What’s the worst martial arts myth you have to deal with?
cookiesrme asked:
As far as martial arts goes, what’s the worst myth, tall tale, lie, etc. that you find yourself constantly trying to stop from perpetuating? Let’s try to leave making the UFC out of this just for sake of redundancy. The myth I have the most problem with is the concept of being too old for martial arts (as if 16 was old!). Nobody has this irrational thought for other hobbies- like am I too old to learn poker? Okay, your turn.
Christian
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As far as martial arts goes, what’s the worst myth, tall tale, lie, etc. that you find yourself constantly trying to stop from perpetuating? Let’s try to leave making the UFC out of this just for sake of redundancy. The myth I have the most problem with is the concept of being too old for martial arts (as if 16 was old!). Nobody has this irrational thought for other hobbies- like am I too old to learn poker? Okay, your turn.
Christian
March 7th, 2010 at 7:45 pm
Isabelle
the MMA fighting has proved what works in real combat, not so much now because many of the fighters are equally skilled which is why it has become a sport. The fancy aerial techniques, and non sense techniques don’t work in real combat against somebody who knows what they are doing, and they don’t even work on people who don’t know what they are doing. There is no such thing as being too old for martial arts. I train with people far past their 40’s and 50’s.
The biggest thing I hate is that people get a black belt and assume they are a great fighter. You have 12-13-14 year old kids with black belts in Taekwondo, and do you really think these kids are going to be able to defend themselves against grown men. absolutely not. Your retarded if you think that. I’ve seen full grown adults with black belts get destroyed in a street fight against somebody who has never trained any martial art or combat system.
March 8th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Jocelyn
For me it is the use what works and discard what doesn’t nonsense, AND the stupidity about creating fighting strategies and having favorite moves…
EVERYTHING WORKS!!!
If you are taught correctly, your art will manifest itself instinctively when you are attacked.
If you repeatedly practice your art you won’t need to think about what to do and you won’t need to devise strategies.
This kind of thinking is destroying martial arts and limiting your knowledge base.
Then, there are the jarrods of the world who associate the garbage martial arts that are more visible with the real deal, which is less available thanks to the morons who changed and modified their arts and turned them into a cash cow.
You don’t like vegetables? Guess what?… YOUR BODY NEEDS THE NUTRIENTS IN VEGETABLES TO LIVE!!!
This is what cancer comes from – the destruction of plant based foods and the exclusion of them from our diet.
If I lost you, maybe you should not be learning martial arts.
March 12th, 2010 at 12:29 am
Robert
hello,
this depends largely on what you mean my deal with. in some regards, the need to deal with things is in itself a myth.
however, the myth that the more famous/well know/well regarded the instructor, the better the program.
everyone thinks that only a certain category of pedigree will do, when selecting a teacher. this is false. the best INSTRUCTORS (not fighters, not self promoters) are guys and gals most of you never hear about.
the common question is who gave you a black belt/where did you train. this information will only give you a vague idea of the skillset possessed by the instructor. in most cases, you are not training with the person being named. anyone looking for a name to associate themselves with, should just seek that particular individual out.
now, there are of course practical reasons for wanting a lineage. it adds the air of legitimacy. it adds the air of quality control. and if competing on a team, the head of that team had better know who you are!!!
an example of this is a guy that claimed to be on team renzo gracie. this guy not only didn’t know renzo, but didn’t even spell the name right (spelled in henzo, as the pronunciation in portuguese/brazilian).
unfortunately, in every system, there are (even very famous and highly rated) instructors that sell belts. so even having a champion pedigree can mean squat. if you are learning, that is the important thing. most people aren’t world champions, and being so isn’t a requirement for teaching anyway.
martial arts is like any other business… buyer beware. check instructors out, and give ‘em a try. either it is for you, or it isn’t. but if you are training with someone just because they associate with a name you have heard of, well, you are in it for the wrong reasons.
as you gain even a little experience, it will rapidly become apparent whether or not an instructor knows what they are talking about.
DO avoid people that flat out refuse to tell you. even if they are legit, they may be hiding something like a criminal record (like harassment charges or touching kids) from a previous school. this happens.
thanks
March 14th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Ariana
1. That there actually exists an ultimate system of martial arts.
2. That MMA has proven what the best arts to study are.
3. That being a black belt makes you some sort of super human weapon.
4. That martial arts, at their basic foundation, are all about combative fighting.
March 15th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Kayla
Where do I begin? My first favorite myth I have to dispel is one that you see me do quite often on Yahoo answers. The myth that you can teach martial arts on the internet. Most people here on Yahoo answers seem to believe you can. (Hear me out). If I were to ask some people here what’s the best website to learn from, they’d jump and say, Can’t learn it on the internet. But if I ask I’m a kid who has a fight tomorrow. How can I win? the same can’t-learn-it-on-the-internet people jump in with their whole Kick him here and punch him there, and that will really show him. Okay. Can you learn on the internet or can’t you? Your lip service says you can’t, but your conduct shows that you seem to believe you can. Okay, it’s more of a pet peeve than actual myth busting. But hell, it really annoys me.
Myth number two I like to dispel. I call it the one size fits all myth. Myth goes something like this Take Judo. It’s the best. EVERYONE can learn Judo. Or if your bias isn’t towards Judo, you can insert any style you want there. It’s really weird. It’s like we’re so obsessed with the superlative, that we’ve blinded ourselves enough to slap the good, better, best label on everything. Even things that don’t have a good better best, like Martial Arts. It’s based entirely on the individual, their interests, their personality, and what they want to accomplish with martial arts.
And number one is….. Kata are totally useless. That’s only true if you didn’t bother to learn their application and take the time to use the application against a partner. Otherwise, they can be very helpful. Especially in remembering moves. But like I said, you have to know their application. That means, you have to take time and train with a partner, in real life scenarios to know how and when they would work.
March 15th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
Andrew
like what others have said, that people think that black belts are the ultimate fighters.
i also hate it when people start talking about BJJ and MMA as a bunch of guys just rolling around on the ground
i have also heard people say that doing these sports is just a waste of time.
March 17th, 2010 at 10:49 am
Brayden
There are many:
* Am I to Old to start training in ???
* A black belt has mastered the art
* A black belt is an expert
* Does a black belt have to register his hands as deadly weapons.
* You become a master when you reach XYZ rank
* You are a Sensei when you are a black belt that teaches or reaches a certain rank
* XYZ is the deadliest art
* What art can beat this technique/art/style
* XYZ is the worst art
* Traditional martial arts no longer work in todays society
* My master can pull your heart out and show it to you before you die
* Styles are either Hard or Soft
* Aikido is worthless as self-defense
* Kata is useless for teaching you self-defense
* Pressure points are of not use, Or pressure points are always deadly.
Many more but this covers the ones that come to mind right now.
March 20th, 2010 at 10:17 am
Sofia
To defeat ourrselves.To defeat the evil inside human’s inner heart.That is the hardest part of martial arts.
March 23rd, 2010 at 6:47 am
Kimberly
the one that immediately comes to mind is the movie myth about trying to strike the nose bone into the brain It’s just not physically possible no matter which way you turn it
March 26th, 2010 at 11:14 am
Gianna
The age thing does bother me. Especially when it’s asked by people younger than me. But the worst probably come because of Naruto or Avatar cartoons: how do I open my chakras to use my chi or whatever. Also things like the Samurai/Shaolin monks/Vikings/Apaches/whatever were the greatest warriors in history. I mean, if that’s true, why didn’t they conquer everything? Also the idea that karate was developed to defeat armed samurai. Again, if that’s true, how come the Japanese still own Okinawa? I dunno. Maybe as a History major I just see some of these things with a different eye. Also about half the claims made about MMA. That those who participate are in it for the money (there’s no money in it); that they don’t know any martial arts (most are black belts); that it’s the end of civilization as we know it (have you seen Pluto Nash?) I don’t care if people aren’t fans, but make sure you know what you’re talking about when you criticize it.
March 29th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
Steven
-That Muay Thai is the best striking art.
-That Brazilian Jujitsu is the best grappling art
-That MMA could defeat any art or is the best martial art.
-Tae Kwon Do is all flash but (FOR F*CK SAKE, learn the HISTORY of that art)
March 31st, 2010 at 5:50 am
Natalie
There isn’t one myth… There’s a million that I hear all the time…
1) When you get a black belt you magically get a million times better in your martial arts ability…
2) That after four years you are entitled to a black belt…
3) That martial arts is for kicking someone @$$
4) After two years of training once a week you are an expert…
I could go on and on…
March 31st, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Adrian
There are a lot of martial arts misconceptions. I teach a Hong Kong based street-fighting system. What I’ve found to be one of the worst martial arts myths that I work to debunk is that training in sport-based martial art such as kickboxing and/or wrestling will make you ready for a street situation.
Approaching a self-preservation situation with a sport mentality gives the individual a false sense of confidence on the street. Training for realistic self-defense is much different than training for a rules-based combat sport.