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TRADITIONAL vs. MODERN
by the Great Sage
Ever since Bruce Lee introduced Jeet Kune Do into the mainstream, traditional martial-arts has seen a decline. Now, with mixed martial-arts and other modern fighting systems, it seems as though people just want to learn “how to fight” right now. There’s less interest in the spiritual cultivation or the traditional value of techniques.
In truth, Bruce Lee like many modern martial-artists are functionalists and care nothing about tradition. Imagine Christmas without lights, gift wraps or a tree... All you’re left with is an unwrapped gift. Where’s the meaning behind that? This is not to say the traditional martial-arts is not functional. A Tae Kwon Do stylist can defeat a JKD practitioner on any given day, vice versa. It depends how hard the individual trains.
Part of the problem is the dojos of today. They seem more interested in money and less on whether you become a good martial artist or not. Many schools don’t have much to offer anyway except the usual stuff that doesn’t work on the streets. These schools put emphasis on making sure the student feels good about themselves, but that doesn’t necessarily helps their martial arts. Gone are the days when a Master only took in students that could represent his dojo, or learn his secrets.
Fortunately for me, I am one of those “trained at home” martial artist. When my father learned Tae Kwon Do, practice was in the wilderness of Thailand. Also, only a few select men were allowed to take lessons and these men had to go through numerous tests and trials. The first was a test of patience. The Master lived in a cave and did not come out for days. The newbies had to wait outside in the elements for days without food or water. Finally, those that were still around when the Master appeared were given permission to train.
There were only three belts: white, brown and black and each belt was well-earned. A person did not even earn a white belt until 2-3 years of training. If one was lucky enough to earn a black belt, he would have studied for nearly 10 years! Needless to say, failing prerequisites was normal.
The training was grueling with no regards to safety or health. This incluced: hours of horse stance training in the searing heat, running through rock filled rivers and kicking trees all day and night. In the end, the men who survived or were left became great martial artists. For as my Grandfather also says, “In those days, one strike from a martial artist was enough to end a match.”
by the Great Sage
Ever since Bruce Lee introduced Jeet Kune Do into the mainstream, traditional martial-arts has seen a decline. Now, with mixed martial-arts and other modern fighting systems, it seems as though people just want to learn “how to fight” right now. There’s less interest in the spiritual cultivation or the traditional value of techniques.
In truth, Bruce Lee like many modern martial-artists are functionalists and care nothing about tradition. Imagine Christmas without lights, gift wraps or a tree... All you’re left with is an unwrapped gift. Where’s the meaning behind that? This is not to say the traditional martial-arts is not functional. A Tae Kwon Do stylist can defeat a JKD practitioner on any given day, vice versa. It depends how hard the individual trains.
Part of the problem is the dojos of today. They seem more interested in money and less on whether you become a good martial artist or not. Many schools don’t have much to offer anyway except the usual stuff that doesn’t work on the streets. These schools put emphasis on making sure the student feels good about themselves, but that doesn’t necessarily helps their martial arts. Gone are the days when a Master only took in students that could represent his dojo, or learn his secrets.
Fortunately for me, I am one of those “trained at home” martial artist. When my father learned Tae Kwon Do, practice was in the wilderness of Thailand. Also, only a few select men were allowed to take lessons and these men had to go through numerous tests and trials. The first was a test of patience. The Master lived in a cave and did not come out for days. The newbies had to wait outside in the elements for days without food or water. Finally, those that were still around when the Master appeared were given permission to train.
There were only three belts: white, brown and black and each belt was well-earned. A person did not even earn a white belt until 2-3 years of training. If one was lucky enough to earn a black belt, he would have studied for nearly 10 years! Needless to say, failing prerequisites was normal.
The training was grueling with no regards to safety or health. This incluced: hours of horse stance training in the searing heat, running through rock filled rivers and kicking trees all day and night. In the end, the men who survived or were left became great martial artists. For as my Grandfather also says, “In those days, one strike from a martial artist was enough to end a match.”
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