Originally posted by StyleTime
I said "mostly" because he said stuff like he studied Lau Gar, which might be true.I'm trying to be fair and balanced.
uhuh
Edit: Have you noticed that most of the "MMA is impractical" sentiments usually come from Kung Fu stylists? It's strange since kung fu is frequently accused of the same thing by nearly every other style on the planet.
I rarely see legitimate Judo or Karate stylists lash out at MMA. Then again, they have way more representation and successful fighters, so maybe they don't care as much.
It's highly impractical. Whenever you seek to check your opponent by use of aggression and brute force, you set yourself up for defeat.
There isn't much about most forms of Gung Fu that are impractical - unless they aren't applied properly.
In the variation of Lau Gar I learned, we use sweeping motions with one arm to block incoming strikes and it's very effective.
It's a type of circular motion that some types of Karate also use.
It takes defense to a progressive and kinetically-active level, rather than just standing there and holding one arm up against your head, and waiting for your opponent to decide which part of your body he wants to smash in that particular moment of time.
- That's most of the defense in MMA, which is derived from western boxing.
Typically when I spar against a friend who practices MMA, he does that sort of thing, and it allows me to control the tempo of the fight.
Then he goes in close after I block everything and tries to slap a submission on me, during which time, with his hands planted on my body, I fire a precise strike to an exposed part of his body, or use a joint-lock to break away and re-position myself.
I've noticed that while MMA seems to be mostly very primitive, it is slowly adapting techniques found in Gung Fu, such as foot-stomps or backfists.
I remember seeing a bout where the spectators made a big deal about the backfist, even though in Gung Fu and LG to be sure, you learn it within the first year and it's a casual technique.
What is fantastic to them, is something very mundane in Gung Fu.
Also, if I use MMA and defend myself from an attacker by trying to have a drawn-out boxing match with them - punches to the body and head, that may last minutes, I'm doing myself a disservice.
If I use Lau Gar and defend myself from an attacker, my positioning my body in sync with his, and delivering a single punch to his eye-socket, planting him to the ground in agony, I'm achieving the technical usage of the artform and saving time, motion and energy in the process.
I can see why Judo exponents wouldn't lash out at the MMA world - seeing as many of it's practitioners have that artform blended into their mix, and as a close friend who practices Sanchin-Ryu Karate made me aware, there are a few fighters in professional MMA that practice Karate such as Chuck Liddell and Lyoto Machida.
I think aside from the Shorin-Ryu Sensei at the beginning of this thread, many Karate practitioners don't prefer to bash MMA perhaps because a few of their own favor it, and it might be out of respect.
There are advantages to MMA that many classical arts don't have - number one is the lack of "stickiness" or combat-paralysis that a person typically unfamiliar with the constant and sporadic encounters many MMA people endure, would not have.
Training in a Dojo or Gwoon for an extended amount of time, practicing pre-arranged forms and exercises can construct you into a formidable fighter, but it won't prepare you for a random and hostile environment that MMA practitioners are arguably more used to.
So they do have that going for them. That, and I believe the strength of MMA lies obviously not in it's striking formulas, but in it's ground-fighting capabilities.
The ability to neutralize someone without even landing a single punch, or doing life-threatening damage is invaluable, and MMA fighters do it beautifully.
So, overall is it as affective as Gung Fu?
Not so much - but perhaps in a more diplomatic setting where you can't afford to gouge someones eye out in order to win, MMA might be just what you need.
But before I go, I should address what might be MMA's biggest weakness, and that is it's inability to take on more than one opponent effectively.
Western boxing, where it's striking techniques are chiefly derived from, was mostly developed over time, into an artform that excels and is made for mostly just one opponent.
Add more opponents to the mix, and the techniques start to lose their potency.
Another is the fact that if you go the ground with an opponent, in order to submit him - another person, or three, can quickly come up behind you, kick you in the head, and kill you.
If you use a form of Gung Fu, like LG for example, you keep the fight on your feet to deal with these problems effectively - you use advanced countering techniques with your hands, and you use your available mobility to maintain influence in the situation.
According to a friend who studies a different form of Gung Fu, the northern styles are really good for this and utilise more motion for defense.
In any case, as the years go by and move past in decades, you will see a dramatic change and evolution in MMA, as it will re-acquire and re-adapt different techniues that exist in artforms like those in Gung Fu, and develop and evolve into a more complete and technically-sound organism.
Essentially, the MMA you see today is the animal Gung Fu was thousands years ago.
Hoped this shed some light. 🙂