bettergrowup asked: I'm just going by the assumption off the description that you do MMA. So far you are the BEST Mixed Martial Artist I have ever met because you understand more then the average Mixed Martial Artist. Just going by your desc and blog that is. If it isn't MMA then what do you do?

Answer:

I do MMA, but that’s not all I do. I do “mixed martial arts” in the purest form of that phrase; that is, I train in multiple arts - Kenpo, Krav Maga, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai - appreciating the fact that no one art is all-encompassing. I wouldn’t call myself the best by any means, but I think I understand your point. A lot of people who do MMA have little to no understanding of what martial arts is all about, and a lot of them are relatively clueless about styles or techniques or skill (much less history or philosophy), and rely mostly on their brute force and their ability to take a lot of punches to the face without falling over.

Two of the biggest problems with MMA today is: 1) a lot of people think MMA is the “highest” or “best” or “most complete” level of martial arts, when it’s really just a sport, with rules and regulations just like basketball or football, and is only one small subsection of the martial arts rubric; and 2) the rise in popularity of MMA has made it difficult for a lot of martial artists (and martial arts instructors like myself) to convince people of the truth that martial arts is a path of peace: we don’t train people to fight, but to better themselves and be able to keep themselves safe on the street if they ever need to protect themselves from an attack. Yet we see these “martial artists” pounding on each other and rolling around until one of them taps out or falls unconscious.

Don’t get me wrong: I enjoy the sport. I just also understand the very real concerns that go along with the sport.

—