not. Most people that study �martial arts� do not actually study an art but rather a sport, another definition is in order,

Sport � a game or competitive activity, especially an outdoor one involving
physical exertion.

So a martial sport could be seen as taking violent and warlike movements and making them into a competitive environment for the sole purpose of getting fit and having fun, which do you do?

Everyone enters the martial arts for different reasons, all of which are valid, from self defence to sport, to recreational purposes. But do any of us do it to stay alive as it was originally intended? I think not, and therefore do any of us actually practice a martial art or are we just participants in a martial sport? Every movement you learn in kata and technique is done for a reason, from the slight foot movements to the use of two arms to bloke that could be done just as effectively with one, but how much have we lost over the years? In all fairness I think this question is all a matter of time. When we first learn a kata we bloke a kick or a punch, when we advance through the dan grades we could see the same movement as a wrist lock or a throw. None of theses bunkai / applications to technique are useless everything is needed and everything is valid, everyone has something to offer. It�s like the glass half full / empty debate, it all depends how you look at it!

As for the relevance of martial sport, is it needed? Can it be applied? Or is it a waste of time? Can you make a blitz work in a self defence situation? I know I can�t! But again it�s a matter of perspective, anyone that has been hit by Gwiz blitzing knows it hurts and can do serious damage so for self defence it may not be relevant to me but for him maybe it is. I don�t care if your Mohammed �I�m hard� Bruce lee, if Gwiz hits you with a reverse punch your going down, one of my students (Scott Ramsden) can hit me with 5 and I�ll stand there smiling, but in the time Gwiz,
or any of us, can blitz he can hit you with an O goshi hip throw regardless of your size. Does this mean a hip throw is more realistic than a blitz? Does that mean traditionalism is better than innovation? Say it with me now �it�s all a
matter of perspective� are you getting the hang of this now?

Is sparring relevant? Quite simply, yes! To punch someone takes skill, timing, technique and control, whether you are sparring or defending your life. Sparring teaches you to control your emotions, it teaches you about special awareness and it teaches you to throw good technique in a heated confrontation, all these are needed for self defence. Is sparring important? Depends on what you want out of training. I wanted to win tournaments when I was younger so I did. I gave all my training time to sparring and preparation, weekends were spent at tournaments and I even fought for England! Twice! But then I had a change of heart, I came in the form of especially three men (you know who you are!) who showed me that what I thought I knew worked, didn�t in a pressure testing situation. The distancing, timing and stuff were all kept but the technique changed. I found kata that I had applied
for sparring suddenly took on a new meaning to me, and that combined with my sparring experience helped me make my technique work in a different situation. Any one that knows me knows I don�t rate Bruce lee but he said some thing in one
of his books (the Tao of jeet kune do) that I think is applicable here,�When you�re on a journey, if you need to cross a river you use a boat. When you get to the other side, you don�t carry the boat on your back, do you?� does this make any sense?

What ever path you take in your training you must commit yourself totally, no one path is the right path and no one person knows it all. Self belief is one of the most important ingredients in the recipe for success but over confidence is a fool�s best friend! As Tsun Tsu said in his book the art of war �if you believe you will succeed, you are right. If you believe you will fail, you are still right.� And to quote another common clich� �a kyu grade learns the basics, a dan grade makes them work� interpret these how you will.

To conclude, know one can give you an opinion, they can merely help you form your own. No one can make beliefs but you. And no one makes rice pudding like my dear old gran! Everything is needed, and everything is valid but just remember,

Its all a matter of perspective.

By Matt Kemp (2nd Dan)