Traditional versus Modern Martial Arts

What is a traditional martial art?

Essentially, it is a system of fighting with roots dating back to more historic times of war in various parts of the world. Due to the lawlessness in certain lands at certain points in history, many people were forced to face difficult lifestyles as a result of war. In order to cope, many people were thrust into war through a means of having to preserve the lives of themselves and their families. This is why some traditional fighting systems will encompass not only just fighting techniques but an actual way of life based on self-defense, e.g. Ninpo, Bushido. Typically, these will involve a traditional code of ettiquette and discipline. However, most (not all) traditional martial arts were born through battle.

Examples: Kung Fu/Wushu, Karate, Jujutsu, Ninjutsu/Ninpo, Taekwondo, Kenjutsu, Iaido, Silat, Pekiti-Tirsi Kali, Aikido, Judo, Muay Thai, Capoeira

What is a modern martial art?

Many modern martial arts are completely new fighting systems with a mixture of techniques borrowed from traditional styles as well as the addition of completely new ones. Generally, the majority of these fighting systems are based entirely around sport and organized rules, focusing solely on encounters with one opponent at a time. On a side note, while some traditional arts are also based on sport (e.g. Judo, Karate, Taekwondo, Muay Thai), what separates them is that their arsenal of techniques prepare them for battle (i.e. facing multiple attackers). However, not all modern martial arts are like this though. There are some like Krav Maga created by the Israeli military, Systema which is widely used by Russian forces, most notably the Spetsnaz and MCMAP (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program) which is the hand-to-hand combat system developed by the United States Marine Corps.

Examples: Boxing, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Vee-Jitsu,

Kickboxing, Krav Maga, Systema, MCMAP

​Are traditional or modern martials arts better?

This is a question that is asked all too many times and sadly is rarely answered in truth. If you go to a Karate school and ask the sensei, you will likely be told traditional martial arts are better and you'll get the full run down of why modern styles are such and such. If you go to an MMA gym, the head instructor may very well tell you the same thing about traditional martial arts and so on and so forth. I was fortunate enough to encounter my current sensei who asks every prospective student the one truth: "What do you want out of martial arts?"

There are some people who just want to get in a ring and punch or kick something - a way to physically alleviate stress. Some may have grander goals and aspire to become professional fighters or celebrities. Adversely, you have those who want to learn self-defense simply as a method of precaution and self-preservation, or those who are just genuinely interested in said style based on books and/or movies. Then of course, those who just want to get into shape. No matter what the reason, the one universal truth that many martial artists will not admit is that we all get some sense of a thrill from combat.

So if you would like to know the answer to this question, you have to ask yourself if you want to fight for sport, fitness or actual combat? No answer is "wrong" because you are free to choose your own lifestyle and not everyone has the same goals. If you want to fight for sport, try some of the non-militarized modern martial arts such as boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, or kickboxing which are essentially meant for the ring. For fitness, some gyms have programs called "cardio boxing" or "cardio kickboxing", although it is essentially up to every individual school on how hard they train their students. For actual combat, you likely want to choose styles created through battle, e.g., ninjutsu, jujutsu, silat, kenjutsu, kung fu, krav maga, systema, etc.

Sport-based Styles vs True Combat Styles

Although most people will ask if traditional martial arts are better than modern styles or vice-versa, the above is the actual debate that it ultimately comes down to (I'm ruling out "fitness" since that really has no gray area). In the ring, sport-based styles have a clear advantage. On the flipside, true combat styles have the advantage in, well... actual combat where someone isn't there to watch over your safety or your opponent's.

Ultimately, what it comes down to is that sport-based styles are limited to rules. As a counter-argument, I have heard many people say, "Well nothing is stopping me from gouging somebody's eyes out outside the ring". While that is most certainly true, that is still a weak attempt at justifying that position. Let's take boxing and wrestling and compare it with, say, ninjutsu (how predictable, right?). Boxing is a style with a very limited set of moves so on it's own, it isn't very practical in an actual combat scenario. Pair it up with wrestling and now you have some of your groundgame covered as well, in the event of the high likelihood you get taken to the ground. The problem now is that every single technique in your arsenal is based around stopping someone inside of a ring. This isn't to say you are incapable of stopping someone who intends to kill you, it just means the methods you are taught to use are not the most effective techniques you can use to stop or subdue your attacker.

In the case of ninjutsu, your training entails not only hand-to-hand combat but being able to use absolutely anything in your surroundings as a weapon or a means of escape. If you find yourself in a situation where hand-to-hand combat is unavoidable, then you have an arsenal of techniques which focus primarily on stopping a larger opponent through striking key nerve points on his body. Done correctly, a little girl can make a grown man cry in agonizing pain through an unexpected attack to the juguluar, temple, heart, lower-back tip of the spine, and many, many more. At merely 5'8 and 160 lbs myself, I have made men far taller than me and a hundred pounds heavier drop to their knees in pain from techniques which required virtually no effort. In the event that your attacker appears to have some training in some fighting style as well, you will want to avoid fighting him in hand-to-hand combat. Pull out your belt to catch your attacker's arm if he is armed with a knife or choke him out if you can get behind him, take off your jacket and throw it over his face or hold it out in front of your body as a mask if you're at knife-point, maybe unknowingly slip the pen in your inner pocket into your hand to stab him, or pick up a nearby bottle or a broom. Either way, you have now tilted the advantage back into your favor and you have realized first-hand the difference between a fighting style based on sport and one based on survival.

Of course, one can make the argument that I was too selective in my choice of styles to compare. I chose boxing and ninjutsu because I have learned one and continue to train in the other. Wrestling was just a way to even out the odds a bit. Even if I were to compare two other styles in a true combat situation, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Jujutsu, the answer is still similar. BJJ is, again, a sport-based style focused on taking on one opponent at a time. The objective is to take your attacker down to the ground and grapple them into submission. In a true combat scenario, you will still know how to break their arm, their leg, choke them out unconscious, or, yes, even gouge their eyes out and kick them in the nuts. The objective of Jujutsu, however, is to take your opponent down while you stand. This makes it easier to take on multiple attackers in a true combat scenario. Not only are you learning how to break someone's limbs by taking them to the ground, you are also taught tactics on lining up multiple attackers, thereby eliminating the chances of you fighting all of them at once. Below's video is an example of a sport-based style:

This is called TFC, Team Fighting Championship. Essentially, it pits MMA fighters against each other in a team setting. The extent of the techniques used in virtually every TFC match is similar to UFC: boxing, wrestling, BJJ, maybe even some Muay Thai. While this is certainly great for the ring and perhaps entertaining to watch for some people, notice how these matches are inevitably five 1vs1 matches. The moment a team loses a single person, that team becomes outnumbered and one of the remaining four people will become confused and flustered at then having to face two people, eventually three, then four and five (depending on how resilient he is of course). These fighters are obviously all tough but this is strictly representative of sport-based styles.

So can both types of fighting methods work? Of course! As I said earlier, it all depends on what your goal is! Only you can define what "work" means to you. If it is sport, go for something like the above. But if it for self-preservation and true combat defense, most people would rather not choose to gamble with their lives, so naturally it would be wiser to choose a style which would prepare you for such unfortunate events. No style is by definition better than another one, and there is no superior method over another except in terms of what you want out of your training. I have trained in both sport-based modern martial arts as well as traditional styles, and having experienced both sides of the martial arts spectrum, I see the advantages and disadvantages of both first-hand. Most importantly, always make sure the school you are considering signing up in is a legitimate school under legitimate instructors.

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