Fighting competitions | ||
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Competitions
In modern times fighting
usually refers to fighting bouts or
competitions. These are not to be taken lightly. When you think of fighting
it usually means MMA or boxing.
Most martial artists don't participate in fighting competitions. Quite
simply: it is not why they're training a martial art.
Regardless of how gritty, brutal or dangerous a fighting competition is, it
is still essentially a 'sporting event', and martial arts were never
designed with that purpose in mind.
Competition fighters
MMA fighters and boxers train hard. They train to win. Their fear and
uncertainty is channelled into aggression, intimidation and combat.
If your martial arts training is not geared towards competition fighting, it
is unwise to agree to a bout. Fighting competitions are quite different to
class practice and a seasoned fighter is not to be trifled with.
How hard do you
train?
A boxer or an MMA competition
fighter is a very serious opponent.
They train in earnest. They are ruthless,
seasoned fighters. They can take a beating. They
are not messing about.
This hardly sounds like the average tai chi student does it?
YouTube
YouTube is filled with many examples of perfectly decent martial artists getting beaten up by
an MMA guy.
The beating is normally decisive, fast and
pretty bad.
What happened?
The answer is simple.
When faced with a genuine threat,
most people totally lose their nerve and get beaten up from the
onset.
Be realistic
People who favour fighting competitions train with fighting competitions in mind and so
are usually very good at what they do. Unless you train that way, it is
unwise to enter such events.
Context
If asked to enter a fighting tournament, not many martial artists would say
yes. But, if somebody assaulted them on the
street, they would be willing and
capable
of defending themselves.
Tai chi for fighting competitions?
If you want to use tai chi in fighting competitions, the best thing to do
is to train with people who participate in fighting competitions. It will
wake you up and show you what will work and what will not.
Do not make assumptions. Go find out.
Tai chi
exponents
Most tai chi schools aren't training 'competition fighters'... It just
isn't their focus. But they are teaching
people to become very strong, agile, and alert. And hopefully
capable enough of getting themselves out of a bad situation without being
injured.
Page created 4 July 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023