MMA vs TMA: Traditional Martial Arts | ART OF ONE DOJO 

My Art: American Kenpo My 3 Favorites Aspects: - I love that it teaches so many variations of basics. We the punches, kicks, and basics of most systems, but presented in a way to understand how they work and then we ultimately choose which works best for us. - I love the positioning we do that checks off and guards against the opponent's body, and using their own body lines to trace and contour for guided strikes or grappling. - I love the concept of "Point of Origin", in where we don't have to load up strikes and each move we do sets up the position for the next strike. What I don't like: I feel Kenpo is weak with the weapons. Both in training and in defense. They feel like a major afterthought. There are many Kenpoists who are really good with weapons but as a base curriculum, I find the weapon defense severely lacking. Also Kenpo does not have a built in ground fighting system so that is a definitely vulnerability however many schools are adding in grappling programs to counter this.

My first art: Judo My 3 favorite aspects: 1. Immediate positive results. 2. Confidence builder. 3. Quality people. 3 things I would change: 1. Nothing...I love the sport. 2. Everything...I strive to seek wisdom. 3. The "Sport" and "Self Defense" aspects need to be better defined and developed. The "Art" is ever evolving. As a small example, "Kosen" Judo and "Kodokan" Judo should have their own categories in competitions just as the "Kata" of Judo does. Great video topic Dan Sensei 👍

Most trad martial artists crosstrain, and mma is a mix of trad martial arts. the real question is pressure vs no pressure testing.

Wrestling: 1) Toughness/ physical preparation: anyone who has ever tried to wrestle even for a couple of rounds will tell you how hard it is, it's really tough to explain because looking at it from the outside it really doesn't seem to be. I was in the best shape of my life when I wrestled 2) Bonding: I can only speak for my gym, but given the nature of the sport we respected and supported each other and the competition was very healthy. I was introverted to a pathological level when I first started to wrestle and the character I developed allowed me to make friendships that will last forever. Unfortunately, I didn't find that character building element in shotokan karate, which I practiced before 3) The relentlessness of the action: there just aren't any breaks, that goes a long way into building physical and mental toughness. What I would change: it's not that the lack of striking bothers me in the sense that you don't learn how to strike, but I look at the receiving end: as hard as the sport is, as a wrestler I just never got used to taking a punch or getting hit really hard, that's why you have to complement it with other arts. That I think is important in a street situation Complete side point: I would my sport to be better known, although it's not easy to understand how to popularize it Greetings from Italy, keep up the good work!

Ameri Do Te 1 It's the best of all and the worst of none! 2 I can learn how to kill, with my face! 3 After repeatedly practicing stomps and restomps to the groin, I am now sterile. Having never wanted to have kids anyway, this practice has saved me thousands of dollars needed for a vesectomy. All joking aside this is a great video. Also my real answer is below.

What I love about my art of karate- 1: The fascinating cultural history going back from the Ryukyu Kingdom all the way to modern Japan. 2: The depth of the art. Karate is a very rich art containing a large variety of self defense movements including strikes, throws, takedowns, joint locks and chokes. Yes, grappling techniques are absolutely a part of karate, contrary to common belief. The Okinawan pioneers of karate were adept wrestlers who knew the importance of grappling application in self defense scenarios. If you know how to properly analyze kata, you will uncover loads upon loads of grappling movements. This is one example of what I mean by “depth” of the art. It’s up to you how deep you go and how much you want to uncover. The study and mastery of even a single karate kata is a lifetime pursuit. 3: Depending on your goals, karate may be practiced as jutsu 術 (practical skill/art) or dō 道 (way/path) It may also very well be practiced as both. I find great beauty in this duality. The main issue I see with karate is how commercialized and watered down it has become. Thankfully, there is a fairly large movement in recent times to bring back practical karate and make it known there’s more to the art than kicking, punching and unconventional footwork.

Taekwondo: 3 things I like: - Terrific for building speed, flexibility, and stamina - Wide range of things to learn/do (sparring, forms, trick kicks) - Lot of competitions to get ring experience and go as far as you want 3 things that could be improved on: - Not enough full contact sparring - Does not incorporate takedowns/grappling - Modern/competition style is very light with little emphasis on power

I teach my students that if you can't learn from another martial artist or style, then you are not truly a martial artist.

Chen Style Taijiquan My 3 Favorite Aspects: - Most complicated art I've ever seen. There's a specific expression of power with every centimenter of movement with an overwhelming amount of strict rules and details for the body structure/alignment/movements to withhold. Very rich in applications - mostly for stand up grappling and striking. There are punches, kicks, elbow strikes, knee strikes, piercing fingers, sweeps, throws, joint locks, clawing, finger piercing, etc... - Cleverness: very clever and unique usage of joint locks/manipulation, sweeps, and mind games that I do not see often in other arts. - I like the idea of bringing someone to the ground while remaining standing throughout the whole process. That is preferable (and makes more sense to me) than trying to take someone the ground with me right from the start. Cons: It's a very slow art to learn due to its sheer complexity. Other arts have the advantage of being able to learn fighting sooner whereas Taijiquan is a long-term investment. But that investment is a cultivation of the body that other arts won't have. That's the sacrifice as it requires a lot of patience and bitter amount of pain.

My first art, shotokan karate. I love the sense of tradition that comes with the art; the emphasis on respect and courtesy, always becoming a better you; and the power, speed, and control you learn over your techniques.

My Art: Braziliain Jiujitsu My 3 favorite aspects: Ability to train full speed with minimal risk of injury. I started out in boxing and found sparing early was dangerous because my training partners and I would always escalate til we were throwing trying to knock eachother out. In bjj I can go full speed on a throw, takedown, sweep, pass, and even a submission with reason with my partners and opponents getting to say when enough is enough. These days I tap early to protect my limbs. Problem solving on the fly. This is the part that made bjj so much fun for me. In a roll I'm trying to advance my position, break down my opponents defense, and shut down escapes or leave routes of escapes that i have traps set. It makes the art so cerebral. Application to life. How the practice of being comfortable in uncomfortable situations goes a long way. Maintaining composure when life throws you a curve ball and how to problem solve your way out. I'd like to see bjj include some more striking mixed in.

My Art: Kyokushin Karate My 3 favourite aspects: 1. Physical conditioning, particularly of the lower body (which is why I started it) 2. Great bridge between traditional and modern karate. 3. Sparring. 3 things I would change: 1. Incorporate head punches into kumite and competitions. 2. Some emphasis on self-defense wouldn't hurt. 3. More time spent on philosophy, but that is not what people in general are after these days so I can understand why dojos won't spend much time on it. Thanks for the comprehensive breakdown and I for one can say that this was a good way to close the gap between TMA and MMA.

"First I wanna give you a task." I thought you were gonna say "Go outside and start a fight."

A lot of TMA aren't actually that old: Judo is 120 years old, Kyokushin Karate is 70 years old, Aikido was invented after WWII.

I practice Aikido What I love: Flowing movements. The fact there where no 'stops' in the movements really attracted me when I started, and it still does now, 10 years later. Seeing others not as the enemy, but working to a positive solution as much as possible. Not saying other arts don't give this, but this is what I like and learned from aikido. Feeling the moving connection with the body of your partner, through your own body. Not only feeling the intention of your partner, but also feeling connected with him/her in the present. What I'd like to change: I'd love more presure testing and a little less 'fixed' excersises. (And yes, I know randori exists…) Thanks for the vid! :)

My Art: Tang Soo Do (Karate) 3 favorite aspects: 1. It has practical self defense 2. a lot sparring 3. not as flashy as other martial arts, doesn't require high kicks or lots of unnecessary movement. What I don't like no ground fighting, It has some wrist grabs and throws, but it's mostly stand up striking. What i would change, less concentration on katas (forms) more cross training like judo or BJJ

Taekwondo 1. Strong and flexible kicks 2. Olympic sport 3. High intensity training Things I wish Taekwondo had: More punching and grappling techniques It lacks weapon training The art has become really boring to watch and even train in due to the rule changes that have been implemented over the years. 20 years ago it was fantastic, and tuff.

I practice Tae Kwon Do. Things I like 1. Strong on kicking. (no surprise) 2. Focus on self improvement makes it an art that can be practiced at any time of life, from children to people of advanced age or anything in between.. This applies specifically to forms practice. 3. My instructor does emphasize hand techniques more than some TKD instructors, and especially for practical self defense we do practice that more than some TKD schools. (that said,for obvious reasons, most of the practice punching full force to the head is on practice dummies or heavy bags.) Things that could be improved: The lack of a ground game is the obvious one. I get the sense that there is a vestigial grappling and ground game in our one steps, but we don't do practice sweeps, grabs, and throws sufficiently that I would say I am confident actually using them.

Discipline-World Oyama Karate (Kyokushin offshoot): Pros: 1. Emphasis on strength, power and endurance conditioning directly improves your physical fitness and mental fortitude. Which in turn improves how well you feel, look and move. 2. Sparring is done regularly (well at least in my dojo) giving you more time to practice your techniques under pressure. 3. Katas are easy to mentally visualize making it easy to practice the technique and feel you can defend yourself better. Cons: 1. Sparring is limited by not allowing punches to the head which can condition one 2. Grappling and ground fighting ability is laughable at best.

Not my first martial art but what I consider my core is Judo. •I love that it teaches confidence to shorter people, in some instances it even seems to favor shorter people • I love that it combines standing and ground fighting. • I love that there is always more to learn .even as a higher rank you can always learn so much more sometimes by teaching. ... • I dislike that Judo uses almost zero strikes even in combat style Judo ,however I look to better striking arts like Kenpo ,Taekwondo and even a little boxing for the strikes that I think will work best for my personal style.

Taekwondo Loves its aspect for kicking, i love how it feels when combination of hands and feet and other tools, and i love its values that it hold people who practice the art and sport too.

My Grandfather taught me Kali.. I love the Discipline, Power, and Beauty of the art. I know how to defend myself hand to hand combat and with weapons.. Some Martial Arts only teach you how to defend yourself empty handed. After I came to the U.S. I learned Muay Thai and Shotokan Karate.

Kyokushin Things I love from it: 1. Focus on training the body for physical toughness, athleticism and general health and even strengthens mental toughness. 2. Mix of traditional Karate from Goju Ryu and Shotokan while incorporating some modern elements like punches from boxing and leg kicks from Muay Thai 3. The curriculum is very diverse since its an art that tries at least a bit of everything; the standup fighting it's known for, Kata and Bunkai that incorporate some grappling and the body training I mentioned earlier. What I think could be improved: 1. The return of takedowns like in the original form of Kyokushin sparring and some more emphasis on grappling within sparring 2. A bit more emphasis on head movement and defence against punches to the head as that is lacking from our form of sparring 3. While Kyokushin initially borrowed some effective tools from other styles, it has somewhat stagnated recently and kind of been stuck in its own little bubble somewhat, this could be remedied by incorporating even more traditional karate elements and borrowing more things from other arts such as the muay thai clinch

My Art: Shotokan Karate My favorite aspects: fluid movement. The school I trained at didnt focus on point sparring or tournament more full contact and self defense. No flashy moves. Straight to the point. What I didnt like: My school didnt really believe in cross training. I went to learn BJJ and Judo but only accepted judo cuz it was also Japanese. There's a lot of techniques I had to learn on my own for kumite and sparring. Had to learn sweeps and throws on my own.

Probably one of the best, most balanced compare/contrast analysis of TMA and MMA I've seen. My base is traditional boxing. I currently train Krav Maga and Muay Thai. I have also trained Lethwei. I don't consider myself a practitioner of any, rather a student of all.

My art: Shotokan Karate Things that I like: 1. The emphasis on power generation through body alignment and movement; it's really like a masterclass in kinetics physics, and once you've understood, it works with everything. 2. The emphasis on defence, blocks and counterattack, both as a philosophical statement, "never attack first", and a practical one of staying safe, be perceptive, and strike when the opponent is at its most vulnerable. 3. The technical richness of moves you can find in all the Katas, suited to any and every situation. If I can say +1, being an athlete both at kumite and Kata makes a fantastic workout, and develops many different athletic abilities. What I DON'T LIKE is: 1. how 90% of the teachers and schools not only do not have an idea about bunkai, but don't have even the basic decency of admitting it, and the intellectual curiosity of researching it. That's why the art risks of becoming useless, but for those who wants to search, the gems are all there to find. 2. Also, kumite should be a little tougher, even if not full contact, and it would be better to do continuous sparring, with judges keeping track of points. 3. Finally, spending 1 hour a week to focus on applying moves against most common Street attacks would really make a difference, and it would be the reason people pay for

My art: ITF Taekwondo 3 Favorite aspects: - Organized structure - Focus on conditioning the body for flexibility, board breaking, cardio, etc... - Focus on character development and studying What I don't like: - Lack of emphasis on bunkai - Poor implementation of grappling techniques

Karate (shotokan) Long ranged strikes Timing and counter-attacks The ichigeki philosophy (aim to finish the fight in one decisive blow)

I learned Ed Parker's Kempo for about two years. Very early in my training, I learned a valuable lesson about martial arts that is also a valuable life lesson. I noticed that sometimes a brown or a black belt in another style would come and train with us but I didn't understand why such an expert in another style would train at our school -- they were already experts so what did they have to learn? Our teacher explained that each style had it's strengths and weaknesses and those people were with us to improve themselves by learning the strengths of our style that were weak or absent in their main style. I immediately gained respect for every style for what it could teach a person. This taught me that no matter how good you are or how much you know about something, there will always be someone who can teach you something valuable in the martial arts as well as in life. A person can be confident and humble at the same time. So, whether or not any particular style is effective in a combat situation, the really important things that the arts teach us may have nothing to do with fighting. This is why I encourage everyone to learn any martial art. For me, arguments about which one is "better", whatever that means in this context, are a pointless waste of time.

Goju-ryu, because: 1. Range. Close and distance. 2. Practicality. 3. Humility.

5th degree black belt in taekwondo. 1. kicking, I love high powerful kicks 2. Conditioning, I love using taekwondo as a form of exercise to make me a better and stronger person. 3. The five tenets of taekwondo. Perseverance, courtesy, integrity, self-control, and indomitable spirit. I try to follow the tenets to make me an overall better person. The one thing I would change about it is the sparring. They claim it’s full contact but no one goes full out because of the point sparring.

I study IKO kyokushin, have trained in WT Teakwondo, and have started Kuk Soo Won. My favourite aspects of all three Arts is the emphasis on self improvement. If i didn't enjoy these arts I wouldn't practise them. I not aiming to become invincible or good at fighting I purely enjoy the culture, discipline, and skill development/knowledge, that my chosen martial arts provide.

1. Partner work 2. Weapon forms 3. How we do a little bit of all styles

Basically it’s Mma (Pankration) vs Asian Martial arts. If you wanna talk traditional, Pankration was one of the first martial arts / combat sports and in the ancient Olympics since 648 B.C.

My art: Bajiquan My 3 favourite aspects: 1. My teacher, even though I didn't speak any Mandarin when I started he was very patient with me and through bodylanguage still was able to teach me a lot of the art until my Mandarin got better. Now I'm back in my own country and he still is willing to teach me using videos and text messages. 2. 闯步 or Rushing Step, the first technique I learned, it's the foundation to learn how to generate power from my legs in bajiquan and since I started practicing it again a lot of ankle and hip pains I had have pretty much disappeared 3. 小八极 or the Small Form, the first form that I learned almost all the basic techniques are in here and I like to practice in different "settings" slow to check my body mechanics, strong to see how much power I can generate and fast to see how well I can keep my technique while going as fast as possible

Boxing/Kickboxing/Muay Thai. 1. The mental wellbeing. 2. The physical traning. 3. Self Defense.

I hate how people have been praising MMA and putting down TMA. Without TMA there would be no MMA. You Sir have explained everything very adequately. Bruce Lee said, "Ultimately, martial arts is honestly expressing yourself." It's like you said about it's the practitioner that makes the style work. You gave me Bruce Lee vibes with your explanation. I subscribed as soon as I watched this video.

Best video on this subject on YT. Well done!

Kickboxing/Muay Thaï 1.Versatile-useful in competitions as on the streets (self-defence) 2.Accessible-No steep learning curve anybody can pick up. 3.If you have a background in other striking styles, it can be useful.

Qigong 1. Internal balance 2. Meditative breathing 3. Physical awareness I haven’t been practicing long enough to have any opinion on what I’d change.

My Art is Kyokushin Karate. What I love about it is the ability to be mindful when you spar, my Shihan preaches day and night on how kihons are very important in the martial arts and bunkai applications.

Fantastic channel Sensei Dan. 3 things I like about Shotokan Karate: 1. The Guiding Principles / Precepts / Philosophy - contained in the Dojo Kun (5 guiding principles) & the Niju Kun (20 rules) 2. The Discipline 3. The emphasis on Maai ( distance ) and speed Osu! Ken

My first art was Open Style Karate. 3 things I liked about it. 1, I was excited to take Karate lessons 2, Goiing to tournaments, 3 The training. The 3 things I would change about it are...well Im not really sure to be honest with you, I think it was a pretty good Karate style to start out in when I was 11 years old. Ive done a lot of other stuff since then, but that was my start.

Effectiveness lies not solely in the art but in the practitioner. My coach has always said that it’s about training, mindset, and gear in that order. The person with the superior mindset is the one that wins. Love the video, great stuff! And I’ve trained MMA for 15 years and what I love about my art is it’s simplicity/complexity. It takes the simple techniques and emphasizes their effectiveness. But it also creates or rediscovers more complex and advanced moves that can be practiced and perfected. It’s like an inexhaustible well the you never reach the bottom of.

TMA (various northern kung Fu styles) has my heart because of its focus on weapons and promotion of longevity. But, I go weekly to an MMA gym and it helps a lot with my intent in kung fu forms while rounding out my traditional learning.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 1. Practicality: the techniques are constantly pressure tested therefore each technique is instantly applicable in a self defense scenario if necessary 2. Stress inoculation: regular live sparring sessions prepare the practitioner for handling acute stress outside the gym 3. Cerebral fighting approach: the systematic nature of the style makes fighting much of an intellectual challenge beyond the obvious physical demand

Goju Karate: 1. Basics are useful at all levels 2. Concept of Go(hard) and Ju(soft)....similar to Yin/Yang 3. The katas have multiple functions including but limited to....Defense, Health, Philosophy, and Movement.

Kyokushin/Oyama karate 1.conditioning 2.full contact sparring 3. Links to the old arts

I’ll do my two main arts. -Boxing 1) it’s great with its hands this is the number fighting style for punching 2) the conditioning in boxing is amazing you’ll easily get fit for fighting doing boxing 3) it’s tried and tested every punch has been seen to work and you can see it’s affects with a simple RU-vid search. There isn’t anything I’ll change about boxing. I think it’s a good system. It’s always good to have a specialist in one area not a complete system. Boxers lack stand up grappling and ground work and kicking. Fortunately for the boxers they become so good with there hands that they can stop the fight without them going out there comfort zone. Muay Thai 1) very strong style and very practical when it comes to fighting using all stand up ranges. 2) again good conditioning. This is also a system where the fitness is there. 3) Tough sparring again it’s tried and tested. Again not a style I’ll change I like the sports been there own separate entities. Muay Thai is a powerful system but has no groundwork. When you really think about it MMA is just the glue you use to put several systems together. Wrestling is as old as humans themselves so wrestling is a traditional martial art. Same as boxing and Muay Thai. A lot of people go on about the street but a street fight is me armed with a base bat with my mate bob going after someone who hasn’t thrown a punch in there life. Street fights ain’t fare and you won’t get attacked on your terms it’ll be on your attackers and if you are attacked you should be using any and everything as a weapon.

My Art: Hung Gar Tiger and Crane Paired Fist. My 3 favorite aspects 1. Really tough Basic Training 2. Variety of Weapons 3. A lot of sparring with fists and weapons.

My art Is Shotokan Karate-do 1. It has helped me control and gain power over my disability (Ataxic/Spastic Cerebral Palsy) 2. It is a life long study (going on 35 years now) that has a deep and rich history 3. Every year I learn something new about my style even when practicing other styles and systems of martial arts What I would change, is the language it is mainly taught in. I think (and this is how I teach it) that it is easier to learn and understand if it is taught in the student’s native tongue. If you speak Japanese the style is easy to comprehend as it is not hidden behind words and phrases that you never use. A downward block is a downward block, a side kick is a side kick and Peaceful Mind Form 1,2,3 is... well you get the picture.

BJJ: 3 things I love 1) Submissions! 2) 100% live resistance training without getting punched in the face. 3) Suitable for my advanced age (39) One thing I wish it had more of: Grappling standing or in a standing clinch ( including throws, takedowns from Greco, Freestyle and Judo.) I think BJJ used to have more of that, but many schools don't focus on it anymore, which to me is a bit of a shame.

I'm an MMA guy and here's my take: I don't know much about Karate but I would love to learn and train it. It suits me alot better because I emphasize and like speed, agility and timing. If there were any good Kyokushin or Shotokan schools in my country (Singapore) that has Southpaw instructors, I would be extremely blessed. I freestyle and shadowbox single hand stick-fighting by myself and I absolutely love it. It's fun and thoroughly enjoyable. It makes me aware of openings, angles, footwork and counters. I'm always excited to go down my apartment and just do it. I am better at thinking first some sequences then trying it rather than just being in the moment and flowing. And that's actually ALOT better at progressing because freestyle sparring requires alot of sparring to 1) learn from mistakes 2) discover something new 3) trial and error 4) basic natural movements always repeating and being predictable This difference here is coming up with things in your head vs letting things happen and picking things up, getting used to and remembering them I can spend half an hour freestyling stick-fighting on my own and see the same things featured in a HEMA fight session done by experienced swordsmen.

🥊 Boxing: Footwork/balance timing counters

First of all, thanks for the shout out. Our next open mat is July 11th for anyone interested (CDC guidelines will be maintained as best as possible). That being said, current art: American Kenpo 1) Rules and Principles 2) Formulation Equation 3) Economy of Motion Dislike: lack of ground fighting which is why we incorporated BJJ. Also, I feel like the way we train makes the attacks more realistic and easier to adapt to the street, but that comes from other traditional arts. Great video, great content. Keep them coming! Salute.

I practice Traditional Wing Chun (William Cheung lineage) My 3 favorite aspects of the art are: 1. Center line theory 2. Use two hands at the same time. One hand for attack, one hand for defense 3. Attack to the blindside New subscriber here, keep up a good work Dan!👍

Art : Kuk Sool Won Likes #1 Hyung (Forms) Likes #2 Throws Likes #3 Wrist/Joint locks Dislike : Not much sparring, and the sparring we do is lite touch. I have a neck injury so lite touch sparring is fine for me, but I doubt any of the students in my system have ever been hit hard enough to know what it is like.. Years ago I studied Kempo, and we full contact sparred, it hurt, you didn;t want to get hit so you got better at defence. If I did not have a bad neck, I would take a kick boxing class to supplement my Kuk Sool training.

My three favorite things regarding my art of Jeet kune do combatives & Bagua are. They are principal based not technique based. They are combat or self-defense focused and functional/practical.

Bujinkan 1) The fact that we are taught how to climb trees, sneak, hide etc... and not just fighting. 2) I love the usage of distance. 3) I love the history.

Very well done!!! Loved it! Great job!

My Art: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: My 3 favorite Aspects: • Allows me to conserve energy while forcing my opponent to expend energy. • Closes the distance, minimizing the amount of damage my opponent’s punches can do to me. • Proves that leverage can be superior to strength in a street fight.

My first art: Capoeira My three favorite aspects 1) The kicks, it's a very kick leaning martial art from quexada and martelo to the more high flying stuff 2) The athleticism, not that you have to be a certain body type but it's a real physically invested style 3) Culture, I'm from Latin America the chance to learn a martial art made there was a chance of a lifetime and I don't regret my 5 years doing it! Cons: 1) no discernible self defense application 2) Lack of consistent exposure, my old club closed 2 different times 3) Need for flexibility so a significant amount of time is spent to stretching

My martial art is umi ryu karate (not a very widely known style) What I love about it: -the training is pretty tough. we really have that mindset of 'train through anything, even snow or rain'. that makes me push my limits and makes me tougher - through breathing techniques we focus our energy in the stomach, which makes you grounded to the earth (can't describe it better than that). I love how I can always rely on that. -It just looks fucking cool and through repeating all the kata, kihon and kumite your reflexes improve. People say kata are useless but I really notice how it improved my reflexes What I don't really like: My sensei is kinda stupid It's a small style, so there are no other girls my age, even not on other locations. My group are all adults, so I kinda miss the social aspect In short: I love the style and art but hate the dojo

i practice uechi ryu karate. 1 designed for self defense. 2 body conditioning and trapping games. 3 traditional okinawan style karate.

If we're only taking about physical/combat applicable things then speaking from my experience with Sabum Nim Minnifield's Tang Soo Do classes here are three things I like about Tang Soo Do: 1) High level of athleticism. Full traditional workouts are fairly integrated to include some degree of the following areas: flexibility, strength, endurance, cardio, SAQ (speed, agility, quickness), and techniques. 2) Good balance between hands and feet as weapons. We primarily practice hand and foot strikes during drills, and our forms include elbow and knee strikes. 3) Combat rhythm and a-rhythm. Our techniques either flow into each other or add power when they don't. Then there's when to apply it: My instructor stresses that we should strive to fight between the other person's rhythm, or be arhythmic to them. If we're practicing to a song, shadow box between the beats. What I don't like: 1) Lack of time to explore in class. We pour out a ton of energy squeezing in everything we need in class and we often can only have club class one day a week which limits ability to explore and techniques and application. 2) Not enough explicitly explained grappling techniques. We have a couple of take downs, but I find them difficult to understand and perform. TSD is almost exclusively stand-up striking with stand up escapes. 3) Missing pieces. We have spear hands but we don't condition our hands to strike in that specific configuration. We have elbow board breaks and elbows in our 1 steps and self-defense combos, but our drills don't include elbow strikes. We have feet blocks in our forms and one steps but don't explicitly drill them outside of that (though our stretch kicks may suffice as it's pretty close to the same motion). We have stretch kicks (front, inside, and outside) with axe pulls but we don't practice full crescent kicks even though some of our forms have what feels like a full inward crescent. I also feel that we're missing some important self defense concepts like headlocks, rear chokes, bear hugs, and weapon defenses, we get some knife defenses after black belt and aspects of our training are applicable but I feel like we're still missing explicit drills for some scenarios outside of forms. These little things make it seem like something is missing and useful tools are being left underutilized. Even with those complaints this is some of the best training I've ever had and it fills in some gaps left from other arts. I also find that some complaints are easily solved with a little cross training because it blends well with other arts. Again this is just my experience, and my understanding, in the club I attend, and not all clubs are the same. Grandmaster Pak asked everyone to demonstrate some light sparring during my black belt test and after my instructor and I sparred he commented "This is 'light' in Arizona."

My art is Bushikai Ju-Jitsu a school under the Jukoshin ryu jujitsu. My favorites aspect are: 1- Application of locks, 2- the use of pressure points and 3- the way it can be apply in real street application. I think that the weapon defence technique should be updated. They are all to defend agains a clean attack, Nothing for suddens cheaps attack

I study Xingyi quan, Taiji, and some wing chun and BJJ. I will focus on Xingyi Quan since it's my first art: 1. Calms me down, allows me to focus better. 2. Has practical applications, under the guise of animal forms. 3. Has a strong history and is derived from some interesting Chinese military concepts. If I could change one thing it would be something that I have noticed in a lot of chinese martial arts. It's that there is no clear standard, you can watch 10 masters of Xingyi and all 10 will have variations in their basics.

I'd suggest that the dedication of the fighter determines how much they get out of their art or arts, but their art or arts determines how much there is to get.

I do Baguazhang and Arnis. Been training for 12 years. Bagua pros/cons: 1. Enormous repertoire of movements: If it’s in TMA it’s in bagua somewhere. Yes, even ground fighting and weapons. 2. Focus on conditioning: sparing and weight lifting are essential to making bagua work. You must be strong and healthy. 3. You must become educated. You must learn anatomy, physiology, Chinese medicine, Taoist and Buddhist philosophy, Chinese culture, amongst other things or you will not grasp the whole picture. Cons: long learning curve. It takes about 5 years to be able to fight with bagua and only if you actually practice using it. My advice would be to study combat sports so you can see the parallels in your movements and strategies. Arnis: 1. 80-90% of the art is full contact sparing and two man drills. 2. Solo training involves simple effective movements (for weapons, empty hand, grappling) and hours and hours of footwork. Footwork is key. 3. Arnis can be combined with almost any other martial art to make it better. Change: don’t get obsessed with repetitive drills. Break away and fight with those sticks! Also your knife defense probably sucks and won’t actually work.

11:50 This is a great point! In fact it’s something that can apply to many aspects of life. You can’t create a symphony with one instrument, but any instrument can still sound amazing on its own. To understand the importance of high winds vs low brass you have to listen to how they contribute, majority of the time you’ll need a mix of sounds to play a song

My art ITF style Taekwondo Things I like about my art: 1) The wide variety of kicks 2) The forms 3) We do alot of punching to the head as well so we incorporate some boxing style hand work. Things I wish we did: Ground fighting. Although we do get some BJJ guys to come to our classes to teach sometimes I dont think its enough.

My Art: Shaolin-Kempo What i like: 1. The strong focus on self-defence. It's one of three pillars and because of that trained very often. 2. The felxibility of the self-defence technics. You are taught many different kinds of technics for the same situation, for example stricks, kicks, throws, takedowns, submissions. That is the case even on the ground. 3. It's kinda straight forward and still subtle (please bare with me). Most of the technics used in kata or partner drills are relatively easy to interpret even for a beginner. But when you stick with it long enough you will find more meaning and applications for the principles. What i want to change: 1. Please more sparring!?! It's just not enough. It doesn't matter if you can execute a combination perfectly, if you start fold like paper the second you get punched and knowing how to do an Armbar won't help you, if you have never done it under pressure. 2. Less strict regulations on the execution of each technic. Telling someone the rotation of their foot a few degrees of, if it does not lessen the technic itself is a little bit to much for me.

My styles are Shotokan and Choy Li Fut. CLF worked better for me because I was more mature and realistic when I studied it so it's what I'm going to write about. What I like about it (1) Fairly practical, we would learn techniques for different attacks and how to respond, some attacks didn't seem realistic but it gave you an idea of what to do and look for if you are attacked or grabbed. (2) Relaxed power, minimize the resistance when striking and putting body into it while keeping your balance. (3) The school I attended sparred a good bit and did have tournaments. Mid level sash tests have sparring with an advanced student to test your reactions. The things I'd change, mostly about the school but I may not have been aware of some things they may teach(1) Ground fighting (2) Spar against different styles (3) Be more open to cross training, it was a very traditional school and they considered studying at other schools disrespectful. I would personally love to learn American Kempo and some free style Japanese weapons too.

Plot twist: Maybe the art found in MMA is not so much a distinguish set of recognizable movements, but perhaps the art is found in its adaptability to evolve as well as the ability incorporate other arts. The art itself, which perhaps could also include a sense of philosophy is the training methodology to take something traditional and meld it with the ever changing modern times. Because you cannot see the art in it, does not mean it doesn't exist. "Those who were seen dancing were often thought crazy by those who couldn't hear the music." Friedrich Nietzsche

Kickboxing 1) kicking stuff 2) sparing 3) fitness

My art is Kempo. 1. The focus on control over power. 2. The philosophy of realistic pacifism. 3. The diverse array of skills to be learned. Jack of all trades. The school has changed since I moved away, well over a decade ago. The only thing I would change about the school back then? I think I could have benefited from a little more pressure training at times.

Kung Fu(Tiger and Bagua) What I love: 1) There is a big emphasis on building stamina and endurance 2) As an intermediate, I'm learning that Kung Fu is a toolbox form. They give you multiple techniques you can chain so long as you have an eye to both see and employ where they fit. It rewards the creative on the fly 3) When sparring, it's full contact. Due to that, I feel far more comfortable in a real fight due to the fact that I expect my opponents not to pull their punches. The full contact conditioning forces us to break out the toolbox in a way that emphasises efficient use of said tools. What I dislike: Kung Fu in general 1) You have some schools that take the Aikido route in regards to training, while emphasizing self defense. If you the self defense isn't regularly pressured or tested, it becomes conjecture or theory... You don't want to test it in a space outside of your control with someone who doesn't care about whether you live or die. 2) The use of mysticism as a sort of deflection from practical application. You can do both, but don't use one to invalidate the other. However, it hurts worse if your system can't defend you. 3) There is more stiff nosing about hard evidence of liniege VS pragmatism and innovation. We can both appreciate an art and also put in the work so that it isn't stagnant. I love the English proverbials made for the Kenpo curriculum. Its like it goes out of its way to make it make sense. It's trying to be understood and digested. That is noteworthy as it plays in the law of averages and the saying "the best point is the one that's understood."

You forgot the third category.... Reality based systems! We all know the first thing that comes to mind is Krav Maga, but there are other systems... Such as, Urban Combatives, Raw Combat International, Keysi Fighting Method, Kapap, Defence Lab, SPEAR System, Systema, or Rory Miller's system. Maybe you could do a video on martial arts like these systems that train for self defense, and not for tradition or competition!

I believe it's not only the lack of sparring and pressure testing that gives TMAs kind of a bad rep. There's also the issue that, at least in striking arts like Karate and many Kung Fu styles, the sense of some of the forms isn't fully known even to the experts. It's basically shrouded in mystery. Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing because if you dig deep enough, there's usually a meaning hidden in every single movement (or at least that's what I want to believe). So in essence, I think TMA schools should be more transparent about what they offer. They could explain for example if and how a specific taolu/kata/hyeong works in a sport fight and/or a real brawl.

That was so well said. When I started Traditional Japanese Jujitsu 30 yrs ago I loved the Joint locks , throws , and grappling. I was also never very flexible so I sure wasn't interested in Korean MA or any style with high kicks. But I loved learning about them and had tons of friends in traditional martial arts. We loved to compare and do friendly sparing matches. I always respected traditional martial artists. Then came the ufc and utube where everyone is a professional and knows what works and doesn't when all they have done is mostly watch it on tv. Respectful discussion like this does a lot to get the point across that each art has something to offer.

my favorite art is katori shinto ryu the first and most important thing i like about it is that it trains your awareness. When you can die from even the smallest movement of a sword you learn that you have to be hyper aware of the smallest movement and this transfers to any art you practice for hand to hand. My second thing is its angling, timing, rhythm, foot work and positioning these are concepts the apply to all martial arts i've found that when i was boxing that i would use katori shinto ryu stance position pivoting and angling to set up my combinations. And finally the higher and deeper aspects like mind training and philosophy things like zanshin, fudoshin, mushin. how to clear the mind when facing the opponent. How to develop and near psychic connection with them. harmonizing breath and breath power. Psychological warfare and overcoming the fear of death through the meditative like training. one thing i have as a contention about katori is that it does not do whats called tameshigiri. this is something that is as important to sword training as sparring is to hand to hand but for some reason we dont do it. i just dont understand why

It really does depend on the training and also the individual fighter's knowledge and experience. I've seen MMA guys beat TMA guys, and I've also seen TMA guys beat MMA guys. I remember seeing a Taekwondo black belt instructor who had a student, which decided to study MMA for a while and decide to come back and challenge his TKD master. The TKD guy, didn't even give him a real chance to set up shooting in; he took him down within a minute with a spin kick to the face.

I'm a shotokan karate practitioner. 1.It's very detail oriented as one detail can make a difference.(sometimes it can be a drawback in the style) 2.there is always something to discover it's an art of layers. 3.i can train bough traditional: sports or self defense. Martial arts politics that's what I dont like.

My art is Taekwondo (1st degree black belt) n there r my 3 favourite things about it. 1 - The variety uv kicks (personal favourite, the roundhouse kick) 2 - The different patterns 4 each belt grading 3 - The set sparring 3 things I wish I could include in my school more. 1 - 10-15 minutes uv meditation B4 the physical training in every session 2 - Introduce sum weapon training with wooden based weapons like bo staffs n shinai 3 - Invite other sensei with different disciplines 4 seminars 2 fuse our Taekwondo training with other techniques in like Judo or Ju-jitsu

I live in the province of Québec in Canada. I mainly practice aïkido Mochizuki. What I love about it in three aspects... 1-It evolves to stay connected with the reality we live in. 2-It's efficient without strenght. Only technique. 3-It's not focused on hitting but rather on shifting, unbalance then technique. So I find it very usefull for self-defense for everyone. The only other art I would do is JUDO. To have some ground control and improve my projections on grappling. I know people will say BJJ but I don't like the idea of staying on the ground in a street fight. I want to get back up fast and stay up.

So I do taekwondo my three favorite aspects of the art is as follows #1 I like how powerful our kicks are, having the speed and power to knock opponents on their butts. #2 The footwork is decent, sure it could be better but we can dart in and out on an opponent. #3 The kata/poomsae I like the idea that this can be applied as self defense plus I feel thay represent how tkd should be. One thing I would change is the one-steps I would want them to apply more pressure in there, ya know give some resistance rather than just standing there.

My arts: Goju-Ryu and BJJ GOJU-RYU pros 1) Wide array of techniques 2) Emphasis on “balance” (practically and philosophically) 3) Longevity GOJU-RYU cons: 1) Lack of pressure testing 2) Hierarchy - no questioning your sensei 3) Multiple opponents and weapons are not considered BJJ pros: 1) Heavy emphasis on sparring 2) Great for self defence - restraining someone is better than kicking someone in the face (in the eyes of the law) 3) Physically demanding BJJ cons: 1) Heavy emphasis on sport and competition 2) Lack of strikes 3) Multiple opponents and weapons are not considered. All in all, do what you love. Don’t get into fights unless you have no choice. A cage has a referee, but the streets have the rule of law. Stay out of trouble!

my main art is t tkd my 3 favourite aspect: 1. is a good mix betwwen traditional since you still learn it all, and combat sport since competition training. 2.i love that as you learn it and understand it you understand the flow of movements, and how they all are connected from the first punch to the 20th kick you make 3. it can be adapted, is not a purist art, since is a mix from many others art, the adaptation is good if you learn smth aside from it. 3 things i would change 1. teaching basic grapling techniques. ( yes i know, ground is death if facing more than one oponent,... but at least some dismounts would be good) 2.more focus on joint locks because they do teach us locks and throws that use joints but i feel it can be a bigger part of it 3. weapon defense could be improved, sure some knives defense are taugh but still lacks more techniques and drills, you cant just teach the moves without drills.

My current art: Judo My 3 favorite aspects: 1: It helps you stay on your feet and keeps your more aware of your ballance 2: Armbars and chokes 3: It focuses heavily on self improvement What I don't like: Lack of strikes to the body and face, I don't like the fact I need to learn seperate arts to get that and have a hard time finding Kudo MMA which fixes this issue with Judo by combining it with Karate. I also don't like the fact there is no double leg take downs or take down defense (atleast as far as I know).

Thanks for the comprehensive video, Mr. Dan! I was tired of the pitfalls of TMA, and the lack of structure in MMA, so I created my own style: Effective Martial Arts. Basically a belt system for MMA. Reading all you guys' comments, and from my own experience, I think it's clear what people want and need in a martial art, and it boils down to 5 things. These are the 5 things I like most about my style, which are also its 5 tenets: 1. Comprehensive. At the very least, you have to know the basics of Striking, Wrestling, and Grappling. 2. Principle-Based. Start with broad concepts, and add technical details in progressive layers of complexity. 3. Pressure-Tested. Practice with live, resisting human beings. Develop the ability to problem-solve in real-time. 4. SAFE. Don't get hurt. 5. Ever-Evolving. As an art, and as a practitioner, always look to improve yourself and your methods. Innovation. The traditional martial art I practiced before was Kung Fu, and to be honest, it was tragically flawed in all 5 aspects. So I did something about it. So can you. Mr. Dan, I think you are spot on regarding the importance of strength and conditioning, as well as pressure-testing your techniques, and cross-training to develop a complete skillset. However, I respectfully disagree with this "politically correct" attitude that is prevalent in the industry, which is to say that every art has its place, and they are all good for something or for some people. Yes, there is most often something to be learned from most systems, but if martial arts are to become more than what they are today, these systems need to evolve or die. On that note, an appropriate quote by one of the greatest business leaders of our time: Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it… Once you learn that, you'll never be the same again. - Steve Jobs Respectfully, Patrick Fulop Effective Martial Arts

BJJ: 1) I love how it relies on using superior knowledge of leverage and physics to defeat larger opponents. 2) I love the guard and learning how to fight out of the worst positions. 3) I love the culture of BJJ and how relaxed it is 1) I don’t like the idea that bjj is all you need 2) It doesn’t teach you takedowns or takedown defense unless you train them specifically 3) It doesn’t build toughness as good as wrestling (trade off of more laidback culture)

My Art: American Kenpo Karate. My favorite three aspects: - I love that the art teaches many concepts of angles and natural body movements- I love the forms that strengthens stances and moving at angles . - I love how ha art uses gravity and circular motions and utilizes the “ economy of motion” //// I do feel the need to strengthen ground fighting. As a 2nd brown preparing for my 1st rank promotion coming soon. I don’t see my self trading in ground fighting soon, can’t afford two schools. But I want to .

My art is Simmundo Taekwondo. It is a TMA of sorts, but is only 70-80 years old and created to put the best elements of different styles together. My three favorite things about Simmundo TKD are: 1. Encouraged cross-training: Simmundo was invented in the 1950s as a way to incorporate all the various schools of Korean martial arts under one banner. While no one element is superior to its original style (my kicks will never compete with those of Olympic ITF students), it leaves no stone unturned. In fact, it encourages students to try other schools and see what fits them. 2. It finds what fits: While there are specific requirements for belt ranks, students were encouraged to lean toward what worked best for them. Don't have the most flexibility and best kicks? We'll still work them, but also suggest you work punching and grappling for practical purposes. Remove weaknesses while improving strengths. 3. Practical Anatomy: My school taught basic anatomy and how it worked in martial arts. We didn't just learn a technique, we learned why it was the way it was, how it fit both the attacker and/or defender, what part we hit/defended with and what part we targeted, and why. The more advanced you got, the more technical. Some nights we practiced only one technique, but studied how the two bodies met and how it impacted both. It became more scientific than artistic at times. What I don't like is the absence of weapons. There is some basic knife defense, but weapons are non-existent, at least at the school I trained at.

It doesn`t matter and is not a question of better or worse. What most matters is the ability of being able to adjust to different styles. Regardless which style a fighter has, if he`s able to adjust to other styles he can be a good fighter.

My art is shaolin kungfu also yang and chen style tai chi. I love the constant challenge it brings physically and mentally. I love seeing me grow as a person and as a martial artist through the hard work I put in. I like the family aspect that all of us have inside and outside of school. The closeness the mutual respect we have for others and other arts. The fact that we aren't political. Come as you are train hard sweat and have a good time through the hardships of training.

generally I have 2 main arts. 1. Tae kwon Do 2. Wrestling Strengths 1. My legs are very strong and flexible tkd helps me to develop a vast array of kicks and when I kick full force it usually shocks my opponents. 2. wrestling is very free and independent , I move the way I want to as long as I win. The conditioning is also essential for any altercation. weaknesses 1. I am weaker in close range boxing. 2. It is difficult for to apply submission holds. I have found some ways to compensate. 1. I try to incorporate kung fu and hopefully okinawan karate. 2. I want to train in catch wrestling and sambo. I have gotten a little better but unfortunatly I have lost opportunities to find training partners.

Is my own version of Kajukenbo. Two different karate, small Circle Jujitsu Kempo and wing Chun and tiger claw kung fu

I think the comment I hate seeing the most is 'it wouldn't work in real life' because frankly, there are no guarantees when it comes to hand to hand combat. This is why I hate channels like Hard2Hurt that take the 'tough guy' approach and say things like 'oh groin kicks aren't effective' yet talks about how a jab will likely end a fight against your average drunk douchebag. The most important thing martial arts teaches you is to have the confidence and will to act where untrained people would freeze up or hesitate. There is no way to predict what technique will work in the moment, that's why it's up to the fighter and not the art, as you said in this video. You're not trying to start a flame war like other 'tough guy' channels, and I appreciate that.

I agree with everything he said, a real Martial artist doesn't limit themselves to a single style but practice what wrks for them, like Bruce lee said. I've train both mma and traditional ma arts , I've seen the best of both, And it's relative to the practitioner and how well train and skilled the individual are ,it just depends on your preferences... anything can wrk if you're pressure testing a technique and it evolves overtime such as mma which consists of tma.

Kickboxing 1. High cardio training 2. Quick learning rate 3. Live sparring My personal opinion I don't separate mma and tma to me it's just martial arts. Mma is just several styles mixed together although technically mma is a sport not a martial art. In addition I like the quote "train sport think street" Shame Karate combat hasn't had an event in forever