Hello, I'm Adrian. And today we're taking a look at 10 martial arts myths!
We begin with one of the most popular comments on my channel when I started making martial arts
content a couple years ago. I would usually talk about a martial art, and then the comment would
read something along the lines that said martial art I was discussing, wasn't a martial art at
all. This happened with Krav Maga, Jeet Kune Do, Ninjutsu, and even Boxing, among others.
And they all have their own reasoning behind it. Krav Maga is not a martial art because
it was developed in a combat setting and isn't meant for sparring. Jeet Kune Do was meant to
“transcend” martial arts. Ninjutsu is an art of espionage and infiltration, not fighting.
And Boxing is focused on punching, so it therefore isn't a martial art.
While some of these statements do have aspects that ring somewhat true,
it certainly doesn't disqualify their respective style from being classified as a martial art.
The simplest definition can be found at Encyclopedia Britanica which defines
it as any of various fighting sports or skills. But as a martial artist myself,
I tend to find Wikipedia's definition much more accurate. At its core, martial arts are codified
systems and traditions of combat practiced for any number of reasons, be it self defense,
military and law enforcement, competition, physical and mental entertainment, etc.
And if you want to get even more technical, some experts have gone
on to define a martial art as having to possess the following qualities,
1 – That it be used in a war like setting, or self defense, or combat situation.
This obviously deriving from the world martial. 2- That it have a codified system of combat
practices. The techniques aren't random. 3 – It enables a practitioner’s mental or
spiritual development. It gives you that sense of confidence, of mental fortitude.
4 – That it preserve some kind of cultural heritage.
So let's go back to the previous examples and see how they all fit in this definition as well
Krav Maga is used for self defense, as well as miltary and law enforcement.
The techniques certainly aren't random either, they are systematically taught and based off of
your natural movements in a self defense scenario. It's also the shining star of the Israeli Army,
and it's techniques are taught in both both civilian and military settings.
Jeet Kune Do was developed by Bruce Lee and was based on his knowledge of Wing Chun,
a form of Kung Fu, one of the oldest branches of Chinese martial arts.
Bruce Lee's thoughts on martial arts are probably the most well known too,
always seeking some form of personal reflection or enlightenment.
Boxing can be used in a warlike setting, has incredibly consistent and codified techniques,
and dates as far back as to ancient Greek and Roman cultures.
Ninjutsu is a proud part of Japanese culture and
finds its roots in stealth and espionage in a warlike setting.
So bearing all this in mind, why do certain practitioners
still refuse to label certain martial arts as such? It's a complex situation,
and probably has more to do with some martial artists wanting to feel more special than others.
It may sound silly, but this is a very real sentiment that certain practitioners feel.
This will be explored in depth further on in the video. But for now, let's dispel with the myth
that certain martial arts aren't actually martial arts for x y or z reason. Because they are.
This is probably one of the most fundamentally misunderstood pillars of martial arts. For some,
the word martial art only brings to mind people breaking 10 boards with only one strike.
Or Jean Claude Van Damme delivering yet another dazzling jump spin hook kick.
Then there are martial arts that barely involve any movement at all and are mostly close quarters
techniques, usually involving punching and heavy use of elbows. Some are based on ground combat.
And as such, certain martial arts get lumped into some sort of ethereal category full of complex
looking and acrobatic techniques that are labeled fake, and others are thrown into the real pile.
But this is a very misguided and factually incorrect way of looking at these martial arts.
For example, in Taekwondo you are taught a vast array of amazing kicks. But you are also
taught simple to execute techniques, like the roundhouse and side kick, that are powerful and
useful in a self-defense scenario. So while you probably wouldn´t throw the aforementioned jump
spin hook kick to defend yourself, you could very easily throw a side kick to the gut, or the knee.
The acrobatic stuff isn’t fake, it just has its time and place. It’s extremely hard to land a
kick that complex in a real world scenario, but it’s not impossible. And God help whoever is on
the receiving end of any spin hook kick. Just see any Taekwondo knockout video. Those are very real.
This goes for other martial arts with flashy techniques as well, like Wushu Kung Fu,
they have plenty of acrobatic techniques, but they also have
techniques that are quick to execute and designed to work in everyday scenarios.
And then you have martial arts that don’t really have acrobatic techniques,
arts that are hyper focused on self defense, like Krav Maga, or Jiu Jitsu,
as almost every single one of their techniques is not flashy at all. Most of them are tailored
to self defense situations, like defending someone grabbing your wrist, or your lapel,
or even threatening you with a weapon. This is usually why they get labeled as real martial arts.
But at the core of it all, is that all these previously mentioned martial arts
are very real. They are not fake just because they can be acrobatic.
This is a very common and easily understood feeling amongst people who have never trained
before, and relates a lot to the previous myth. You look at someone like Michael Jai White,
Scott Adkins or Bruce Lee, and you think that fighting that well is something unobtainable and
too complex. Maybe all you want to learn is how to throw a good punch or move well in a fight.
The great thing about martial arts is that each style has its own specialty
and so many techniques crossover into one another in teaching you how to fight. And
within every martial art there are many degrees of difficulty within the techniques.
Some are easier to perform than others. Some require plenty of training, some not that much.
But depending on how much you train, it´s how much you will get out.
Martial Arts teach you how to defend yourself, and there are some that are even dedicated to making
your opponent feel little to no pain, such as Judo or Aikido. Judo literally means the gentle way.
However learning how to strike and grapple is not the be all end all purpose to martial arts.
When you are training you gain balance, speed,
strength, endurance, and confidence in knowing that you are not helpless.
Or even rise through the ranks if your chosen style has them. You'll gain even more benefits.
You will likely be more dedicated, and more driven to achieve your goals.
And you’ll also learn about your own body and see which techniques are best suited to you.
The benefits in training in martial arts are simply innumerable
While there are several techniques within martial arts that are quite effective in
preventing certain attacks, unfortunately there is no one technique, deadly or otherwise, that will
always save you from a self-defense situation, or guarantee victory in a fighting situation.
The technique may not land, the environment you’re in may work against you, you may not
have enough time to execute it properly, your opponent may know the exact counter to the
technique you are throwing, your opponent may be too strong and resist it, etc, etc.
There are dozens of reasons that something could go wrong and your one technique just won´t work.
So while it is great that you know that technique really well, it´s definitely
not a good idea to place all your confidence into it and not bother learning anything else.
Achieving a legitimately earned black belt in any martial art is no small feat.
It takes years of dedication and thousands of hours of practice. However, it is naïve
to assume that just because you achieved that rank you are effectively unbeatable.
There are far too many variables in a fight, or in a self-defense scenario,
and many of them have nothing to do with your belt rank. Where are you fighting? Is
he bigger or stronger? Is your opponent also a trained fighter? Is he former military?
So while having that black belt, and when I say black belt I mean the knowledge and skill
that comes with it, will most definitely give you a leg up in almost any fighting situation,
it does not guarantee victory at all.
This myth is one of the bedrocks of martial arts films. It’s awesome to see our action
hero dispatch wave after wave of enemies, but this isn’t an accurate representation of what
would happen. While learning martial arts is very beneficial, and would theoretically allow
you to fend of multiple attackers, it is highly unlikely this scenario would work out. Yes,
there have been situations that have been caught on street cameras where the lone martial
artist is able to fend off completely untrained attackers, but this isn’t an everyday occurrence.
What will most likely happen is that you will get blindsighted and attacked by someone behind
you or completely out of your line of vision. Or someone will bring a weapon. Or his six
foot 7 friend. In other words, it becomes more and more unlikely that you can win this fight.
If you´re trained, you will be able to defend yourself,
but you can still be overwhelmed and attacked in the back of your head, as well as your sides.
Any one of those hits in a real world scenario could be fatal.
And unlike in the movies, in real life they won´t take turns in attacking you.
Also brought on by martial films where the smaller skilled hero defeats the stronger
and bulkier villain. Unfortunately, besides films, some martial arts schools also use
this in their marketing, claiming that if you learn their techniques,
you can overpower someone bigger and stronger than you. And similar to the point above,
while this can theoretically happen given perfect circumstances, it’s not guaranteed.
Maybe the bigger and stronger opponent is just as well trained as you are.
So now he has you beat in strength, size, and skill. Maybe he doubles your weight,
so many of your ground fighting techniques just physically won’t work on him because
you don’t have the leverage to execute them. Maybe he’s simply too strong
and can resist your counter attack. Again, it would be foolish to assume that because you are
trained you can take down anyone, even someone that is both bigger and stronger than you.
In sum, you are much better equipped to deal with this threat than someone who is untrained,
but you still are fighting an uphill battle.
Sadly, there are several practitioners out
there who enjoy putting down other martial arts that aren’t their own.
I’ve seen it in the comments on my channel, and have read it on forums, and even heard it
firsthand as I’ve trained in multiple styles over the years from other practitioners.
As with all the other myths on the list, this one is factually untrue. Every single martial
art has it’s strengths and weaknesses, that’s how it is. Therefore none of them are useless.
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And now lets go to our number 1 myth in martial arts
Just as mentioned previously, go to forums, or search online,
and you will find absolutely no shortage of people claiming that this
one particular martial art is the best there is, and nothing else comes close.
The truth is, as stated previously, every martial art has its strengths and weaknesses. Want to be a
wrecking ball when it comes to using your fists? Take up boxing. Want to focus specifically on
weapon self-defense scenarios? Try Krav Maga. Maybe you want to be a master at grappling
techniques, Judo or Wrestling would be amazing. Or maybe you want that grappling experience, but
you also want that emphasis on ground combat, Jiu Jitsu would be perfect for you. Perhaps you care
more about kicking, then Taekwondo or Savate would be right up your alley. Maybe you are extremely
interested in wrist locks, Aikido would be excellent in that kind of training. Or perhaps you
like striking with both your arms and legs, Muay Thai would fit perfectly. And so on and so forth.
Note that all these martial arts have strengths in certain areas.
But by that very nature, that means they have weakness in others.
Martial arts that focus on grappling techniques often include little to no striking techniques.
Striking martial arts often feature very little to no grappling. Martial arts that focus on
self-defense usually have no sparring in their classes. And martial arts that have a bit of
everything usually don´t have the depth needed to be proficient in everything. Etcetera, etc.
Furthermore, getting past the innate strengths and weakness of every style,
it also very much depends on your teacher, your training, and your particular skills.
In a vacuum, all these martial arts are theoretically effective,
it just also depends on how skilled you are and in what conditions you have to fight.
So there is no such thing as the best martial art. All martial arts have strengths
and weaknesses, and their effectiveness is directly linked to the scenario at hand
as well as the skill, speed, and strength of the practitioner.
Which myth on the list had you heard of before? Which myths have you heard of recently?
Let me know in the comments below and be sure to check out my Top 10 playlist.
Subscribe for more awesome content, and see you next time!
This Episode of Top 10 was sponsored by Skillshare