Stylish issues

 I had a brief but still interesting chat the other day, with a person who isn't really a practitioner, but kind of sidelines fan of martial arts. Fortunately, although the talk was about the value of various martial systems and styles, the said person was above the petty fandom idolization of any particular exponents or their styles, so the discussion was not a bother. The main insight for me came from their observation that in the end Bruce Lee was right that "it is not about the styles, but about fighters", because we have seen representatives (declarative) of several different disciplines having had success in MMA. 

After that, my collocutor was left with a question of why then we still have so many systems and schools? Now, if you have been my follower for a while, you may remember that there are some recommended resources that will answer this question much better than I could within the confines of a blog post. Still, there are, in my view two main components to this - one, historical and social circumstances as they relate to the origin; two, personal motive for being involved with the practice. 

Now, of course, the great Bruce Lee repeatedly emphasized that his practice was all about truth in combat, hence the approach to training, readiness to experiment etc. Naturally, it sounds perfectly sensible, and with the expansion of MMA, it also seems quite evident. This also why some exponents are able to be successful in the situations of being pressure-tested outside the typical framework of their chosen methodologies. That said ,however, it is more often the case of exception, rather than the rule. So, what makes people get emotionally invested in fiery debates about the virtues or shortcomings of their schools of thought, when it comes to fighting?

My experience in dealing with many of those over decades, especially if they have never tried stepping outside the aforementioned stylistic boundaries, is that even if they resort to quoting Lee, it is with a different agenda. Namely, they simply are not in quest for the truth in combat. And, like I've stated so many times, it is OK...as long as they are honest with themselves about it. 

Different folks are into it for different reasons, but quite often they are unaware of choosing to pursue the illusion and live in fantasy, at least from the standpoint of sheer combative effectiveness. In the realm of training for weaponry use it is probably even more characteristic than in the empty-handed systems (although, just the matter of degree). Essentially, it tends to slip into the domain of LARPing, without being called that.

Now, I am absolutely not against LARP and Cosplay. Heck, it gets people outside and moving, while enjoying it. Plus, they are utterly straightforward about living their fantasy. But when a person who does some kind of "traditional" stuff, whether ninjutsy, aikido, kung fu, FMA, RMA, or capoeira, two hours a week on a recreational basis, goes on a rant about just how deadly and lethal it is...ugh, I'd rather not delve into that. Interestingly though, they tend to be offended when compared to LARPers. Go figure...