The following statement (In Italics) is from an Advertisement from a company Called TRS that Sells Instructional Self Defense Videos. And while it is part of attempt at selling their materials, It's still true! The commentary below the quote is from Regular Blog contributor Steve Forester.
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".. MMA schools for "sport fight training
is often tough, fairly realistic, and brutal fight training... but it is
NOT the same as studying street fighting.
Because Sport Fighting and Street Fighting have two different goals.
In Street Fighting the goal is to "end the threat as quickly as possible".
In MMA it’s to "make money as quickly as possible". In other words, MMA fighters are paid entertainers.
Statistics show that a typical street fight lasts only 3 to 8 seconds, (about the same time it took you to read this sentence).
If
every pay-per-view "cage" fight was over within 3-8 seconds, promoters
would lose their audience, their advertisers, and their a**... fast.
And that explains why there are no quick "fight-ending" moves allowed in the ring -- which is what a street fight is ALL about.
Another
thing: MMA fights wouldn’t be "sanctioned" for long with a continuous
stream of dead bodies being hauled out of the ring".
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So this is a good summary of things today, I think. And, obviously true to anyone with an open mind.
I
left out traditional martial arts (TMA) which both sport fighting and
street fighting dismiss as hopelessly obsolete. And not without good
justification. There was a LOT of "magic" propagated by martial arts
that was simply wishful thinking, and done to make money. MMA put an end
to that. Which is why we find BJJ Studios on every street corner today
instead of TMA studios.
However, MMA is not street fighting. Or "gutter fighting". if you will.
The goal of street fighting is to end things in 3-5 seconds. NOT to go 5 rounds to entertain fans.
Today,
MMA rules. The King of the martial arts world. But, they seem to miss
the point. Competition is fine, but not true reality.
Competition is fun, exciting, and cool. Reality is brutal, awful, and anyone with any sense avoids like the plague.
This
is true for unarmed as well as with weapons. "Combat Competition" is
extremely popular today. Pistol, carbine, or "3 gun". It is fun and
exciting. Maybe develops some skills.
But, much like MMA - not reality.
You guys laugh, but I still say: "What is your mission"?
If your mission is just to have some fun, get fit, etc. then, by all means, go directly to combat sports.
If your mission is to protect your family and stay safe, perhaps something approaching street reality is more appropriate.
Close
Combat is not popular today. Perhaps as it should be. People flock to
MMA and combat pistol shooting today because it is cool and fun.
So, why do we still persist in "The Old Ways"?
Well, I have thought about this and, for me, it
is because it gives me the peace of mind that when I step out of my
house that I have the confidence that I can protect myself and my
family. That is it.
This is not a game to me. As Carl (Cestari) once said: "I am not going to play a game with an assailant on the street, in a parking lot, in a bar or in a subway car ".
To me, it is simply survival and this is the best way I know to survive.
I do not criticize others for their games and having fun. But, confusing the two purposes is a mistake, IMO.
I stand (and live) by Col. Rex Applegate's statement in his "Close Combat Files..." book.
"The
importance of this type of combat lies not alone in the extreme
offensive skill set which the students can achieve, but also in the fact
that any man, regardless of size or physique, once well trained in this
technique, has a supreme self-confidence in himself and his fighting
abilities which he could not achieve in any other way".
Rex Applegate, The Close Combat Files...", p. 161.
Still as true today as it was in 1942, IMO.
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