Popular misconceptions about martial arts?

[c0r1nth14n]

So I'm thinking about writing an article about this, and I was wondering, what are some popular misconceptions you encounter about martial arts, from people who don't really know much about them? Things like, TMAs are all ancient while boxing is a modern thing, or that learning a martial art makes you a badass who can streetfight, or that there's one specific martial art that is a thousand times better than all the others, or that all good martial arts come from Asia... any ideas? Thanks!

 

[juji gatame**]

BJJ is all about fighting from your back.

EDIT: Oops I didn't know this was the Standup Technique forum.

 

[Deleted member 245586]

So I'm thinking about writing an article about this, and I was wondering, what are some popular misconceptions you encounter about martial arts, from people who don't really know much about them? Things like, TMAs are all ancient while boxing is a modern thing, or that learning a martial art makes you a badass who can streetfight, or that there's one specific martial art that is a thousand times better than all the others, or that all good martial arts come from Asia... any ideas? Thanks!

Myth = wrestling isn't a martial art.

 

[c0r1nth14n]

BJJ is all about fighting from your back.

EDIT: Oops I didn't know this was the Standup Technique forum.

No worries, I'm interested in misconceptions about any martial arts. Maybe I should post it in the grappling forum too?

 

[Nefron]

All martial arts are equal and should be respected.

 

[wildman1717]

I always get people thinking that Judo and BJJ are kicking arts.

 

[Ayin]

All martial arts were made to fight ARMED and ARMOURED soldiers on the battlefield.

All martial arts originate from China, and also, that China is the birthplace of the Martial Arts.

Although it is not a misconception, the complete lack of knowledge of Pankration, as well as Greek Wrestling and Boxing, and where they fit into history.

That, historically, people from Island X, utilising Martial Art Y, fought and defeated armed and armoured invaders from Country Z with only their bare hands or simple farm implements.

 

[CollarTie]

No matter what the martial art is, people still manage to call it Karate.

"So how's your karate going?"

"It's called Mua...aw fuck it. Karate's great, I'm a green belt."

 

[Human Bass]

...

You know that other civilizations as old as China had martial arts too, rite?

 

[hurr2323]

Then where is the birthplace if not China?

Martial arts was born wherever man was born. There is evidence of wrestling in pretty much any ancient culture with surviving artifacts. Epic of gilgamesh, egyptian tombs, greek pottery, etc. And as someone else in this thread alluded to, wrestling is definitely a martial art. Might not be seen that way today but it is. People have always fought and so every culture has had its own techniques for fighting. I guess you could say the birthplace of martial arts is some jungle in africa where man first stood up and bashed his friend over the head with a branch.


*Edited to include quote*

 

[LEGS MAHONEY]

But the overwhelming majority of arts practiced today besides a few are off shoots of styles the ancient chinese had.

 

[SteelHammer]

No matter what the martial art is, people still manage to call it Karate.

"So how's your karate going?"

"It's called Mua...aw fuck it. Karate's great, I'm a green belt."

haha

 

[FyouKantCme]

"martial arts is a waste of time. you just need to know how to punch."

 

[superjatt]

No matter what the martial art is, people still manage to call it Karate.

"So how's your karate going?"

"It's called Mua...aw fuck it. Karate's great, I'm a green belt."

i get that too. i do muay thai and my dad tells people i do karate and my brother tells people i do mma, really annoying but its too much of a hassle to expain

 

[panamaican]

But the overwhelming majority of arts practiced today besides a few are off shoots of styles the ancient chinese had.

There's decent enough evidence to suggest that the Chinese arts (and most of the arts in that region) originated in India.

 

[Kana Li]

There's decent enough evidence to suggest that the Chinese arts (and most of the arts in that region) originated in India.

The fact that stories say that an Indian monk brought martial arts to china. It also explains why even among different martial arts certain things remain so close to each other.

 

[LEGS MAHONEY]

Actually its well known that its a shaolin temple myth that the indian monks particularly bodiharma brought martial arts to China. They were already well established before he even came into the country and he didnt even know martial arts at all.:icon_lol:

 

[DS614]

All martial arts originate from China, and also, that China is the birthplace of the Martial Arts.

Seems this is a pretty common misconception even here.. hahah, this guy totally nailed it.

 

[Marvin Covar]

Martial artists never fall prey to the sucker punch and are pretty much indestructible.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

common misconceptions off the top of my head

1. aerial kicks were meant as attacks against mounted soldiers (yea like ppl can jump 12 ft in the air)

2. nunchuks are rice flails.

3. when belts were first instituted, a white belt would go to black belt simply because his belt got dirty over years of training

4. if a country's military at one point practiced martial art X, then X is a combat efficient system.

5. bruce lee is the "father of MMA"

6. anything related to chi (that goes beyond simple breathing and relaxation)

7. dim mak

8. an effective form of self defense and combat consists of imitating a giant insect.

9. boxing, fencing, wrestling are not martial arts.

10. 100% of fights go to the ground.