Is tournament fighting good or bad for practical Martial Arts?

Question

Would tournament fighting be considered good for it's sport applications? Or bad for it's non practical applications?

Answer 1

No matter good or bad sides, over all it is good. MOST never get the experiece of the fear of being attacked. Sure they have gloves on thicker in some than others, but the opponent is not someone you know so its not friendly. i think that it is great practice to see how you can handle yourself. It cant teach you everything, but it can teach you to control fear and focus your thougths.

Answer 2

It depends on the instructor and circumstances is not true only to a certain extent. It's true to every sense of the word. Most people here say traditional martial arts isn't reality. They don't see the moves working... Well they are wrong. They do work. Traditional martial arts is rooted in reality. Traditional martial arts had to be just as effective as any modern martial arts today has to. People back then still had two eyes, two noses, two legs, and two arms, despite what some people seem to believe. The problem with traditional martial arts is in fact that it's old and somewhere between the sports and time, we can't really figure how to apply it anymore. Because it's so old, it takes a little more imagination to use. For example, people look at the traditional martial arts weapon of the bo staff. Why train with the bo staff. Who's going to carry a bo staff around? It's useless, right? Or is it? How many people have a broom or mop in their houses? Look a little like a bo staff to you? Or sai. When you boil it all down, a sai is a blunt metal weapon ideal for striking joints like the knee. I don't carry my sai around, but I do have a hammer. That's a blunt metal weapon. I can't use it exactly the same, but I can still strike the same points I trained to strike when I practiced sai. You see what I'm saying?

Answer 3

It depends on the tournament rules.

In any sort of tournament there will always (of course) be rules for safety. The less the rules and more realistic the ruleset then the more practical it is going to be.

Also the level and intensity of training is generally going to be more than anything someone who is not looking to be an amateur or pro fighter will go through or devote themselves to.

If you are talking about point sparring or forms tournaments, then it has no practical applications unless you want to join a dance contest or a tag tournament.

Vale Tudo, pride, UFC, San-da rules, muai-thai, boxing, wrestling, all might have thier "weaknesses" if they train exclusively for a specific ruleset, but the less restrictive the rules, the easier it is to close the gap and learn to defend against SMJ (small joint manipulation) for example or rabbit punches, etc.

People love to pipe up with this too deadly for the ring crap.

If it works in the ring it works for real, there might be gaps, but the people who claim that thier deadly dim mak or eye pokes are too deadly and will give them the advantage (but they have never actually used it in a resistance or full contact situation) will get laid out by even a hobbyist boxer who spars regularly.

Most MAists have trouble with boxing simply because they don't train in a continuous fight situation with punch, recovery, counterpunch like a boxer (or many other sport fighters do, I'm just using boxing because it is the most restrictive ruleset, yet still one of the most effective martial arts).

Answer 4

Bad. I'm being a paragmatic here when I say there most likely wont be any rules on the street. Groin shots, nerve strikes, and breaks will all occur. You should learn 'intense' techniques if you want to win a practical fight. The more 'intense' the shorter the fight is for you. Go hard and fast. There are no points awarded in real fights.

Answer 5

Tournament fighting puts rules and conditions on the fight and there is a referee there to keep the fighters safe. In a real fight there are no rules and it does't stop when the ref sees a fighter getting hurt.

That being said tournament fighting is good for increasing reactions however it does tend to limit what a fighter can do to win the fight (remember those things called rules are still in effect there).

Answer 6

That's like as asking:

-Is practicing driving on simulation computer before get behind real wheel with someone experience good or bad?

-Is practicing with air rifle before taking sharp shooter course good or bad?

-Is practicing on wig before cutting a person hair for real good or bad?

-Is practicing sewing with rag before trying to sew your own clothes good or bad?

-Is Practicing swimming in pool before try to swim in beach good or bad?

The point is, it's alway good to have some kind of experience to stimulate you and keep you alert, motivate you to learn, have something you can test out, and being able to see what you do wrong. You can't be 100% prepare for everything! but you can definitely be more well around and prepared than most people.

Answer 7

There are good sides and bad sides to tournaments. the good side is you fight people you don't even know or how they react. the bad side is tournaments want to put restraints like only hitting the stomach of your opponet. in the real world there are no rules and you have to defend youself using anything possible.

Answer 8

Well MMA is not good for martial arts. If it is a tourney for your specific ma it is fine.

Answer 9

"It's the best!" (Nacho Libre)

seriously though.... nothing is better in martial arts then actually trying it out on someone... its the only way to fly!