Elite XC had a great opportunity with their prime time spot. It’s a shame that they blew the opportunity.

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.

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.