Is it possible to make up your own martial art?

Question

By studying some other effective techniques and then making them your own and inventing knew ones?

0_o

Answer 1

While you can develop your own techniques and unique combinations, I doubt you'll be able to 'invent' new styles of martial art. Technique-wise, there are only so many ways to apply an arm bar, trip and throw, or punch and kick someone. Individual techniques are created and applied by martial artists all the time to suit specific situations. These applications are driven by the theories of each underlying style. Just because you may have made an unique move during a sparring session not found in any forms, katas, or exercises, doesn't mean you are suddenly the founder of a brand new style. Now, if you somehow discovered new and practical combat theories, you may be looking at a new style of martial art.

Answer 2

Ok, you need to now ask yourself one question?

Am I helio gracie?

meaning this:

do I have the friggin time.

I strongly suggest you look up the conditions under which gjj was developed. It is a successfull art today, it has proven itself so in MMA, this is why i did not cite bruce lee as there are many claims by jkdists yet also other claims that it is now not what bruce intended and others that simply say it is not really a martial art, but a collection of philosopy to approach training in martial arts.

Look at these conditions:
HUGE family so there was no shortage of sparring partners (it pays to f uck like rabbits).

He had a base from which to work, he didn't just invent the style out of thin air- he based it on concepts of judo.

He had the TIME to do it as a professional martial artist.

he TESTED his theories in live situations against resisting opponents. I would love to see the "manual" of ideas that gjj discarded while developing what works if there were one. It would be funny.

Basically if you don't have the time, don't have acess to ready sparring partners, and don't go into it with an idea of what works and why, then you are going to fail.

It is NOT easy to create your own MA, most "new" martial arts are actually just combinations or fine-tuning of others. Or new interpretations of old concepts that work.

Just dancing around in your back yard is not going to work if you have no concept of how to generate power or move to begin with. You should study other arts for a long time before even attempting this. Even then, it is likely you won't be able to come up with somehting that is drastically original and unlike the first arts you studied.

EDIT: while it may be true that cross-training you may be picking and choosing what works for you (or what works) from different styles, but I think in order for it to be a martial art it needs to change to a degree that you don't recognize the original art/arts.

Answer 3

When you look at Martial Arts as a whole there really aren't that many. But when you start looking at each individual style then the numbers jump up rather quickly. And it's the use of the word "individual" that is key here. Each style can be traced back to one "individual." Putting his or her own personal touch on an already existing Art. Some simply by modifying and others by combining. Also the term "Art" is very definitve when describing what these things actually are...Art Forms. No two paintings can ever be exactly the same. As in "my kung fu is stronger than yours," the words "mine" and "yours" are key.

In other words...Yes. You can make up your own martial art. The very act of studying does this. But will you record your teachings for others to see? Will you teach what you have learned as a new style that was invented by you? Probably not. But if you do and people feel that it is legitimate, only then will you be able to list yourself among the creators.

S

Answer 4

Generally what happens is that martial artists will cross-train, so they'll study a bunch of different systems and become profficient (i.e. black belts and higher) in a couple. They then have the ability to recognize the flaws in existing systems and work to adapt them.

I suppose you could build one from scratch, but generally people build off of the frameworks of other systems: look at Kempo, for example. You have American Kenpo, Kempo kai, Kiyojute Kempo, Shorinji Kempo, Nippon Kempo, Shaolin Kempo, Goryuu Kempo, Kajukenbo, and several other "daughter" systems to the style originally brought to America by James Mitosi.

This is where we get most martial arts of today. And it's really cool. I'm all for it, especially if the creator has a way of applying it--I know someone who did so because he was a cop and found all the techniques that worked well on the street.

best,
Megs

Answer 5

i teach people using this method. I get them to find what feels right and just encourage them to do the most efficient things - less effort, more power.

And the funny thing is they always end up doing something that has already been invented.

But they learn a lot faster and better this way than if i tell them what to do.

So go for it - invent your own style, but don't be surprised if you start doing things that have been done before.

Answer 6

I would seriously doubt it. I know of so-called MA systems that are nothing more than plagiarism of legitimate arts. Generally what they offer is a blending of various techniques to fit your particular body style. The idea is that not everyone is capable of peforming spinning kicks or kicking above their head, so they train you to do the things that you are capable of. This type of "pick and choose", "buffet style" teaching does not produce a well rounded martial artist, but one with limited skills.

Answer 7

Yes, it is possible. I don't know how effective it will be. You better have a boatload of experience to draw on.
Are you a master of several different styles? Have you spent your life physically combating people?
If the answer is "no" to both these questions then you have to question validity of the new art.

Answer 8

It is very possible Bruce lee did it forming Jeet kune do,many different forms of martial arts combined into one system.If you are an established martial artist you should have no problem developing your own system.

Answer 9

I just created the squatting dog technique

Answer 10

yeah its totally fine.... i made two of my own fighting styles based on a a variety of different arts (jujitsu, grappling, northern shaolin to name a few) if its good it might be excepted in more places as its own art..... just keep making new ways to keep your style original and effective