My system is considered a ‘modern combat’ system, yet I view it as deeply rooted in tradition.
In my courses, we have no real rituals to speak of. Sensei and Sifu have been replaced with ‘Coach’. We practice pure street defense all the time. So how is it that I consider it ‘traditional’?
In reality, the ‘martial’ notion of traditionalism is really an enigma.
Modern, for me, has to do with ‘current’ concerns. The word ‘tradition’ can imply many things (look it up). However, the essence I prefer is “a set of such customs and usages viewed as a coherent body of precedents influencing the present.”
How I relate to this is simple: the warriors before us learned simple truths about combat (sometimes the hard way), and their writings and research should influence us. However, we must also integrate and respect the important and obvious changes that time and evolution have engendered.
For instance, while I read, respect, and quote Musashi, I don’t practice katana disarms because most people today don’t carry swords. However, I do practice gun defense because that is a modern concern.
Musashi’s psychology on training and fighting is timeless, but his paradigm is dated. In the future, when space pirates carry lasers, those who practice gun takeaways will be considered traditional, not modern.
The mainstream populace has always feared change and modernization, and this same ‘clinging’ mindset prevails in many respects in the martial art world. This is where fear management comes into play.
‘Truth’ is perception-based, and perception is always subjective.
“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” - Arthur Schopenhauer
When a system or style is first developed, irrespective of its methodology, virtues, or values, it is generally labeled or typecast as modern, radical, irreverent, rebel-like, and a host of other politically correct and not-so-politically-correct terms that are commonly used to describe ‘breakers of tradition’.
But today’s ‘modern eclectic’ will become tomorrow’s traditional.
Necessity is the mother of invention, and so the arts must change to adapt to the reality of the street. We need to move past traditional roots to address the problems that face us today. This involves understanding and managing fear, not just techniques.
As the world gets meaner and more violent, serious martial arts instructors need to offer educational havens for those seeking solutions to the very real problems of fear and violence.
Train hard & stay safe,
Coach B
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"WoW" I wish I could email this following quote to all martial arts instructors world wide in hope they will become more ethical, honest and repsonsible to and for their students. "As the world gets meaner and more violent, serious martial arts instructors need to offer educational havens for those seeking solutions to the very real problems of fear and violence". Tony your words are wisdom!!!!