Revitalization of TMA?

[fenwick99]

re

The previous poster is correct in that most of the publicly taught arts extent in the US are less than 200 years old, and the most popular art (tkd) is really less than 60 years old. So by traditional, do we really mean old, or are we just referring to arts that wear gi's, break boards, and have belt ranks with promotion tests? Many eclectic karate styles less than 10 years old have gi's, belts, and promotion tests!
I will admit that many people who have trained in jkdc, muay thai, and especially standard boxing would have a hard time going back to color belts, promotion tests, and kimonos. Be that as it may, many senseis and sifus are aware of mma/ufc and know that kids will come to them with the expectation of learning some real fighting and not just power rangers kicks and reverse punches in pajamas. So it seems that, to me, the revitalization of tma is taking place quietly, school by school. Grappling, boxing hands, and the thai kick are probably being taught in more places than
we can now know.

[bodhisattva]

The previous poster is correct in that most of the publicly taught arts extent in the US are less than 200 years old, and the most popular art (tkd) is really less than 60 years old. So by traditional, do we really mean old, or are we just referring to arts that wear gi's, break boards, and have belt ranks with promotion tests? Many eclectic karate styles less than 10 years old have gi's, belts, and promotion tests!
I will admit that many people who have trained in jkdc, muay thai, and especially standard boxing would have a hard time going back to color belts, promotion tests, and kimonos. Be that as it may, many senseis and sifus are aware of mma/ufc and know that kids will come to them with the expectation of learning some real fighting and not just power rangers kicks and reverse punches in pajamas. So it seems that, to me, the revitalization of tma is taking place quietly, school by school. Grappling, boxing hands, and the thai kick are probably being taught in more places than
we can now know.

The thing is, that makes it no longer "TMA" Traditional Martial Arts.

Once you become eclectic, and stop teaching the nonsense, you have broke from the "tradition."

And more power to people strong enough to break with tradition.