Is Traditional Martial Arts too regimented for our times?

Shaolin Kung fu

The term ‘Traditional Martial Arts’ doesn’t come up often nowadays. Except within the MA (Martial Arts) circles and in MA monthly magazines...

It refers to Martial Arts as it was practiced 70 to 100 years ago. Where you joined a school, it was kept sacred and you followed the rules to the letter. Anyone disobeying was punished or thrown out of the school.

It was also hard, hard, hard, with no considerations for life outside of your training. Your life was about training.

Martial Arts Worldwide

But round about that time it started to spread around the world to a much higher degree than before, and was practiced as a hobby by people who had jobs to go to and lives outside of MA to lead.

It was this along with breakaway schools and practitioners that have watered down the original methods of training.

In our modern world now. You still have schools that call themselves Traditional practitioners of the art. But this usually means they adhere strictly to the methods that were handed down and don’t accept any watering down of their system... It is in effect, the kick was performed this way 800 years ago and so that is how we’ll perform it now.

Although, these schools, in the western world anyway, have had to let go of the all encompassing nature of the art and accept that people, their students have lives outside the art.

A 'take down' in Karate

Martial Arts Today

The modern version of MA is what you see in most high street MA schools today. They may call themselves a Karate School or kung fu School, but are quite open to adding and modifying the techniques they practice with both other style’s they come across with effective techniques.

Or sometimes a modification of their technique that has proven to be ineffective in this modern day we live in now.

‘What has caused our openness to mix styles and modify our individual MA styles?’

A lot of people will name Bruce Lee and other Film stars of the modern day; Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Donnie Yen for demonstrating the effectiveness of a modified style where the best elements from each style are rolled into one.

Bruce Lee being the most popular pioneer of this ethos.

MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)

Enter MMA in the early 90’s, the cage came to our screen and we saw karate, Kung fu, wrestlers, ex boxers, practicing Judo artist, kick boxers and off course Brazilian jiujitsu  from the Gracie Family all thrown into the cage and which style came out victorious?

Well in that early 90’s era. It was the Gracie Family. Royce Gracie in particular, was able to literally take down contenders from each of the disciplines above and get them to submit.

Wow! So, Bruce Lee was right! When we saw him take down Kareem Abdul Jabber with a choke hold in the Film ‘Game of Death’... This was what he was alluding to.

Well MMA continued to develop and change over the years and the winners now are not specifically of any discipline. But instead are mixed martial arts experts who literally take the best from all the different disciplines and systematically hone each area to make them a well rounded fighting Machine. Throwing out unwanted baggage in the process.

It’s all about me

Ok... So you have to ask yourself the question. ‘What do I want to be and why?’

For me I practice Martial Arts as a way of life and use it as much to keep fit, keep the stresses of life at bay, have the health and vitality to come home after a day’s hard work and still have energy to spend time with the Family in a spirit of energetic joy (not too tired to do anything). 

And, of course I also enjoy MA competitions which are of the semi-contact nature. Where I know if it goes terribly, unimaginably wrong... I may come home with twisted ankle or dislocated shoulder.

In the final analysis

To answer the question; “Is traditional Martial Arts too regimented for our times?” My answer will be it depends on what you want...

If you are a purist, go find a traditional martial arts School, if you like the structure of a unique system with a bit of flexibility to adapt and try new things,  that are available. And finally if you can’t be bothered with the traditions; bowing, honour, kata (solo demonstration of MA techniques). Then MMA or Kick boxing may be for you.

This is by no means exhaustive, there are scopes of history that has brought us here... But a very rough guide it is



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