Ultimate Fighting and the Military / Elite XC
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Asian American issues, politics, social issues, and…Ultimate Fighting. Well, most of these guys study martial arts, and martial arts come from Asia, so that’s why this post is here. Jaehwan is armed to the teeth with excuses to talk about fighting! In my own defense though, I know that kimtae, Rebel, Lopan, Catty, and others who are also big fans.
The NY Times had an article today on MMA and the military. Apparently MMA is influencing military culture. American soldiers are beginning to participate in MMA competitions, and the Army is beginning to promote and hold tournaments. The American military is using MMA to draw in their demographic, 18-30 year old males, and they are emphasizing the warrior aspect of fighting as a motivator for their troops. It’s a good article. Check it out.
I do think sports like MMA build character, but I wonder if it’s good for kids. If parents were teaching their kids boxing or karate, one would think it a good thing. These seem relatively civilized. But MMA? Even though most MMA fighters are extremely respectful and humble, the jury is still out on that one. Maybe it’s my own cultural bias.
In other news, Elite XC is taking place tomorrow night at 9 pm Eastern and Pacific Time on CBS. It’ll be the first time that a major MMA event takes place on American prime time. Kimbo Slice is fighting.
I’m ambivalent about this competition. While I think UFC needs some competition given the meager payouts to their fighters, it looks like Elite XC is taking the cheap route by showcasing a backyard brawler like Kimbo. It would be nice to see another fight league which is somewhat comparable in quality to the UFC. Pride was such a competition, but they had poor management, and the UFC eventually bought them. Strikeforce is also a good competitor, but I wonder if they have the promotional skills that the UFC has. We’ll see.
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nskripchun
1:56 pm | May 31, 2008I do think sports like MMA build character, but I wonder if it’s good for kids. If parents were teaching their kids boxing or karate, one would think it a good thing. These seem relatively civilized. But MMA? Even though most MMA fighters are extremely respectful and humble, the jury is still out on that one. Maybe it’s my own cultural bias.
My thinking about the rise of MMA is along similar lines, jae. While I can respect the “sport” aspect of MMA, I think it’s appropriateness for children is rather limited both for reasons of health and character. MMA is a full-contact, very physical sport, with emphasis solely on technique and efficiency (very Western martial ideas, I might add). Focus on “character development” isn’t the first priority.
On the other hand, traditional Asian martial arts (like wushu, taekwondo, aikido, judo, etc.), when properly taught, come from a different philosophical standpoint - the idea that any training should focus heavily on the mental toughness and spiritual strength. Having a sound mind creates a sound body, or so the thinking goes.
I believe this kind of training can be invaluable to kids and young people - even though I grew up in a Christian household, a large part of my self-discipline was developed by studying martial arts in “traditionally run” kendo dojo with a sensei who always began and ended every practice with Zen Buddhist-style meditation. He would also take the time to share his insights about what he observed during practice, pulling examples like “So-and-so had a difficult time practicing today’s technique, but she never gave up trying and looked for ways to correct herself. You all should learn from her example.” Most martial art teachers understand that their students most likely won’t be using the physical techniques in their day-to-day (though some days, whipping a sword out at work might actually seem rational…), but that training that students receive mentally and spiritually makes them better equipped to deal with other kinds of the conflicts.
jaehwan
11:14 pm | May 31, 2008Skrips,
Excellent observations. Thank you so much for that. I liked your observations about kendo.
A few years ago, I was bored and decided I’d try to get back into martial arts. I visited one gym which had a BJJ/wrestling type of feel, and after talking to the instructor (not “sensei” or “sifu” since everyone is on a first name basis), I looked around their gym on my own. There was a picture of a bunch of kids in a class, and they named it something like “Power Fighters” or something like that. They had smaller pictures of them doing all kinds of wrestling pins and stuff. I suddenly had all sorts of thoughts about kids going to school with knowledge of how to beat people up and break other kids’ arms. Needless to say, I felt very uncomfortable. Mind you, I personally know how to do judo stuff, but I was feeling really weird with the idea of that knowledge being taught to children.
You’re also totally right about the lack of character development. Look at this. Ralph Gracie wouldn’t even touch gloves. I understand that everyone wants to win, but seriously…where did the respect go? (Though I think Gomi earned it back ten seconds later…) I hope I’m not generalizing, but you only see this kind of thing among those who primarily practice non-traditional arts–people like Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz, and even Royce. Machida, St. Pierre, Liddell, Fedor, Anderson Silva, and just about everyone else whose primary style is traditional, don’t act like this. Not all nontraditional people are disrespectful–Couture is one of the most polite guys out there–but it seems like the traditional arts impart a level of respect that speaks as loud as the technical skills.
So I’m glad someone else feels the same way I do about this. It’s great for entertainment, and it’s useful for self-defense and combat motivation, but there are certain elements that are lacking which make it less suitable for kids.
awong
2:47 am | Jun 01, 2008Elite XC seemed worked/fixed tonight…
jaehwan
2:58 am | Jun 01, 2008That was the worst MMA tournament I’ve ever seen. Bad fighters (”Robbie Lawler wasn’t re-signed with the UFC after losing 3 in a row, and now he’s our champion!”), bad announcers (”These fighters are great!”), and bad refereeing (That Kimbo fight was definitely a fix.). I don’t see them staying around for very long.
Elite XC had a great opportunity with their prime time spot. It’s a shame that they blew the opportunity.
awong
3:54 am | Jun 02, 2008and there was a fingerpoke of doom! too many matches called early. But i still cant get into mma, idk its ok, but i dont care for grappling, still rather watch boxing, etc.
kimtae
10:01 pm | Jun 02, 2008Thompson got robbed. Kimbo will die come his first legit fight. Elite XC is fast becoming a joke. Strkeforce should be very wary of future co-promotions. I’d hate to see Cung Le get mixed up with that crap.
As for MMA and it’s influence on kids, well, most MMA studios are staffed by poeople who started out in TMA’s. Those schools all run the gamut from vbery good to McDojo. I don’t think the MMA schools are a whole lot different. You got your good and your bad and mostly in between.