Martial Arts

I had an invigorating conversation with one of my students last week concerning the term ‘martial artist’. While I know I am not alone in my opinion on this subject, I suspect those who feel as strongly as I do are in the minority.

I don’t like how the UFC throws around the term martial artist so easily. There is no doubt that those incredible athletes who compete in the UFC are training in the martial arts, but I suspect very few of them are applying themselves in such a way as can be accurately described as artists.

Yes, I know I’m talking about semantics here and in most cases the term ‘martial arts’ is only meant as a generic definition of someone who trains in the martial arts. As I told my student - the more we allow the UFC and others to claim that term, we lose more of the meat behind what the martial arts are really about.

The Lloyd Irvine controversy should be a call to action for all of us who train in the martial arts. There is a difference between an athlete and an artist. Our training is no more than an exercise in athletic narcissism if its only relevance is in the ring.

“As you think, so shall you become.” - Bruce Lee (1940 - 1973)